Blitz:
Thank you for your insight. I've been a Lions fan, and football fan in general since the mid 70s. I think I know quite a bit about football, but I've learned tons from reading your posts.
I do have one question:
I was at the game, and I heard the ref say that the Rough Play was a dead-ball foul. Does that not imply that it was after the whistle?
Don't get me wrong, with every account I've read, I don't think the league has a legitimate case against Jason, I'm just asking about the referee's reference to "dead-ball foul".
Thanks,
D
First of all....thanks for your kind words Disturber!!
You're correct in that, if they called the play a dead ball foul for roughing.... then the hit occured after the whistle, at least according to the official. Therefore they are calling it a rough play, dead ball foul.
If the play occured before the whistle then it's a legal play. So the official is ruling the block took place after the whistle. You've brought forward a very important point. I guess it will be up to the league to prove that it took place after the whistle. If not it's a legal play.
I don't condone hits after the whistle but most of the evidence does not confirm that it took place after the whistle. It will be interesting to see how this turns out, when the arbitration case is over.
What I can't believe is how many Leo fans are believing the official got it right...especially after all the missed calls by officials this year and all the moaning about the officials this season.
Not looking at this specific incident but the number of times I've heard players and coaches and general managers whining this year and I'm fed up with it. I give Dickenson credit for not whining about the hit from Perry but instead said it was a legal hit and he didn't want quarterbacks babied. He's old school that way and I admire him for it.
When I played football and when most played football (except for recent years) almost everything was legal out there. Cut blocks could take place anywhere on the football field. A quarterback could be hit anywhere and in fact a defensive player could take two steps and hit the quarterback after he threw the football. Head slaps were legal, clotheslines were legal, defensive backs could hit receivers until the football was thrown, horse colar tackles were legal, crackback blocks happened all the time!
The game was a hell of a lot tougher and more dangerous and you never heard the whining that you hear now... and the players are so much better protected with both the rules and the equipment. They may be better athletes but there are more whiners playing pro football these days. Fans also whine more now too about borderline hits that were more than legal only a few years ago. In fact whining is a national pastime sometimes!!
Football is a violent, tough contact sport. You accept that when you play the game. Wally has said the same, It's also played at great speed and there is a very fine line between a hit out of bounds or a hit after a whistle that instant replay can slow down but at the speed and emotion the game is played it can only be a split second for a play to be legal or illegal.
That's what I love about our offensive line. They're old school. They believe that having their quarterback get hit or sacked as a sin. They protect our quarterback. I've seen offensive lineman see their quarterback writhing on the ground getting medical attention following a second down sack and they're on the sidelines already cracking jokes or smiling about something.
Not our offensive line!! They play offensive line the way offensive lineman should play the game. They play it hard and tough and usually very legal. All offensive lineman try to get away with what they can in a football game. Our offensive line has been under a microscope all season and they've not been very penalized at all, considering anything borderline would be called against them by the officials.
Quite frankly I'm proud of them!!!!
