oldschooler Posted January 18, 2016 Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 About that open letter … One of the things that drove me to write my open letter to NFL players Tuesday was a series of three conversations I had a couple of weeks ago with the principals in an important play in Denver’s Week 16 victory over Cincinnati. In overtime, Denver quarterback Brock Osweiler threw deep down the middle to tight end Owen Daniels, and Cincinnati safety Reggie Nelson sprinted in, lowered his shoulder and blasted into Daniels’ upper right arm and torso. The ball fluttered to the ground, incomplete. No penalty. The next day, sitting in a hot tub at the Broncos facility, Daniels tweeted this: Owen DanielsVerified account@owendaniels S/O to Reggie Nelson for not going at my head or legs#respect #thatsthehardestiveeverbeenhit https://twitter.com/owendaniels/status/681906926876098560?ref_src=twsrc^tfw It got a lot of attention, because players have been hurt on similar plays. It was a great display of sportsmanship, by all accounts. I spoke to Daniels and Nelson, and then to Bengals coach Marvin Lewis. I was holding their interviews until after the season, but it seems apt now. “The more I thought about the play,” Daniels said, “the more I appreciated what Reggie did. People like big hits. It’s one of the reasons football’s so popular. Reggie could have really done some damage to me. I just wanted to point out after this huge hit that I appreciated what a clean play it was. I just gave a shoutout to a guy who played the game the right way.” Nelson: “When I heard about it, I said, ‘Wow. What a classy guy.’ When the play was happening, you don’t really have time to think. I was just thinking, ‘Oh no! He catches it, game’s over!’ But the other thing that goes through your mind is what we have been taught here. Marvin [Lewis] preaches it all the time. Hit the body. We’ve had to adjust. If you don’t, they’re gonna keep fining and flagging you. You’ll be out of the league.” Daniels: “Football’s a violent game. But it can be violent and fun and relatively safe at the same time.” Lewis: “Reggie has been exceptional at this. He has really improved in the last couple of years. Safeties and linebackers are really at the tip of the spear. It’s so often bang-bang for them; they don’t have time to think about it, so it’s got to be ingrained in them—go for the body. What we coach is how to make the play safe for them and safe for the guy they’re tackling. Take the head out of it. It can be done. Safeties can attack with the shoulder through the numbers. We just tell them: The head can’t be the spear anymore. Those days are over. The most difficult thing is that because we don’t practice like that very much, you don’t have the ability to practice that full-speed much. But no question it’s possible to adjust—in most cases. But the fact is, not all guys are getting it.” Keep in mind I talked to Lewis long before Vontaze Burfict laid the cheap hit on Antonio Brown, and shortly before Burfict’s over-the-top dirty helmet hit on Maxx Williams of the Ravens in Week 17. But clearly Nelson could teach Burfict something. I asked Nelson if he felt the game was changing at all, if players were thinking more the way Nelson did before this hit—hit the torso, hit the numbers. Nelson: “I think it is. Most definitely the league has changed the game dramatically. It took me a while to learn, because I love to hit. But I think it’s better for us. We have to take care of ourselves out there. We’re in the game to compete and win, but we’re one big family out there on the field.” http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/01/18/cardinals-packers-hail-mary-coin-flip-nfl-divisional-playoffs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValleyBengal Posted January 18, 2016 Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 This article is worthless. Mentions spearing, but focuses only on Burfict's play in comparison to Nelson. Shazier is constantly lowering his head and quite frankly, his tackling technique should be considered just as dangerous as Burfict's. So the witch hunt continues... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hooky Posted January 18, 2016 Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 The irony is that Reggie, like Shawn Williams in the wild card, has been flagged more than a couple of times for clean hits like that one. Just like college, they should be reviewed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimKrumrieFan Posted January 18, 2016 Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 I hope Burfict runs into Peter King and public and spears him to death. I hate that Patriot cock riding douche. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Le Tigre Posted January 18, 2016 Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 The infuriating thing is: Vontaze DID come in with the shoulder. Brown was falling towards him. What...train them to become matrixes?These fucking calls simply have to be reviewable. The NFL needs to back up their "integrity" claims.(yeah...L-O-fucking-L) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|Tigers Johnson| Posted January 18, 2016 Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 Fuck Shaqueer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esjbh2 Posted January 18, 2016 Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 The infuriating thing is: Vontaze DID come in with the shoulder. Brown was falling towards him. What...train them to become matrixes?These fucking calls simply have to be reviewable. The NFL needs to back up their "integrity" claims.(yeah...L-O-fucking-L)+1...but...However, reviewable by who/whom??? The same "powers that be" that gave Shazier a free pass and made an example outta Burfict after days of review??? I'm not saying I completely buy the conspiracy theory, but let's just say that I'm a bit skeptical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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