PITTSBURGH -- Steelers linebacker James Harrison's hard hits on the field keep getting matched by the NFL's hits to his paycheck.
"The amount of money is becoming an issue," Harrison said Thursday. "The fines that they issued to me, two of them weren't even called penalties. I don't even know what to say anymore."
Harrison was fined $20,000 on Thursday for a late hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees, the third time he has been fined this season for a dangerous tackle.The penalties total $100,000, including a $75,000 fine for his Oct. 17 helmet hit that left Browns wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi with a concussion.
The $75,000 fine was issued two weeks ago, when the NFL adopted its tougher stance on hits to the head and neck -- a policy that caused Harrison to briefly consider retiring.
Defensive backs Brandon Meriweather of New England and Dunta Robinson of Atlanta were fined $50,000 each that week for what the league termed flagrant violation of safety rules, but Harrison drew a bigger fine because he was a repeat offender.
Harrison also was fined $5,000 for slamming Titans quarterback Vince Young to the turf on Sept. 19. Neither the Massaquoi nor the Young play drew a penalty.
After Harrison slammed into Brees' back during Pittsburgh's 20-10 loss Sunday night, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell summoned the three-time Pro Bowl linebacker to New York on Tuesday to talk about the NFL's stricter enforcement of dangerous hits. Harrison termed the meeting "semi-productive," and said it included a discussion of the Brees hit.
The league told Harrison he put his face mask into Brees' back after the quarterback delivered a pass, causing Harrison to draw a roughing the passer penalty.
"If you look at the picture, it looks like my head is off to the left, but maybe they had a different view of it," Harrison said. "Or maybe they're just listening to the [TV] commentators."
Harrison anticipated being fined, but was surprised at the amount. He insisted he was only following the NFL's tackling guidelines -- as portrayed in posters displayed in every NFL locker room -- to keep his head up.
"They tell you to keep your head up, see what you hit, but I guess that's not the case with a defenseless player," Harrison said. "I don't know how you tackle someone and don't use any part of your head, especially if you're trying to see what you're hitting. Your face mask is going to touch them."
The NFL's toughened stance is very unpopular among the Steelers (5-2), who take pride in being physical and, if necessary, intimidating. Coach Mike Tomlin and Steelers President Art Rooney II both defended Harrison for the Massaquoi hit, saying it was permissible under league rules.
Tomlin was visibly displeased last week that NFL vice president Ray Anderson praised Harrison for pulling up and not hitting Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown. Tomlin said it was "insulting" that anyone in the league office suggested the Steelers altered their style of play.
"It would be tough for me to care less about their opinion, to be honest with you," Tomlin said.
Troy Polamalu, a five-time Pro Bowl safety, is even more critical of the NFL's policy than Harrison is. Polamalu contends Goodell has too much control, and that players and team executives should have a say in deciding fines.
"He's got all the power, and that may be part of the problem. There needs to be some type of separation of power, like our government," Polamalu said Wednesday. "I don't think it should be based totally on what two or three people may say that are totally away from the game. It should be some of the players that are currently playing."
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. - John Muir
Good. Clean up the NFL and get trash like Harrison out.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
I don't think he should have been suspended. Sure it was a little late, used his helmet, but it wasn't so fierce to stand up to the crazy amount of attention a suspension would create. Maybe having 2 fines already would be enough to back it up.....but I think they wanted to give him a 3rd fine and wait for a bigger, more obvious hit to suspend (hoping he understands).
I predict he'll be suspended within the next 3-4 games though.
And I wouldn't call him a thug. Stupid fits better. By now he shoould know what the league is saying....hit all you want, don't do it late and don't hit high with your helmet/shoulder (those rules don't apply to RB's).
“...Iguodala to Curry, back to Iguodala, up for the layup! Oh! Blocked by James! LeBron James with the rejection!”
I think he should be suspended for the fact that he's not acknowledging doing anything wrong. He's claiming to be a victim while cheapshotting defenseless players.
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. - John Muir
jFanent......Thats a great side picture on your posting, of the Red Wings....Who have kinda surprised me early going, playing pretty well, and even Jimmy howard has looked like maybe last year was a learning year for him, maybe now he can step up and be a serious shut down goalie...
Were planning on a trip to Toledo to see the Wallleye play here soon...
I know of the ruling, but I still think he should have been fined for the hit on Cribbs as well...
Harrison is in Denial. He's simply going to never understand what he's doing wrong.
Warren Sapp commented on Harrison on "Inside the NFL" on showtime last week. Harrison said that he's now got to go against everything he was taught.. Sapp kinda threw the BS flag and said he wasn't taught to tackle helmet first... he thought Harrison was wrong (paraphrasing here)
Harrison just doesn't seem to get it...
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
He did lower the head, and I'm not in the habit of defending this goof, but if he doesn't lower his head then his helmet goes right into the back of Brees' helmet... and he gets fined and probably flagged for that. The ball was gone but not by much.. I would like to know what he is supposed to do differently in this instance...
Quote: He did lower the head, and I'm not in the habit of defending this goof, but if he doesn't lower his head then his helmet goes right into the back of Brees' helmet... and he gets fined and probably flagged for that. The ball was gone but not by much.. I would like to know what he is supposed to do differently in tÓis instance...
He was looking right at Brees and saw the ball get thrown....so you pull up. Maybe you still bump into him and then finish with a bear hug so he doesn't fall down. Or attempt to run around him. Anything than lowering your head into his back.
It wasn't a brutal hit by any means but it was three things for sure:
1. Late (and JH knew it was late) 2. He lowered his head to make contact with the QB's back (using his helmet as a "weapon") 3. It means he's a repeat offender
JH should know with him already being fined twice this season for his hitting that these are the situations the league will key in on.
It's like driving a bright yellow porsche to work on the same route. If you blow a stop sign twice in 6 weeks, the same cop will be looking for you AND will want to teach you the same lesson over and over again. So if the driver is smart, he'd stop at that intersection for 5 seconds to be 100% sure he's not getting another ticket. But in this case, JH is behind the wheel and just blows threw the sign again and then is shocked that he's getting another ticket.
JH, you're a marked man. Stop with the crap already. Unless you like the attention and want to get suspended.
Last edited by Punchsmack; 11/05/1005:05 PM.
“...Iguodala to Curry, back to Iguodala, up for the layup! Oh! Blocked by James! LeBron James with the rejection!”
Quote: It wasn't a brutal hit by any means but it was three things for sure:
1. Late (and JH knew it was late) 2. He lowered his head to make contact with the QB's back (using his helmet as a "weapon") 3. It means he's a repeat offender
This is what I see from watching the video even pausing at times..
1. He took less than half a step from the time the ball left Brees hand until he made contact.. NO WAY could he have avoided contact. And he did pull up, watch the video real close and he runs into him hard but if the other Steelers guy doesn't fall into the back of Harrison, he wouldn't have even gone down on top of Brees. I don't buy that it was late, as in ILLEGALLY late.
2. His choices were to have the forehead area of his helmet hit the back of Brees helmet or to lower and have the crown hit the back of Brees shoulder pads.. he chose the latter. I think he made the right choice. You say he lowered his helmet to make contact with the QBs back, I say he lowered his helmet to avoid making contact with the QBs head...
3. He is a repeat offender which I'm sure is playing into it, I just think this time he is being hit too hard based more on his reputation than on this hit.
Just watched that sequence about 20-30 times, clicking on the progress bar rapidly to keep rewinding it to the point where Collinsworth is saying "helmet to helmet".....
As the ball came out, Harrison takes a corrective step to his right, then AFTER it was out, there was still enough time for him to raise his arms (his arms hadn't even started to come up yet, and the ball is now gone) while coming forward and he buries his head into Brees' back.
Absolutely no doubt in my mind that he could have avoided that. He could have easily kept correcting his movement to the right, he could have just used his shoulder, etc..
Browns is the Browns
... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.
He "shouldn't" have been fined for this hit, however he 'should've' been fined for the hit on Cribbs.
Now to head off the lame rebuttal...if the league said the Cribbs hit was legal and that means it is okay then the league said this hit was bad so that means it is. You simply cannot have your cake and eat it too.
The rule exists for the Cribbs hit, regardless if the league wants to enforce it or ignore it.
Just watched that sequence about 20-30 times, clicking on the progress bar rapidly to keep rewinding it to the point where Collinsworth is saying "helmet to helmet".....
As the ball came out, Harrison takes a corrective step to his right, then AFTER it was out, there was still enough time for him to raise his arms (his arms hadn't even started to come up yet, and the ball is now gone) while coming forward and he buries his head into Brees' back.
Absolutely no doubt in my mind that he could have avoided that. He could have easily kept correcting his movement to the right, he could have just used his shoulder, etc..
Playing it back and forth many time, I agree with this assessment.
After watching this a few times, I would not have flagged him either. The one thing that I think caused him the fine, was that he clearly dips his head into the back. Harrison always leads with his head, and until he stops, they will keep fining him. The Cribbs hit, he absolutely lowers his head to hit Cribbs. His arms never are raised. In this hit, he raises his arms somewhat, but he clearly drops his head to hit with his helmet.
All that being said, I still do not consider this hit a penalty. Until he stops dropping his head, and hitting with his helmet, he is going to keep getting fined. Even in this hit, he could have used a shoulder, but that is not how he tackles.
Ward, and a bunch of other safeties around the league, better start tackling instead of trying for the big hit. I see many fines coming for them.
As far as Harrison is concerned, I hope he never stops and is suspended. He's a Steeler, and I hate him.
Quote: He "shouldn't" have been fined for this hit, however he 'should've' been fined for the hit on Cribbs.
Now to head off the lame rebuttal...if the league said the Cribbs hit was legal and that means it is okay then the league said this hit was bad so that means it is. You simply cannot have your cake and eat it too.
The rule exists for the Cribbs hit, regardless if the league wants to enforce it or ignore it.
Specifically what rule was broken on the Cribbs hit? Going helmet to helmet on a ball-carrier, as I understand it, is legal. Going helmet to helmet (or more generally, helmet to anywhere, or forearm, shoulder, or head to the head/neck region) on a defenseless player (e.g. QB throwing a pass, receiver catching a pass) is illegal.
The hit on Brees appears late (but not blatantly so) and he's using his head against a defenseless player, even though it's pretty obvious that he isn't putting everything he can into the hit. It looks like the NFL got it right according to the letter of the rules, even though the Cribbs hit looks dirtier in the sense that it's more likely to cause injury.
Quote: Ward, and a bunch of other safeties around the league, better start tackling instead of trying for the big hit. I see many fines coming for them.
You're right about that. What I find remakable is that all these guys have to set themselves to deliver the big hit in much the same fashion as they would to make the big stick. It would seem to me that a jaw-rocking "Top Plays"- type single hit would be far less intimidating than a hit (with the same authority), wrap-up, and a stiff stick into the turf. In that scenario, dude feels it twice. There's also every chance that he'd still become separated from the ball.... and noone gets fined.
I like the old school.... wrap'em up and put them down. Hard.
unless the "spearing" rule has changed in some way over the past few years, Harrison's hit on Cribbs was a textbook application of that infraction. The rule has been on the books longer than any revision of "defenseless receiver" statutes, and used to be enforced regularly. I haven't see it enforced in almost 5 years, if memory serves.
The rule has been on the books. Why it hasn't been actively enforced is a mystery to me.
In my book, there's no need for new rules or new interpretations.... refs just need to enforce the rules that already exist:
A tackler using his helmet to butt, spear, or ram an opponent.
This ruling makes no distinction between WR, RB or "defenseless" player. It is simple and direct. Top of the helmet is spearing, no matter what player is on the receiving end. Closed case.
Harrison speared Cribbs, and wasn't flagged for it. In my book, that rule should supercede all interpretations- and should have been enforced.
I still say pad the outside of the helmets and you'll eliminate the impact of spears and helmet to helmet hits.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
Quote: unless the "spearing" rule has changed in some way over the past few years, Harrison's hit on Cribbs was a textbook application of that infraction. The rule has been on the books longer than any revision of "defenseless receiver" statutes, and used to be enforced regularly. I haven't see it enforced in almost 5 years, if memory serves.
The rule has been on the books. Why it hasn't been actively enforced is a mystery to me.
In my book, there's no need for new rules or new interpretations.... refs just need to enforce the rules that already exist:
A tackler using his helmet to butt, spear, or ram an opponent.
This ruling makes no distinction between WR, RB or "defenseless" player. It is simple and direct. Top of the helmet is spearing, no matter what player is on the receiving end. Closed case.
Harrison speared Cribbs, and wasn't flagged for it. In my book, that rule should supercede all interpretations- and should have been enforced.
Exactly. This. We don't need 14 NEW rules. How about we just enforce the ones we already have?
Fear us, for we are the BROWNS, led by the mighty BM! Only in Cleveland.
Think of it this way: if a head-to-body or head-to-head hit would damage the hitter as much as it damaged the recipient, you'd better believe it would change tackling technique overnight.
Look... I know we'll never go back to that technology- human DNA isn't hardwired for 'regression'- but still... in theory, it would be the most effective way to eliminate life-destroying hits, and preserve the integrity of the true sport.
Bring a man down with sure technique and leverage... the play stops there and then. Hit a man to "light him up," and he might just bust another 20-25 yards at the end of the play.
Modern football is a helluvalot more visually dynamic than 50's-era football, but the games would be no less contentious and hard-fought if player had to dial it back. Eventually, the fans would make the change, and still enjoy the games.
THEN... you'd hear folks who are 20-30-somethings now lamenting "the good old days" of Ronnie Lott, Sean Taylor or James Harrison. The times, they are a-changin' always.
turnabout's fair play, eh?
Just think of it: no more radio calls to QB's or LB's (sorry, Paul Brown). Messenger guards become integral to the game once again. Blocking/ tackling/ scheming become important again, because games won't readily change on a random big hit or two. Real football will actually be played every week... by every team.
Leather helemts! leather helmets! Real Men wear leather helmets!
[mostly posted as a joke... but think about it for a minute, eh?]
I don't believe the officials are taking enough heat on this matter. Harrisons own comments point to the fact that these hits , well most of them were not flagged. Now consider that for years he , and several of his teamates have gotten away with this crap. Why? Because when it concerns the Steelers the refs always look the other way. Maybe opposing teams don't lose because of bad calls, but the Steelers have a way of turning "no calls" into championships. The NFL is right to be cracking down on these cheap shots, but it will make little difference unless the officials are motivated in some way to call a fair game. Until then players pockets may get lighter but it will do nothing to alter the scoreboard.P
i'm so tired of Harrison and others whining about this. If it's not violent enough for you, join the army and go kill people in Afganistan. Man up like Pat Tillman, or shut up and play a game for millions.
The players on the receiving end of his illegal spearings don't whine nearly as much as he does about the shots to his overly stuffed wallet. He likes hitting late and he likes delivering vicious blows with the crown of his helmet, he just can't stand the thought of paying for those cheap shots.
"I am undeterred and I am undaunted." --Kevin Stefanski
"Big hairy American winning machines." --Baker Mayfield
How about another great example of Roger Goodell's vision of how NFL football should be played...
Hits on Vikings' Favre cost two Patriots $7,500 each
NEW YORK -- The NFL has fined New England Patriots defensive tackle Myron Pryor $7,500 for his hit on Brett Favre that cut the Minnesota quarterback's chin.
Favre left the Vikings' loss midway through the fourth quarter Sunday and needed 10 stitches in his chin.
Pryor was not penalized on the play, in which his helmet got under Favre's facemask and cut Favre's chin.
The Boston Globe reported on Friday that Pryor "definitely" plans to appeal the fine.
Patriots linebacker Gary Guyton was fined $7,500 for roughing the passer when he unnecessarily struck Favre in the head and neck area earlier in the game.
The league has cracked down on illegal hits and has promised suspensions for hits to the head or neck area of defenseless players.
I don't get why there seems to be so much confusion about this. 'Spearing' has been illegal for years. I can still remember refs calling it all the time when it was new.
Using the helmet has been illegal for years... and not just to the head,
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