Targeting/Pussification of football

[AuTX Buckeye]

Here is the rugby style technique of tackling being taught by coaches today.

Now since it isn't possible in the game of football to ask your opponent to slow down and/or hold still, this level of leverage is simply irrational. Worth keeping in mind the only real similarity between rugby and football is the tackle. The games, the speeds, the players, the pursuit angles, etc etc can be wildly different. It also doesn't include QB's or receivers who may feel pressure and begin to give themselves up a moment before impact thus bringing their helmets (which are considerably large outside of the framework of the head itself) into potential contact with yours.

Do keep this in mind, if the young man in blue is wearing a helmet... wouldn't you suppose the 'crown' is leading here despite the strike zone?

Like I said, I'm cool getting rid of outright spearing and launching. But what Wade did last night was football and 10 years ago openly celebrated. Sure, it was "targeting". But targeting and how it is applied in 2019 is complete and total bullshit. The rule needs a serious 'going over'.

The NFL would flag that for going Low on a QB.... not sure if College has that rule but I’m sure he’d get flagged for that hit... basically the window to “hit” the QB is tiny already but when they move and turtle to absorb getting blown up it makes it basically only 2 hand touch

 

[scarletmike]

One of my biggest issues with targeting when it isn't blatant head to head, intentional contact is that helmets are big. Wade was going to the chest with his shoulder, and because of that his crown was "leading." You can't really keep your head up while going in low with the your shoulder. The refs on the field got it right not calling it, but as we've seen with so many targeting calls, the seeming severity of the impact (i.e. Trevor laying there appearing to be hurt) drew the attention to the hit resulting in the call from replay. I can understand and sometimes see a reasoning for replay to add targeting, but I also don't entirely like it.

 

[muffler dragon]

What began as a rule to stop players from intentionally going after the head of another player - which I support - has devolved into two helmets touching each other, especially if one of those players is a quarterback.

The automatic ejection is too harsh, especially given the subjective nature of some of these calls. Make it like a yellow card in soccer. If you get a second one you're out of the game, and the entire next one.

Agree to an extent. What that Okie DB DID to the LSU RB definitely warranted expulsion. Granted, he launched on an unsuspecting player. Wade's hit was nothing of the sort.

 

[buckeyebri]

If you want to see a real targeting call check the hit on McCarron right before the half. That is the epitome of targeting....

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

I'm sure somebody has brought this up already, but I will again just in case. So, if targeting is going to be enforced with zero grey area and nuance, how soon before some coaches start coaching players to drop their heads and take one for the team at crucial points in the game.

 

[LordJeffBuck]

If targeting is going to be enforced with zero grey area and nuance, how soon before some coaches start coaching players to drop their heads and take one for the team at crucial points in the game.

And fake an injury to "sell" a borderline targeting call....

 

[Nutriaitch]

was there a targeting call last night? I must have missed it.

i saw the replay this morning.
god i hate the way this rule is called

 

[Powair7s]

I just watched the replay for the first time.

Wade's head goes down in an attempt to put his shoulder into Lawrence's ribs. Lawrence sees the hit coming crouches fwd directly into the path of Wade's head.

This was completely unintentional on both parts, horrible call. It's one thing to get a 15 yard penatly....it's another to remove a player from the game for an accident.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

I just watched the replay for the first time.

Wade's head goes down in an attempt to put his shoulder into Lawrence's ribs. Lawrence sees the hit coming crouches fwd directly into the path of Wade's head.

This was completely unintentional on both parts, horrible call. It's one thing to get a 15 yard penatly....it's another to remove a player from the game for an accident.

For an accident where Barbie was every bit as much at fault as Wade.

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

I just watched the replay for the first time.

Wade's head goes down in an attempt to put his shoulder into Lawrence's ribs. Lawrence sees the hit coming crouches fwd directly into the path of Wade's head.

This was completely unintentional on both parts, horrible call. It's one thing to get a 15 yard penatly....it's another to remove a player from the game for an accident.

Horrible rule, not horrible call.

 

[Powair7s]

Horrible rule, not horrible call.

I was in your camp until I saw wades intent was the shoulder to the ribs....Lawrence ducked into his head initiating the contact.

 

[Gatorubet]

I was in your camp until I saw wades intent was the shoulder to the ribs....Lawrence ducked into his head initiating the contact.

If Wade had not lowered his head as he neared the QB, he would have smacked helmets and not been ejected. The way the rule is written, lowering your head and then hitting the player in the helmet with your helmet, let alone a qb, will always be a targeting call. The rules sucks, but the application of the rule last night was not wildly incorrect. It just wasn't. And it makes zip difference if Lawrence lowered his head as Wade approached, nor does it matter that you can magically divine that Wade was going for his ribs. What mattered is that Wade lowered his head as he approached, and that Wade hit Lawrence's helmet with the crown of Wade's helmet.

That said, it was a damn fumble and a fucking Buckeye TD. THAT is the travesty of the night, not this call.

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

I was in your camp until I saw wades intent was the shoulder to the ribs....Lawrence ducked into his head initiating the contact.

Intent doesn't matter.

 

[Powair7s]

Intent doesn't matter.

Intent does matter, the rule reads "a player takes aim at..." That reads like intent to me.

It's honestly a horribly written rule allowing too much subjectivity. They are instructed to error on the side of ejecting the player....crazy.

 

[Onebuckfan]

If it was called on the field I would accept it easily. The replays only consider the moment of contact.,you add what happened before and after the contact the ref on the field and I saw it differently.The helmets hit but add the context of the play .,the ducking the fact Wade made a football play not an attempt to injure. The rule and replay suck.