I don't really see how this one could have been avoided though. He was obviously going for a big hit to try and disrupt the catch - but when he launched himself,the receiver was 2-3 feet above where he was when contact was made. Like Osborne's hit, the offensive player actually came down into the tackle. Had he caught the ball and stayed tall, the tackle would have been made chest high. The reason why Martins was so questionable IMO is because if you watched Martin's feet - he launched himself upward, and his body angle was much more verticle than this guys. Regardless - I'm not really sure how these guys can make shoulder tackles and not lead w/ the head...when their damn head is in front of their shoulder. It's not physically possible...Here's another example of targeting:
Exactly. I've been saying this for years. People like Ed Cunningham who are more interested in "saving the game" never stop to explain how hits should be made. Likely they don't because if they did, they'd grasp what you're saying, and the debate would necessarily die away. Those on their soapbox rarely stop to think about the mechanics of the hit.I'm not really sure how these guys can make shoulder tackles and not lead w/ the head...when their damn head is in front of their shoulder. It's not physically possible...
Here's another example of targeting:
JournalStar Link** Pelini said he doesn't anticipate Courtney Osborne being suspended by the Big 12 for his hit on Blaine Gabbert Saturday.
"I assume we would've heard something if there was an issue," Pelini said.
** Nearly the first 10 minutes of the presser was devoted to discussion about officials trying to determine what constitutes legal/safe hits. Credit Pelini for his patience in discussing the issue.
"I was sick of it three weeks ago," he said.
Here's another example of targeting:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Melissa in Nebraska asked: Speaking of Pandora's Box, does Nebraska lose another player to suspension this week? It would be a real shame if they did.
DU: Well, last week kind of came out of nowhere. Nobody was really talking about the play being reviewed. This week, it's the opposite. I'd be surprised if Osborne gets suspended. If he does, I'll be chiming in for sure. Absolutely should not be suspended for that hit.
Robo in Lincoln asked: Do you agree with Tom Shatels assessment "The Big 12 opened Pandora's Box with the suspension of Eric Martin last week" ?
DU: I do. I don't want the league to be looking over a handful of hits every week. Personally, I think suspensions should be reserved solely for dangerous, malicious and illegal hits. There's no doubt in my mind the NFL has heavily influenced this, but nobody in the Big 12 is making the kind of hits James Harrison and Brandon Meriweather made. None even in the same league, really.
wow that is a great read, hilarious, thanks for the link.There's a guy on the stltoday.com boards who thinks the game should be forfeited because of the hit in question. It's high comedy, really and no one agrees with him. But it's fun!
Whine