Hamlin Ejection

[Bubba Gump]

31 minutes ago, Irv said:

 

I thought Epenesa’s sack was vicious.  Should he have been ejected?  Hard to figure out.  What do you think?

 

 

I agree. I was holding my breath on the Epenesa sack. Looked like he rag dolled him into the turf. If that wad Brady, AJ would've been arrested.

[MPT]

22 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Honestly, he’s supposed to avoid the contact all together. If you can’t play the ball don’t make contact.

 

There was a play in the Lions game Diggs took a shot to the head late. No call. I was fuming.

 

First of all, "avoid contact all together" is not a tenet any football player should ever operate under while the ball is in play.

 

Secondly, the hit on Diggs you referenced was very different. That defender came in late with plenty of time to pull up. It was an  intentional attempt to injure. Hamlin's hit came while the ball was still in play and, even if he wanted to allow the receiver to catch a TD uncontested (which is ridiculous), he did not have time to avoid contact.

[BFLO]

14 minutes ago, NewEra said:

Nfl rules consider player safety a higher priority than making a good play.  Hamlin made the perfect play.  Too bad for him that his perfect play isn’t allowed in 2022.  
 

he doesn’t deserve a fine imo

NFL doesn't give a rats ass about player safety, this is just about optics. This same hit is perfectly legal if the player has established themselves as a runner. 

 

Are you telling me a helmet to helmet hit is dangerous when the player is catching the ball, but not while running? Come on with this nonsense. 

[Buffalo_Stampede]

1 minute ago, MPT said:

 

First of all, "avoid contact all together" is not a tenet any football player should ever operate under while the ball is in play.

 

Secondly, the hit on Diggs you referenced was very different. That defender came in late with plenty of time to pull up. It was an  intentional attempt to injure. Hamlin's hit came while the ball was still in play and, even if he wanted to allow the receiver to catch a TD uncontested (which is ridiculous), he did not have time to avoid contact.

Yeah they were very different plays, the Diggs hit didn’t even get a flag. 
 

The rule wants the player to avoid the contact. It’s an unfair rule for a defensive player. Nothing a player can do. Hamlin played it about as safe as could’ve although breaking the rule.

 

 

[Simon]

1 minute ago, BFLO said:

NFL doesn't give a rats ass about player safety, this is just about optics. This same hit is perfectly legal if the player has established themselves as a runner. 

 

Are you telling me a helmet to helmet hit is dangerous when the player is catching the ball, but not while running? Come on with this nonsense. 

 

You can protect yourself as a ballcarrier; a receiver tracking the ball can't.
It's a penalty because they have to protect guys' heads, but throwing a kid out of a game for that is flat out wrong.

You going to eject a guy in the middle of the AFC championship for playing clean but hard in his own endzone?

[MPT]

11 minutes ago, f0neguy said:

If you read the comments posted to that play I found it surprising that so many others say that Buffalo is a “dirty” team.   Am I a homer for not seeing that?

 

The comments I saw mostly agreed that he couldn't have avoided contact and the receiver ducked into the hit. I'm sure there are differing opinions based on who posted the video.

[boyst]

Just now, Simon said:

 

You can protect yourself as a ballcarrier; a receiver tracking the ball can't.
It's a penalty because they have to protect guys' heads, but throwing a kid out of a game for that is flat out wrong.

You going to eject a guy in the middle of the AFC championship for playing clean but hard in his own endzone?

Exactly. The penalty is to be all that's needed. 

[pennstate10]

2 minutes ago, MPT said:

 

The comments I saw mostly agreed that he couldn't have avoided contact and the receiver ducked into the hit. I'm sure there are differing opinions based on who posted the video.

Copy pasted this from last nights thread. 
 

“Just rewatched the Hamlin hit in end zone. 
 

By rule, the roughness call may be correct. But ejection was a bad call. 
 

Here’s what happens. 
Pat WR catches ball in air, returns to ground. 
Then, he lowers his head, as he is anticipating Hamlin hit. 
So he’s NOT really defenseless. Makes a move to protect himself by getting lower. 
 

Problem was, by getting lower, he ducks his head right into Hamlins shoulder pad. 
 

If he hadn’t ducked, Hamlin shoulder would have hit his chest, not his head. 
 

Hamlin didn’t lead with helmet. 
Hamlin didn’t launch. 
Bad call. “

[NewEra]

12 minutes ago, BFLO said:

NFL doesn't give a rats ass about player safety, this is just about optics. This same hit is perfectly legal if the player has established themselves as a runner. 

 

Are you telling me a helmet to helmet hit is dangerous when the player is catching the ball, but not while running? Come on with this nonsense. 

Not sure what I said to get you so excited.  I’m just stating why it’s a penalty. Whether or not you view this is right or wrong, I don’t really care tbh.  
 

A defenseless receiver is different than a Rb carrying the ball seeing what is coming and is at greater risk.  If the rb is blindsided and destroyed there’s still a chance that there’s a flag for unnecessary roughness. 
 

I give hamlin credit for making a perfectly timed and (very close to) a perfectly positioned hit.  

[Scott7975]

Penalty was correct.  I didnt like the ejection because Hamlin wasnt head hunting.  Not even close to head hunting.  Also dont like, just like most NFL rules, that this call isnt consistent from in the game, across the games, every week.

Edited December 3, 2022 by Scott7975

[BFLO]

11 minutes ago, Simon said:

 

You can protect yourself as a ballcarrier; a receiver tracking the ball can't.
It's a penalty because they have to protect guys' heads, but throwing a kid out of a game for that is flat out wrong.

You going to eject a guy in the middle of the AFC championship for playing clean but hard in his own endzone?

What does the offensive players ease of avoiding a hit like this have to do with it? I'm talking about the instances when a helmet to helmet hit has taken place. As in the times when a runner wasn't able to protect himself.  

 

It's either a helmet to helmet collision or it's not. It doesn't matter if it's during a catch or while a player is a runner. The trauma to the brain is identical. 

 

 

[BananaB]

If the WR doesn’t lower his head Hamlins shoulder most likely hits him right in the numbers. Hard call for the refs but there was only a couple minutes left so who cares. He’ll get fined but it ain’t our money. He keeps playing the way he is the cheques will get bigger for him. 

Edited December 3, 2022 by BananaB

[Saint Doug]

When a receiver attempts to catch a ball, isn’t it the DBs job to hit them so they drop the ball? Hamlin saved a TD right there. Should he have let him complete the catch?

[Simon]

2 minutes ago, BFLO said:

What does the offensive players ease of avoiding a hit like this have to do with it? 

 

 

 

Because the penalty is a hit on a defenseless receiver; that's how the rule is written and enforced

 

3 minutes ago, BFLO said:

It's either a helmet to helmet collision or it's not.

 

It doesn't matter if it's helmet to helmet. It can be forearm to helmet, shoulder to helmet, elbow to helmet, whatever.

[Breakout Squad]

43 minutes ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

If it looks bad they react to the crowd and call it.

 

Simple as that.

 

Hamlin did his job and separated the WR from the ball with the shoulder.

 

Oh well.

In fairness to the ref he threw that flag immediately and wasn’t reacting to the home crowd. I understand the penalty even tho it was a solid hit but I cannot understand the ejection. That should be for intentionally dirty plays or fights not a bang bang play. 

27 minutes ago, Bubba Gump said:

 

I agree. I was holding my breath on the Epenesa sack. Looked like he rag dolled him into the turf. If that wad Brady, AJ would've been arrested.

It only looked bad in slo mo to me. Watching live it looked clean and he needed to use that momentum to get Jones down quick. 

[Mr. WEO]

why wasn't that a catch?  I don't understand the catch rule nowadays....

[Solomon Grundy]

1 hour ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Honestly, he’s supposed to avoid the contact all together. If you can’t play the ball don’t make contact.

 

There was a play in the Lions game Diggs took a shot to the head late. No call. I was fuming.

It prevented a TD, so I'm not mad about it

[TheBrownBear]

As others have said, I'm okay with the penalty (and ejection I guess) and I'm okay with the hit.  NFL does need to protect these guys from getting their heads knocked off, but Hamlin is just reacting instinctually in the moment to stop a touchdown.  I don't think he's trying to hurt the guy.

[Bookie Man]

Only way really to make a play on the ball without a penalty would be to put his left shoulder pad on the ball as he was securing it. Seems like that world be incredibly difficult going full speed. 

[Buffalo_Stampede]

8 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

why wasn't that a catch?  I don't understand the catch rule nowadays....

Same reason he was defenseless.