The NFL has fined Myron Pryor $7,500 for his hit under the chin of Vikings quarterback Brett Favre last Sunday. I'll skip the formal stuff and cut to the chase. This is ridiculous. I know that the NFL loves Favre because of the media attention he brings and all that, and I also know that the NFL wants to protect QBs and crack down on dangerous hits. But at what point are we going to remember that this is football? Players get blasted. It's part of the game. Quarterbacks take hits. Pryor hit Favre in the sternum, which Mark Schlereth has been screaming and yelling as being acceptable for the last month on ESPN. What is an illegal hit? Are players just getting fined for being good at their job? It's sure starting to seem that way. I know it's a small fine compared to the others we've seen this year, but this was a clean sack that didn't deserve a fine at all.
To quote you, is this real life? A perfectly clean hit, and an accident happened. This is why the NFL is unwatchable to me; you can't hit a quaterback without getting in trouble. Newsflash, it's a contact sport, people will get hurt.
ReplyDeletelets say if the QB was not favre would they fined Pryor?
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with this. The rule is that you can't make contact with a quarterback's head. Pryor did.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, is there a more dangerous place to get hit (when it comes to concussions) than the chin? If you're a boxer, the worst place to get caught is the tip of the chin. Thats why we wear mouthpieces, to absorb shock when hit in the jaw. Personally I think Favre was pretty lucky that he didn't get knocked the fuck out.
And why should I give a shit about a player's financial situation? It wasn't penalized on the field, therefore it doesn't really affect me.
I think the issue, Shane, is that Pryor hit Favre in the allotted area, and his face-mask accidentally caught Favre on the chin. It wasn't nearly as bad as Merriweather or Harrison's helmet-to-helmet hits.
ReplyDeleteBut I do agree that the chin would be the worst place to get hit by a 300+ pound lineman.
ReplyDeleteRoyrp,
ReplyDeleteI DO HAVE a problem with this as the NFL has determined over the last few years that it is now only acceptable to hit a quarterback between the shoulders and waist. Now try adding in the speed of the game, the size of the players playing the game, and the fact that every quality coach teaches at an early age to face who you are tackling. Prior faced the QB, hit him in the chest and the helmet slid up as the QB was hitting the ground.
Banning, suspending and generally going after hits like Meriweather does on a regular basis is definitely the way to go, but hits like Prior's happen and are as clean and textbook as they come.
Unfortunately concussions and head injuries occur, as they do in boxing, hockey and other contact sports. The intention of clamping down should be to eliminate dangerous hits that are intended to injure or cause harm beyond the everyday wear and tear of the sport. Expecting a player to hit the QB in the chest and then pull up and ease him to the ground to avoid further injury is ridiculous. Players are taught to follow through to the end of the play which he did. He never should've received any fine or repercussions from this!
And before I get trampled on, let me preface this by saying, I was a player, I knew the risks of playing, I'm a medical professional who has first hand knowledge of these injuries on a daily basis, and recently my own son went through post concussive treatment from a football concussion. Not that this really matters, but wanted to show my foundation and my opinion together. Thanks
I agree with Royrp, it was a borderline late hit, and inevitably a hit to the head... Pryors hit was 100% with the intent to injure favre (which i like). Rules are rules and he deserved the fine. I think the NFL handled it the way it should be held. If a hit is dirty then fine him, don't give a 15 yard penalty that inevitably costs a team the game.
ReplyDeleteDo I wish players were allowed to be more physical? Yes, but lets be honest were talking about Multi-million dollar investments here. Owners and the NFL are going to do anything possible to keep there stars on the field.
The rules are the rules... I never said I agreed with them, but the bottom line is Pryor broke that rule. It's Pryor's responsibility to not hit Favre in the head.
ReplyDeleteThis story isn't about whether or not the rule is any good, but should Pryor have been fined. The answer is yes, he made helmet to helmet contact with a QB's head.
I equate these arguments to the NBA's technical foul rules. Everyone comlains about how technicals are given out so often. Fans complain that the rule is too strict and we'll see far too many techniacls. How I see it is this: the rules are the rules and it falls upon the PLAYERS to comply. The fact that KG is too stupid to not argue doesn't mean its a bad rule. If you want the rule changed, bring it up at the next CBA meeting, but don't hurt your team because you're incapable of adapting.
And JackG if you're in the medical field, and you have a son who has experienced a concussion, shouldn't you for stricter rules on helmet to helmet hits? If you've seen the results, and you've know how devastating the effects can be, you more than anyone else should be calling for these rules.
Are you serious leftnut? His intent wasn't to injure Favre, it was a LEGAL TACKLE. He WAS NOT headhunting,as he tackled him AT THE CHEST, and his helmet ACCIDENTALLY caught his chin. ACCIDENTS happen, players shouldn't be fine. If it wasn't resident geriatric Bret Favre, this wouldn't even be an issue. It wasn't a helmet to helmet hit, and anyone who thinks otherwise is completely delusional.
ReplyDeleteMills:"It wasn't a helmet to helmet hit, and anyone who thinks otherwise is completely delusional"
ReplyDeleteYou, sir, are delusional then.
Mills: "his helmet ACCIDENTALLY caught his chin"
Direct contradiction. Either you think Pryor hit Favre in the face, or you don't. It can't be both.
Royrp,
ReplyDeleteAs I said, I am in the medical field and do know the devastation helmet to helmet hits can cause, but I think you may have missed my point or maybe I did a poor job of explaining it. I think clamping down on the hits where someone aims his head at the other players' head as a weapon such as the many Brandon M. seems to deliver weekly is the right thing to do. However, the hit we are talking about is a clean hit in the proper area and during the course of the players falling, the helmet slid upward.
I am completely in favor of penalizing the headhunting hits, but my point was that unfortunately accidents will always happen in this sport as it is premised on hard hitting. Just as boxers that stay around long enough will suffer brain damage due to the cumulation of repeated blows over the years. There will always be the chance of a head injury as long as players get larger and faster and tackle offensive players. To eliminate the head injuries completely is to stop any contact and that isn't going to happen.
Just so I'm clear, my point is that .....yes, they should penalize headhunting head shots, but many black and white rules for this with no room for discretion will be bad for the game and that is what this ruling was.There has to be some discretion used and this particular hit does not fall under the head hunting helmet to helmet hit. To take it a step further..if the NFL truly wants to do more about prevention than just bending to political correctness right now, they make it mandatory for players to ALL wear the top concussion prevention helmets out there. They'd also require the players to wear the best mouthpieces and chin straps, certainly not like the 1970's chin strap Favre was wearing. Again, would this prevent head injuries? YES....All of them?....NO
It seems the league makes a point of being vigilant about dress code, uniforms, etc. then maybe they could do the safest thing for the players.
Hopefully this clarifies my point and I appreciate the feedback Roy!
Helmet hitting helmet is not the same as a facemask hitting a chin. Chin =/= helmet. Get your facts staright "roypr."
ReplyDeleteJack G. is spot on. Accidents don't deserve fines.
ReplyDeletehaha T-money, you're right, getting hit on the chin isn't the same as getting hit on helmet... It's fucking worse. You're saying you'd rather get cracked directly on your own flesh than your helmet? I can't think of a worse place to get hit than on the chin. So no it wasn't helmet to helmet, it was facemask (which is part of the helmet by the way) to head. I guarentee the NFL would label that a helmet to helmet hit, but thank you for arguing semantics.
ReplyDeleteJackG, I completely agree with your argument in theory, but it can't really be put into practice. I don't really think the rule that led to Myron Pryor's fine is necessary, but using discression never works. How would you do that? If it causes and injury, its a penalty? If it just looks bad, its a penalty? If it's only a certain part of the helmet is it a penalty? If it's an "accident" it's not a penalty, but how do we define an accident?
There is way too much gray area.
The only way to enforce the rule is to say "No contact with the head of a quarterback, on purpose or incidental." Myron Pryor broke this rule, thus the fine.
And I 100% agree with you saying that the NFL should make sure that the most protective gear is being worn by all players. DeSean Jackson recently came out and said that when he comes back he'll be wearing a more concussion proof helmet, which begs the question: Why the hell isn't everyone in the NFL wearing these helmets?
...and my name is Shane for future reference, however I labeled this Royrp Norym (Myron Pryor) for consistency.
I would "like" this debate on Facebook. You might think when I get back to my computer in the morning and see 11 new emails of comments I'd just skip over them, but I have enjoyed reading every single comment on these posts. Kudos to the faithful!
ReplyDelete