It was a legal hit by Jackson on Morrah. Was it a dirty hit? I doubt that was its intention. Defensive backs go for the knees all the time. Our defensive backs have played that way as well. They've outlawed head shots in certain situations for defensive backs. They've eliminated crack back blocks. Quarterbacks have been increasingly protected by not being allowed to be hit in the head in any way or be tackled at the knees in the pocket. Quarterbacks can slide to ovoid being hit. The definition of a late hit on a quarterback has been increasingly penalized.
Over and over, the rules have been changed and continue to be changed in attempts to help protect players from injury. But the reality is that this is football and not the powder puff variety. The injury to Morrah was unfortunate. But a shoulder hit to a rigid leg in that circumstance could have resulted in the same injury.
The bigger question is whether we want pro football to become flag football with live blocking on the offensive lines while having the players wearing shoulder pads and helmets or whether we want to keep some version of the game as its been traditionally played. If we want the latter, there is only so much that can be done to avoid injury in a contact game that is played at such high speed with very athletic, highly skilled athletes.
We're upset that we've lost a player to injury on a helmet to knee hit, with a player In a vulnerable position. But a player can also lead with the shoulder and with either a slight change of direction from an offensive player or a slightly off-target tackle attempt and you are going to get helmet on knee collisions, even when there was an attempt to lead with the shoulder. Defensive backs are vulnerable when they tackle, just as offensive players are when they get hit or tackled. They get hurt when they tackle with their head and they get hurt when they tackle with their shoulders too.
Are we going to ban tackling any player in the knee area or in what situations are we going to penalize that type of tackle or hit. What will be defined as vulnerable? Players are vulnerable any time they are tackled. Helmets and shoulder pads can cause injury to areas of the body that are not in the knee or head area. There are rib injuries and back injuries and spleen injuries and abdominal injuries. Will a defensive back have to wait for a receiver to turn around before he can be tackled? In the future, will he no longer be able to hit him in the back, as well as the knees or head. How far does the game go to protect players and what will the result be?
No player wants to get hurt. Its their career and livelihood at this stage of their life. At the same time, pro football may not create a livelihood in the longer future, if the game becomes so restrictive, rules wise, that it is no longer the pro football game that has enjoyed so much success (including financial success)
In many ways the game has already significantly changed from the version we once watched. An important question is how far does it go or can it go, before it becomes a different game.... and would that different game enjoy the same support it has in the past.
Would it still experience success if defensive players could only arm tackle or wrap up? How far does it go to protect players? What kind of game do the players want to play?
In an age of legal litigation over all kinds of injuries and a time where post-concussion syndrome has become a serious issue, both from a health and legal perspective, another question is how long will it be until most heavy contact sports become legislated or penalized away like tobacco. Heck, maybe one day the government will tax football injuries.
Morrah got hurt. Wish he hadn't. Next man up. Injuries, including knee injuries have always been a part of football. Its a high risk sport. We need to protect players as best we can from concussions and big changes have taken place in that area. We protect the marque quarterback position like we have never have protected him before and its very difficult for a defensive player to tackle a quarterback in the target zone. We protect receivers now more than ever. Return teams are only allowed to block above the waist when at one time they could block a player any way they could. For the most part, I think we've gone far enough.
The reason that we went to a big tight end like Morrah and will go with an even bigger one in Leonard is we not only want a bigger target but also a receiver who could run over and demolish smaller defensive backs.
Wishing Cam Morrah a full recovery.
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
