Clemson-OSU Targeting?

[CookieMonster.sixpack]

Okay that call that ejected Skalski or whatever his name is? I mean at what point do we just say tackling is illegal? It was dangerous for the LB to put his head down but how is that targeting? I feel so bad for these defensive players. Everything they do is a foul now!

 

[FlotownDawg]

You can’t hit anyone with the crown of your helmet no matter where you hit them. It’s to protect the tackler as much as the guy getting tackled. You could break your neck smashing a guy with your head lowered. It’s what happened to Chucky Mullins.

 

[Bill Shankly]

That was even spearing under the old rule. That's always been illegal.

 

[Phil Wenneck.sixpack]

So again, why are they wearing helmets then? Take em off and if someone’s dumb enough to hit someone with the crown of their unprotected head then that’s their problem. That’s not even my biggest issue. It’s the automatic ejection. That part must be changed.

 

[jethreauxdawg]

He was going with his shoulder. The qb attempted a spin move which made him hit the helmet first. That call really pisses me off, not sure why, I don’t care about either team, but that call makes it feel even more bogus. The system was rigged to get OSU into this game anyway

 

[patdog]

A helmet doesn't do jack **** to keep you from breaking your neck.

 

[FlotownDawg]

Hitting him with the helmet wasn’t the problem. It was hitting him with the crown of the helmet. You can’t duck your head and use the crown of your helmet as a weapon. Gotta hit face mask first.

 

[DAWG61]

Y'all are misunderstanding two different rules. Herbstreit even cautioned people to stop doing that.

 

[mstateglfr]

Okay that call that ejected Skalski or whatever his name is? I mean at what point do we just say tackling is illegal? It was dangerous for the LB to put his head down but how is that targeting? I feel so bad for these defensive players. Everything they do is a foul now!

Just chalk it up to the popular narrative that the sport is quickly becoming pussified.

 

[mstateglfr]

He was going with his shoulder. The qb attempted a spin move which made him hit the helmet first. That call really pisses me off, not sure why, I don’t care about either team, but that call makes it feel even more bogus. The system was rigged to get OSU into this game anyway

This all day. Agreed over and over.
I fully agree with the rules that are now in place to reduce head/neck injuries, but I am so tired of people being ejected because their helmet crown connects due to the player in offense moves.
This commonly happens when a defender goes to tackle low and the ball carrier drops down/slides. Suddenly, the defender is leading with his helmet and connects with the crown of his helmet even though he wasn't trying to.

 

[Bill Shankly]

This all day. Agreed over and over.
I fully agree with the rules that are now in place to reduce head/neck injuries, but I am so tired of people being ejected because their helmet crown connects due to the player in offense moves.
This commonly happens when a defender goes to tackle low and the ball carrier drops down/slides. Suddenly, the defender is leading with his helmet and connects with the crown of his helmet even though he wasn't trying to.

He went in with his head down. That was spearing prior to targeting and always been illegal. If he had been doing what I was taught back in the dang Stone Age, SEE what you are hitting when you do it, he wouldn't have been ejecting.

 

[patdog]

Just saw the play. That was targeting all day long. And judging from the players reaction, it looks like he knew it.

 

[Go Budaw]

This all day. Agreed over and over.
I fully agree with the rules that are now in place to reduce head/neck injuries, but I am so tired of people being ejected because their helmet crown connects due to the player in offense moves.
This commonly happens when a defender goes to tackle low and the ball carrier drops down/slides. Suddenly, the defender is leading with his helmet and connects with the crown of his helmet even though he wasn't trying to.

Your helmet crown will literally never connect if you keep your head up and simply look at the player you are tackling. It doesn’t matter what the offensive player does. He made a deliberate move to lower the crown moments before he hit him. He went from looking straight at Fields when he was about 2 yards away to staring straight down at the ground by the time he hit him. That’s forcible contact with the crown...this **** isn’t that complicated.

 

[Bill Shankly]

Just saw the play. That was targeting all day long. And judging from the players reaction, it looks like he knew it.

He ought to, he got ejected from the semifinal last year for doing the same thing.

 

[o_dawgnabit]

By the book, yes that was targeting. He hit hit with the crown of the helmet and that is targeting. But they need to make a targeting 1 and a targeting 2 call. Ejecting players for bang bang plays where it is not intentional is stupid.

However, if that was a RB instead of QB that got hit it’s not being called

 

[mstateglfr]

He went in with his head down. That was spearing prior to targeting and always been illegal. If he had been doing what I was taught back in the dang Stone Age, SEE what you are hitting when you do it, he wouldn't have been ejecting.

Your helmet crown will literally never connect if you keep your head up and simply look at the player you are tackling. It doesn’t matter what the offensive player does. He made a deliberate move to lower the crown moments before he hit him. He went from looking straight at Fields when he was about 2 yards away to staring straight down at the ground by the time he hit him. That’s forcible contact with the crown...this **** isn’t that complicated.

It looked like the tackler was trying to lead with his shoulder, the carrier spun/turned away, and suddenly the tackler was leading with his helmet when the intent was to connect with the shoulder.

Agreed- keep head up.

 

[DAWGS1.sixpack]

Nope!
What y’all aren’t getting is had that been a RB for OH St, there would not have been a flag much less targeting.
Because it was the QB, there’s your flag and thus targeting.
I see it multiple times per game, every game.

 

[CochiseCowbell]

Nope!
What y’all aren’t getting is had that been a RB for OH St, there would not have been a flag much less targeting.
Because it was the QB, there’s your flag and thus targeting.
I see it multiple times per game, every game.

Or a TE. But, had it been a WR, who turns into a runner just like the QB after the LOS, he still would've been flagged.

 

[Russ Wheeler]

Is the ejection automatic? Seems like when they first started it if they felt it wasnt intentional, they’d enforce the penalty and not the ejection. I guess that changed.

 

[Russ Wheeler]

This all day. Agreed over and over.
I fully agree with the rules that are now in place to reduce head/neck injuries, but I am so tired of people being ejected because their helmet crown connects due to the player in offense moves.
This commonly happens when a defender goes to tackle low and the ball carrier drops down/slides. Suddenly, the defender is leading with his helmet and connects with the crown of his helmet even though he wasn't trying to.

Defenders shouldnt be spearing at the legs either. That’s how knees get taken out.

 

[Willowdawg]

Hitting him with the helmet wasn’t the problem. It was hitting him with the crown of the helmet. You can’t duck your head and use the crown of your helmet as a weapon. Gotta hit face mask first.

I hate the ejection and the rule for the most part, but this is correct. It is called form tackling, and we all learned it in pee wee or jr. high football. The main reason is to not break your neck like people have already posted. It protects everyone. I never lowered my head when I played football. I wasn't breaking my neck for any idiot football coach.