Burfict
- Thread starter PennStateNate
- Start date
And yet somehow the experts, the refs, disagree with what you claim "should be." I'll take their word over yours. Now go back to sleep.
Here's the problem. You want to met out penalties based on the extent of the injury caused. Not going to fly. Get over it! And how do you know Shazier's intent? Are you a mind reader.
Okay I'll try again Franklin. He was not a defenseless player. He was a runner. Using your criteria there would be spearing calls on virtually all running plays.
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat? Are you saying the NFL refs don't make mistakes?
There have been a lot of signicant mistakes this year.
These debates crack me up. If a Steelers player made the same cheap shot as Burfict the black and gold crowd would be crowing about how tough a player he is and how the refs were out to get him. Burfict should have been ejected and I also think Shazier should have been flagged for his shot on Bernard. It was a thug fest last night. The NFL needs to clean up its act if it wants to be taken seriously about its desire to reduce the potential for head and neck injuries.
Last edited:
Burfect's hit and play are reprehensible. He deserves 8 games. I don't think Shazier's hit was a penalty, but I also don't think the hit on Wheaton earlier in the game was a penalty and the Bengals took 15 yards on that one.
The rule is impossible to consistently enforce, but the hit by Burfect was in a different class. He's an idiot and a thug no matter which team you root for.
I've never seen a football game handed away the way the Bengals did last night. Unbelievable. I feel bad for Bengals fans. I don't feel bad for Vontez Burfict or Pacman Jones, they deserve all the criticism and the fines/suspensions either will get.
You can't play football without passion. But that passion must be contained, it's called poise. It's called awareness of the game situation. Too many young men today are taught/allowed to process their environment emotionally, rather than intellectually. You have to be thinking all the time.
You can't play football without passion. But that passion must be contained, it's called poise. It's called awareness of the game situation. Too many young men today are taught/allowed to process their environment emotionally, rather than intellectually. You have to be thinking all the time.
Burfict, Pacman and low-life Jeremy Hill cost Cincy the game. I'm not even a Steeler fan,
and was giggling my arse off at their self-destruction
and was giggling my arse off at their self-destruction
I don't know if it was legal, as I thought the NFL had a rule you can't lead with the crown of your helmet, which he clearly did. I know the NCAA has that rule. If they don't they should because that is one of the most dangerous plays in football for both players and causes more injuries than about any other play.
And it's obvious you also don't understand the rules and when a receiver turns into a runner. Bernard lowered his shoulder. Shazier wasn't head hunting on him like Burfict was to Brown.
Perfectly legal hit if he doesn't drop his head at the last second and clearly INTENTIONALLY drive the crown of his helmet into his opponent's head. If he hits him "heads and eyes up", it's a legal hit even if face masks collide, but what he did was intentional and illegal - he meant to deliver a head-shot with the crown of his helmet and not only did he mean to make this illegal hit, but Cincinnati lost a player because of it. It was an insanely dirty and dangerous hit - the type that can cause long-lasting permanent injury - it was completely unnecessary and should have been flagged.
Spearing is always illegal - it does not require the player to be "defenseless". It says it right in THE RULES I've posted multiple times but your reading comprehension is clearly being impacted by your yinzer "Stiller" random. Spearing (intentional use of crown of helmet as weapon to inflict damage on opponent) is ALWAYS ILLEGAL.
Not under NFL Rules - Spearing is ILLEGAL always and everywhere. Reading comprehension is your friend.
Turning into a runner is irrelevant in this case. He lead with the crown of his helmet which is prohibited by rule. Just because a player "turns into a runner" doesn't mean he's all of the sudden fair game for whatever kind of dangerous hit a defender wants to lay on him. The NFL and refs are afraid to enforce their own rules on downfield hits. For crying out loud, if a pass rusher raises his arms and jumps in the air to defend a pass, god forbid if he comes down and his hand barely grazes the quarterback's helmet. That's considered a blow to the head and will draw a 15 yard penalty. But if someone "becomes a runner" it's OK to light him up with the crown of your helmet?? The NFL is a joke when it comes to the enforcement of penalties. People want to see big hits and the league doesn't want to make the fans angry. I don't care what Goodell say in public. The NFL is more concerned with revenue than it is with player safety.
This ^^^^. Was just watching a basketball game the other day and the players were playing hard but doing stupid things as the game got into crunch time. It was to the point where even the announcer said that what's lacking in the game now is situational awareness. The tactical level of play is pretty poor now. Teams play hard but not smart.
I thought that same thing in the game last night. Emotion took over and common sense went out the window. Assistant coaches were on the field at times behaving like teenagers in scuffles. Players let emotion and revenge outweigh smart play for the team. It became all about them individually and the smart tactical play (even to the point of getting your team the win) was completely lost. The Cincy head coach had zero control over his team.
The last 2 series summed it up pretty well. Cincy is running out the clock and already in FG range which would force the Steelers to get a TD to win. The Cincy player gets 7-8 yards on 1st down and instead of going down he continues to fight for 6 inches and fumbles the ball. Just protect the ball and the game is likely over. Fumble and steelers back in the game.
On that same play the ball is loose and a steeler is standing over it about to pick it up and run back likely for decent yards. However, another steeler is on his knees tackling the runner and reaches out to knock the ball away from his own player about to run downfield. The ball bounces backward another 8-10 yards where a steeler falls on it around the 15 or so (IIRC). Situational awareness. Why are you knocking the ball out of the hands of your own teammate? Now your starting around the 15 instead of the 25 or better. It worked out for the Steelers mainly from the Bengal meltdown and dirty play with 30 yards in penalties back to back.
After that game I just heard that basketball announcer's situational awareness comments in my head again. It worked out for the Steelers at the end but the level of 'smart' play has decreased in the NFL over the years.
I don't claim to be an expert on rules....
From CBS Sports:
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on...er-wasnt-flagged-for-head-shot-to-gio-bernard
"On first glance -- and second and third glance -- it sure looks like Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier should have been flagged for this shot to the head against Gio Bernard, who dropped to the turf and fumbled on the play.
But a flag was never thrown and, it turns out, it was the right call.
Mike Pereira (@MikePereira). Former Vice President of Officiating in the National Football ...
Mike Pereira– Verified account @MikePereira
It is not a foul but it is a fumble. Should be the Steelers ball. Not a foul because the receiver was a runner.
7:42 PM - 9 Jan 2016
502 RETWEETS286 LIKES"
In addition to the CBS article, He also later tweets:
Mike Pereira– Verified account @MikePereira
@DavidPetroff @DonnieSmithSID @MikeCareyRef94 >NFL does not have targeting. He was not defenseless. He was a runner.
However, just like on this post, he's being retweeted a million times over how leading with the crown of his helmet is not a penalty. He posts this at end of game:
Mike Pereira– Verified account @MikePereira
Hardest game of the year to officiate and the League has lot to look at including hit that might be crown of the helmet and Burfict.
So we shall see.
From CBS Sports:
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on...er-wasnt-flagged-for-head-shot-to-gio-bernard
"On first glance -- and second and third glance -- it sure looks like Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier should have been flagged for this shot to the head against Gio Bernard, who dropped to the turf and fumbled on the play.
But a flag was never thrown and, it turns out, it was the right call.
Mike Pereira (@MikePereira). Former Vice President of Officiating in the National Football ...
Mike Pereira– Verified account @MikePereira
It is not a foul but it is a fumble. Should be the Steelers ball. Not a foul because the receiver was a runner.
7:42 PM - 9 Jan 2016
502 RETWEETS286 LIKES"
In addition to the CBS article, He also later tweets:
Mike Pereira– Verified account @MikePereira
@DavidPetroff @DonnieSmithSID @MikeCareyRef94 >NFL does not have targeting. He was not defenseless. He was a runner.
However, just like on this post, he's being retweeted a million times over how leading with the crown of his helmet is not a penalty. He posts this at end of game:
Mike Pereira– Verified account @MikePereira
Hardest game of the year to officiate and the League has lot to look at including hit that might be crown of the helmet and Burfict.
So we shall see.
Well then count me among the ignorant. I thought there was a rule that a runner could not lower his helmet and hit a would be tackler with the crown of his helmet. So you are telling me that it is okay for a tackler to lower his head and cause a helmet to helmet contact with the crown of his helmet because the guy caught a pass and became a runner after taking one step? If that is, in fact, the case, then the NFL is more screwed up than I thought.
yeah...agree....but hitting with the helmet is very common at every stage of football. In fact, its impossible to NOT hit with the crown of the helmet in many cases. As a kid, we were taught to hit with the helmet because that was the centerpoint of your body and hitting with a shoulder gave the runner more opportunity to escape. Several reports have come out stating hitting with the shoulder has caused more shoulder and collarbone injuries. Regardless...As such, the rule has become discretionary as to the intent of the defender. And, judging intent on a bang-bang play is pretty tough while maintaining the integrity of the game. So that call is somewhere between 50-50 and 60-40, IMHO. I don't have a problem with it not being called, and I wouldn't have had a problem had they called it.
The Burfect call is a different matter. Not only did he target the WR, and target his head, he had ample time to pull off. It was clear no reception was made, yet DB came full throttle.
Where the officials messed up on the Shazier-Bernard hit was blowing the whistle cutting the play short and taking a touchdown away from the Steelers. The call on the field was "no fumble" but refs should be and usually are aware that can be overturned through replay. The call was overturned making it a fumble which Shazier was in the process of returning for a TD when the whistle inappropriately stopped play.
I thought that should have been a TD and the Bryant catch not but that was one hell of a catch.
