Was The Vernon Hit Dirty?

I honestly couldn't tell, which is why I'm asking. I'd hate to think it was but if you guys say so, then it's so.

Don't think so. It was a little late and low but he was making the play and he was going down. It wasn't like he took a free shot at the legs.

I'm drunk celebrating!

CarsonChris wrote:I'm drunk celebrating!

Haha, I did my drinking last night celebrating Memphis beating Ole Piss Also, because I'd been planning it all week regardless

We made a bunch of apple pie moonshine. Had to sample!

he was making the play and he was going down.

Agreed. I'm sure he'll get fined because he touched one of the league's precious new heroes, but I saw him pushing the edge then losing balance and starting to go down. He never stopped pushing for the QB, but I have no problem with that.

I agree with the team's new philosophy - press the pocket hard and don't let up because you're worried about a penalty. Apply pressure, do what it takes to get the QB.

I thought it was a dirty play by OV - led with his helmet and hit the QB low, two things that are clearly against the rules.

That said, I think that play really took Mariota out of his game...he seemed to play scared the rest of the game. I wanted to see the Phins play tough, and part of that is the occasional dirty play. I'm fine with that. It's about damn time we're the ones kicking ass instead of getting our ass kicked.

This "dirty" play used to be called "football" not so long ago.

Degarmo wrote:This "dirty" play used to be called "football" not so long ago.

Exactly...what are they doing with these players. They have become pussy and can't take a hit. IMO, it was a clean hit

So the consensus is: not dirty. Thanks guys I should've known by the way the Titans only got angry about it after the game. When they had plenty of chances to react and do something about it during the game, apparently they didn't utter a peep.

I blame Kimo Von Oelhoffen for this. Ever since he crawled into Carson Palmer's leg in a playoff game ten years ago that Bengals fans still swear they'd have won without his "dirty" hit (despite the fact they HAVEN'T WON A PLAYOFF GAME SINCE) guys can't even get within a foot of a QBs legs without being penalized.

That's not to say dirty hits have never occurrred since then, but it just made no sense to me that Vernon would all of a sudden start trying to take out QBs' knees. Then again if this sort of thing starts happening every game I'll have to rethink it. I'm really hoping Campbell is Rex Ryan without the middle school level maturity.

Degarmo wrote:This "dirty" play used to be called "football" not so long ago.

True, but it is what it is. The players know the rules - can't lead with your helmet, can't hit a QB low. OV did both...I doubt he was unaware of what he was doing. No doubt in my mind it was a dirty hit. But again, I'm OK with that every now and then.

The rule changed when Tom Brady got hit by that Chief, the last time the Dolphins won the AFC East. That next year, no more hitting QBs lower than their belt.

As far as that play being dirty, it looked to me like Vernon's arm got grabbed and it changed his trajectory. At that angle, if he was trying to hit him dirty, he would have blown that knee up, or even broken a leg.

Degarmo wrote:This "dirty" play used to be called "football" not so long ago.

And at one point, what Turkey Jones did to Terry Bradshaw used to be considered "football" as well. Still doesn't make it right.




If you go back far enough about a hundred years, people were calling for the outright banning of football altogether. Not because they were "pussies" but because at one point players were literally dying on the field because of the excess violence. Seriously.

Now of course we know that pretty much just by playing football a guy is going to have some degree of long term brain damage. My problem isn't necessarily with the "wussification" of the game, but with people who played back in the day reminiscing about how football used to be manly, then turning around and suing the NFL for not telling them that repeated head trauma is bad--at a time when a players' worth as a man was measured by how quickly he shrugged it off.

Still don't think Vernon's hit was dirty BTW. Overexuberant would be a better description methinks. But I acknowledge it's a fine line between the two these days.

I had a nice post written up . . . and it was eaten by the site.

Perhaps I'll rewrite it, or perhaps not. Essentially it was about this http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20140430/BLOGS06/140439971/mark-kelso-mocked-and-shunned-for-his-padded-helmet-in-the-1990s-is