"The Assault on Cam Newton's head..."

[Play_Maker005]

The two leading stories on ESPN.com right now are about Cam Newton getting hit in the head.

I'm sorry. But, are you freaking kidding me? Has everyone on the planet forgotten the concept of football? Greenie, who I usually like, was going crazy about it this morning and now other national writers are screaming and crying about it.

An athletic freak of a QB who is built more like a tight end or linebacker, who is known to lower his head while scrambling or running with the football, took a few shots. Now, all of a sudden, no one is protecting him and everyone is to blame.

Give me a break. Sports media in general is just so putrid nowadays.

 

[Fijimn]

Brandon Marshall launched right into his head right after he got rid of the ball. Had that been Tom Brady, Marshall would have been flagged and likely suspended. It's the new rules and the rules should be uniformly enforced - regardless of who the QB is.

 

[NDallasRuss]

The two leading stories on ESPN.com right now are about Cam Newton getting hit in the head.

I'm sorry. But, are you freaking kidding me? Has everyone on the planet forgotten the concept of football? Greenie, who I usually like, was going crazy about it this morning and now other national writers are screaming and crying about it.

An athletic freak of a QB who is built more like a tight end or linebacker, who is known to lower his head while scrambling or running with the football, took a few shots. Now, all of a sudden, no one is protecting him and everyone is to blame.

Give me an effing break. Sports media in general is just so putrid nowadays.

Your faux rage is misplaced.

He wasn't lowering his head on those hits - his head was being targeted.

The bigger issue isn't that we've all "forgotten the concept of football", it's that we see the hypocrisy of the NFL for pushing their marketing message that they're highly focused on player safety, and then letting one of their star players almost get turned into a vegetable last night, without any real sign of concern (or certainly deterrence) on the part of the league.

Either actually focus on player safety, or at least have the balls to come out and tell the truth - that the players are commodities that are used to make a profit for the owners for as long as they have value on the field, and then they're immediately replaced by the next batch, rinse and repeat.

 

[Play_Maker005]

Brandon Marshall launched right into his head right after he got rid of the ball. Had that been Tom Brady, Marshall would have been flagged and likely suspended. It's the new rules and the rules should be uniformly enforced - regardless of who the QB is.

Marshall's was certainly a dirty hit and he will be punished for that play - monetarily at the least.

The "if that had been Tom Brady..." line of thinking is just so off base and out of context here, but it's of course the argument everyone is making. Outside of a guy tackling him at his knees, how many times throughout the entire course of his career have you seen him take shots like that? Good QBs are good at avoiding big hits, plain and simple. He's been laid out a few times, for sure. But he knows how to protect himself.

Cam is a different kind of QB who often times is the one who seeks out and initiates contact when trying to work for extra yards or make a play for his team.

These plays are so bang-bang that it's almost impossible to know for sure who is targeting and who isn't. Two of the hits I've seen that people are calling dirty were, in my opinion, guys leading with their shoulders before Cam himself either ducked or was on his way down, which is what caused the helmet to helmet collision. How do you prevent that? How do you penalize a guy for that?

 

[SoddyNole]

Brandon Marshall launched right into his head right after he got rid of the ball. Had that been Tom Brady, Marshall would have been flagged and likely suspended. It's the new rules and the rules should be uniformly enforced - regardless of who the QB is.

Brady > Cam You people made him pump up his balls. How much more should he suffer to make you happy?

 

[NDallasRuss]

Cam is a different kind of QB who often times is the one who seeks out and initiates contact when trying to work for extra yards or make a play for his team.

Counterpoint:

 

[Fijimn]

Marshall's was certainly a dirty hit and he will be punished for that play - monetarily at the least.

The "if that had been Tom Brady..." line of thinking is just so off base and out of context here, but it's of course the argument everyone is making. Outside of a guy tackling him at his knees, how many times throughout the entire course of his career have you seen him take shots like that? Good QBs are good at avoiding big hits, plain and simple. He's been laid out a few times, for sure. But he knows how to protect himself.

Cam is a different kind of QB who often times is the one who seeks out and initiates contact when trying to work for extra yards or make a play for his team.

These plays are so bang-bang that it's almost impossible to know for sure who is targeting and who isn't. Two of the hits I've seen that people are calling dirty were, in my opinion, guys leading with their shoulders before Cam himself either ducked or was on his way down, which is what caused the helmet to helmet collision. How do you prevent that? How do you penalize a guy for that?

You said the Marshall hit was dirty and then you said it wasn't dirty. The ref was right next to that play. Maybe he didn't see it, but it seems that a different game is called for Cam because of his size.

 

[coloradonoles]

Brandon Marshall launched right into his head right after he got rid of the ball. Had that been Tom Brady, Marshall would have been flagged and likely suspended. It's the new rules and the rules should be uniformly enforced - regardless of who the QB is.

The next step is to ask why Cam is not getting the calls Brady is getting... and that is a slippery slope...

Shaq didn't get calls that Karl Malone got...

Sports is wrought with a history of different rules for different players. I don't necessarily agree but it is what it is.

 

[Fijimn]

The next step is to ask why Cam is not getting the calls Brady is getting... and that is a slippery slope...

Shaq didn't get calls that Karl Malone got...

Sports is wrought with a history of different rules for different players. I don't necessarily agree but it is what it is.

Honestly, I don't know if Cam doesn't regularly get the correct "roughing the passer," calls. I don't watch Panther game. Last night, they didn't call the flagrant launches into his head. I don't think that there was anything nefarious about the no call. Probably a combination of the field becomes a war zone when a play breaks down and an inherent believe that Cam is bigger so he can withstand more. Refs are not dumb. They probably get a lower grade from missing targeting when the QB stays in the pocket vs. getting out of the pocket.

 

[Manch.]

Didn't Cam call out a ref for not giving him calls because he was a rookie? The refs stand together.

Saying that Brady would have gotten the call, is like saying he would've but the league wouldn't punish the defender who hit Brady.

 

[Lemon Thrower]

if Cam was hit in the head, then the concussion protocol dictates that he should sit out the next couple of games.

 

[Play_Maker005]

Counterpoint:

Are you aware of how many videos I could post here that would counter your counterpoint?

 

[Play_Maker005]

You said the Marshall hit was dirty and then you said it wasn't dirty. The ref was right next to that play. Maybe he didn't see it, but it seems that a different game is called for Cam because of his size.

No. I was referring to other hits on him that took place during the course of the game.

 

[BelemNole]

The last one Cam took last night, that was wiped away by offsetting penalties, was pretty egregious. I was expecting an ejection - but then I'm used to the college rules.

 

[NDallasRuss]

Are you aware of how many videos I could post here that would counter your counterpoint?

Are they as funny as watching him bail out on going after that loose ball? If so, I hope that you post them all.

 

[Play_Maker005]

Are they as funny as watching him bail out on going after that loose ball? If so, I hope that you post them all.

I know, he looked just like Tom Brady there, didn't he?

 

[Manch.]

if Cam was hit in the head, then the concussion protocol dictates that he should sit out the next couple of games.

I thought the protocol called for him to be examined on the sideline immediately.

 

[Lemon Thrower]

I thought the protocol called for him to be examined on the sideline immediately.

yes. Carolina wanted to keep him in the game so they didnt follow it, but then want to complain about the hit after they lose.

i was really being facetious since I am a fan of another NFC South team.

but the point is the same - they are trying to have their cake and eat it too.

organized football has to deal with these issues. the flip side of the coin is ND texas (Tory Hunter), or FSU v OU (Kenny Shaw) where the team on offense loses the player to a concussion but the defense isn't even flagged.

 

[NDallasRuss]

I know, he looked just like Tom Brady there, didn't he?

I think Brady is more like this one:

 

[wdnole]

The last one Cam took last night, that was wiped away by offsetting penalties, was pretty egregious. I was expecting an ejection - but then I'm used to the college rules.

Was about to post the same thing... I thought an ejection was coming, even though the penalties offset. But I'm also used to college rules and don't watch enough NFL games to know if that the norm or even a rule.

 

[nynole1]

One thing not being discussed is Cam's style and what it creates. As another poster said, he often initiates contact on runs. Even on plays that he could get out or bounds on, he will sometimes turn it up field and lower his shoulder in to defenders. I've also seen him talk to defenders after plays with big contact and get in their faces. I don't know how many of you have played organized tackle football before, but when you do things like that, you are going to put a target on your back. It's that: "Oh, so we gonna play like that, huh?" mentality and you are seeing the ramifications of it.
Having said that, I wish he would slide, run out or bounds, etc like most other QBs do because he won't have a long career playing his current macho style.

 

[RangerNole]

Sports have never been the same for every player. Whether it is a guy who gets a rep. for being dirty and thus gets called for more penalties or the guy that is protected or gets away with stuff because of his name etc. I didn't watch the game, strangely enough my hotel did not get local channels???? Anyways watched the plays in question numerous times on M&M sometimes I thought they deserved a flag and other times I thought good hit. I will say that a player like Cam will likely not get some of the same calls other QB's do in part because of the way he plays and his size. He often initiates contact in most cases is as big or bigger than the guys who hit him; my guess is if he started to slide or run out of bounds he may get more calls. Not to mention the reverse of getting a quick call would upset people as much as not getting a call; what would people say if when Cam is in the grasp or it looks like he is stopped they blew the whistle, it is not to hard to imagine Cam breaking a tackle and making a play due to his size and strength.

 

[G&Gbudd]

I thought the protocol called for him to be examined on the sideline immediately.

I don't believe the protocol is automatically invoked just by a hit to the head. There has to be some symptom to take the player off the field

if Cam was hit in the head, then the concussion protocol dictates that he should sit out the next couple of games.

I don't believe the protocol is automatically invoked just by a hit to the head. There has to be a symptom of some sort (staggering, loss of conscousness, grogginess, eye reaction, confusion, slurred speech etc.) to take the player off the field and begin the protocol. Even so, I don't think the player has to sit out any time (other than that required to perform the exam) if the sideline exam doesn't show any symptoms of a concussion. The sideline exam does take a few minutes to conclude on the sideline though. The player could be out anywhere from 5-10 minutes during that evaluation.

This is just my understanding of the procedure and could admittedly be inaccurate.

 

[G&Gbudd]

yes. Carolina wanted to keep him in the game so they didnt follow it, but then want to complain about the hit after they lose.

i was really being facetious since I am a fan of another NFC South team.

but the point is the same - they are trying to have their cake and eat it too.

organized football has to deal with these issues. the flip side of the coin is ND texas (Tory Hunter), or FSU v OU (Kenny Shaw) where the team on offense loses the player to a concussion but the defense isn't even flagged.

A concussion, or any other injury, isn't required for getting a flag. A helmet to helmet hit is sufficient for the laundry to fly. Carolina wanting to keep him in the game has no bearing on them complaining about an illegal hit..........IF it was indeed (and it looked to be) illegal, whether it caused injury or not.

 

[montconole]

Of course Bomani Jones was saying "I'm not saying it's racial, but......." As the reason why Cam wa hit and Brady or Brees would get penalties called.

 

[Gonolz]

Cam wouldn't have gotten hit like that if he just followed Colin Kaepernick's lead and decided to just sit on the bench.

 

[dero316]

Cam wouldn't have gotten hit like that if he just followed Colin Kaepernick's lead and decided to just sit on the bench.