Jackson reportedly has 'severe' concusion.

[sfphillyfan]

The players have a point about fines though: you guys make money off the ferocious hits of the game. ESPN shows huge hits all the time. But you want to fine us for those hits? That's horseshit.

[Eagle60]

Dungy and Rodney Harrison brought up good points last night. It's the db's job to seperate the player from the ball. Harrison used to put 50 grand a year aside to cover his fines (he was a pretty dirty player). He said the only time that he was moved to think about it was when he was suspended for a game and let himself and his teammates down. Dungy said a coach could care less if a player got fined or not for a dirty hit as long as he's getting the job done. He also said that coaches would start "coaching different techniques" if they knew players would get suspended because if the players did get themselves suspended THAT WOULD piss him off. The NFL has to look into this.

[sfphillyfan]

...

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP)—Falcons cornerback Dunta Robinson(notes) has a concussion that leaves his playing status uncertain and linebacker Sean Weatherspoon(notes) will miss a second straight game with a sprained right knee.

Coach Mike Smith(notes) said Monday that Robinson sustained a concussion on his hit on Philadelphia wide receiver DeSean Jackson(notes) that knocked both players out of Sunday’s game. Jackson also has a concussion.

Smith says Weatherspoon, the team’s rookie starter, will not practice or play this week after missing the 31-17 loss to the Eagles.

The Falcons play the Cincinnati Bengals this week and then have a bye week. Smith says he hopes Weatherspoon, the first-round pick from Missouri, will return for a Nov. 7 game against Tampa Bay

[saratoga]

Robinson could have broken his neck on that hit.

[andrewaters]

yeah, honestly robinson was more exposed than robinson but robinson also could have gone for a middle shot and not an upper body shot. he could've hit him right in the middle and put his head on the ball. he went high intentionally

[tinopuno]

Robinson could have broken his neck on that hit.

Gee, that would have been too bad.

[Jukin]

Robinson could have broken his neck on that hit.

Gee, that would have been too bad.

After hearing about the Rutgers kid who is now paralyzed after breaking his neck while trying to tackle a player, this comment sent a chill down my back. Right about now I'll bet the Rutgers kid would gratefully forgo ever playing ANY sport again if he could just walk. The hits we're talking about are a serious issue and the leagues (pro and college) really do need to take steps to stop them for the good of both players involved.

http://gothamist.com/2010/10/18/rutg...aralyzed_f.php

[Blitz]

Blitz,

Can't argue with that. As I was typing my post late last night, thoughts of Dawk or Andre or Wes lighting a receiver up kept nagging at me. Was Robinson's hit any worse? No! It's mainly that it was my guy he hit and injured. I'm a fan and objectivity when I'm pissed is, largely, left at the door.

Robinson, I'm sure didn't intend to injure DJ, but I believe he did want to at least temporarily 'hurt' him, just as most Dbacks want to send a messeage to receivers that there is a 'cost' involved in coming across the middle...i.e. pain.

I'm coming around in my thinking, however, to where I believe serious steps need to be taken to limit/control the violence in the game we all love. Care must be taken not to 'pussify' the game, but with the increases in size, strength, and speed of today's players combined with the media driven desire to make a highlight worthy hit, career ending and crippling injuries will also increase.

I can't argue with any of that. Something needs to be done because if this continues someone is going to die on the field.

BTW anyone see Harrison of the Steelers with not one but two head shots in one game? The guy was aiming for the head intentionally. Great player but he doesn't need to be taking head shots like that.

[Eagle60]

They could end this stuff pretty quickly if they wanted to. 99% of these head shots are directed at wrs. Simply change and enforce the rule that you must PLSY THE BALL if you are on defense. No more separating the player from the ball on passes. Suspend violating players. That would put en end to it.

[tinopuno]

, this comment sent a chill down my back.

My very dark sense of humor, colored by my anger/concern about Djax's condition, prompted the comment. I wouldn't actually like to see Robinson have a broken neck. I would like to see him miss at least as much time as Jackson.

As you may be able to tell by my less facetious remarks about 'bad hits' in general, I have grown increasingly concerned about the potential for crippling injuries and even fatalities, as players get bigger/stronger/faster and the publicity premium given by the sports media to players for highlight show hits has escalated.

Short-term, as Goodell and his underling pissants have belatedly recognized, suspensions are probably the only effective intervention.

Long-term, a combination of focused training on technique, careful/thoughful rule changes, and stiff consequences for offenders MAY help. However, the very nature and fan appeal of violent contact, which is so fundamnetal to the game, will weigh against solving the problem.

[sfphillyfan]

Ray Anderson, the NFL’s vice president of football operations, was just on ESPN Radio’s "Mike & Mike" show and said that Falcons cornerback Dunta Robinson’s hit on Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson definitely was illegal under the rules protecting a defenseless receiver.

"Technically, by the rules, even if you initiate contact below the neck, but you get up into a players head and neck area for a defenseless receiver, technically under that rule, that was a violation," Anderson said. "That’s why it was called (a penalty). And it will be subject to discipline."

The league expanded the definition of a "defenseless receiver" in March. If a receiver has caught the ball, but hasn’t had time to protect himself, he can’t be hit in the head or neck area.

"Yes, it was a bang-bang play," Anderson said. "You can make the argument that it was different from the others (hits on Sunday).

But at the end of the day, it was still illegal under the current rules. And we have to be very vigorous about enforcing and protecting our players against hits like this."

Bottom line: Robinson definitely will be fined. My best guess is he won’t receive a suspension unless the league is determined to send a message to the rest of the players.

[Jukin]

My very dark sense of humor, colored by my anger/concern about Djax's condition, prompted the comment. I wouldn't actually like to see Robinson have a broken neck. I would like to see him miss at least as much time as Jackson.

As you may be able to tell by my less facetious remarks about 'bad hits' in general, I have grown increasingly concerned about the potential for crippling injuries and even fatalities, as players get bigger/stronger/faster and the publicity premium given by the sports media to players for highlight show hits has escalated.

Short-term, as Goodell and his underling pissants have belatedly recognized, suspensions are probably the only effective intervention.

Long-term, a combination of focused training on technique, careful/thoughful rule changes, and stiff consequences for offenders MAY help. However, the very nature and fan appeal of violent contact, which is so fundamnetal to the game, will weigh against solving the problem.

I didn't mean to single you out tino, just meant to say how I'm becoming more sensitive to the comments and the hits so close to watching that kid become paralyzed. Sorry if it sounded like I was calling you out as being callous. That wasn't my intention. I think we all know your sense of humor!

[tinopuno]

. Sorry if it sounded like I was calling you out as being callous. That wasn't my intention. I think we all know your sense of humor!

No biggie. My 'shoot from the hip'/wise-ass remarks have been a bit of an issue since..oh I guess, since I learned to talk.

Try to imagine how challenging it was to control such verbal impulses for 30 years when you're listening to vulnerable but very screwed up people who are even crazier than you are.

(FWIW, my second career choice was architecture. )

[YourPalChrisMal]

This is DeSean's SECOND concussion in 2 years. I'm wondering if they are extra cautious as a result. I'm worried.

[NoDakIggle]

Dungy and Rodney Harrison brought up good points last night. It's the db's job to seperate the player from the ball. Harrison used to put 50 grand a year aside to cover his fines (he was a pretty dirty player). He said the only time that he was moved to think about it was when he was suspended for a game and let himself and his teammates down. Dungy said a coach could care less if a player got fined or not for a dirty hit as long as he's getting the job done. He also said that coaches would start "coaching different techniques" if they knew players would get suspended because if the players did get themselves suspended THAT WOULD piss him off. The NFL has to look into this.

This is where I differ. I know I have a couple of years on me but the number one thing coaches taught when I was a kid was to put your shoulder in and wrap up to make the tackle. Causing the fumble was great but the #1 thing was the tackle. It wasn't until later that they started teaching players to hit the ball carrier to separate him from the ball--to decleat him. And that in my mind is where this started, from the coaches. If coaches taught players to hit hard and make the tackle not to takeout the player we would be better off. When Bednarik made his hit it was an unusual thing now it would be routine.