I recorded Saturday's game and there was something about the Whitaker hit that bugged me. He wasn't injured on the initial contact, but on the second, and it clearly sounded to me like helmet-to-helmet. Same thing when SJ was shaken up. Now, in football this type of contact is almost inevitable (I know - I played on the D-line!), but it looked to me as if the Sask D was "headhunting" to a certain extent. In both cases, the receiver was essentially down, and the second DH was coming in just to make sure. However, the technique used was, in my opinion, questionable; the DH or safety could have wrapped up the receiver instead of going in head first.
Now I don't want to start any needless controversy or make any unfounded allegations, but helmet-to-helmet contact is concussion city, and could conceivably put a player out for a considerable period. The CFL has tightened up the rules in this regard, and I would like to see it called more often. I could be mistaken, but on those two hits especially, I did see this type of contact. Did anyone else see it that way?
There's no doubt...and I'm sure that's what was meant when one of the Alouettes commented (on CJAD I think) that the Riders were playing a lot dirtier.
There was that hit by the free-safety where he basically "spiked" S.J. Green with his helmet while he was going down...and that was definitely not the only play.
The CJAD guys sort of put it down to "old time football" referring among others to Tony (Staplegun) Proudfoot.
A more than ironic moment considering the evidence of a link between headshots and ALS.
As has been suggested many times, players are getting faster, bigger and stronger. It's time for CFL and football in general to do everything it can to prevent concussions and other head trauma.
A good step would be to create a major penalty for deliberate head to head contact...that is...the same criteria should exist as for tackling the quarterback below the knees etc.
Zero tolerance when it comes to premeditated head shots....period!!!
I don't give a toss if you've lost 2 Grey Cups in a row.
No question the Roughriders were "head hunting" but Brandon had just hit the ground and his head was at waist height when he got hit and from my replay I think he took a knee under the chin. It was a violent game and it always is against Saskatchewan, wasn't expecting anything different especialy after their HC called them soft last week. Richardson and Green were also roughed up but these guys talk a lot and this week Richardson has to have eyes all around his head because I heard Huntley twice say he had it in for Green after he rolled in to him last season. I am very concerned about the position they are placing themselves in. It's a great part of their game but they have to remain clean...
Agreed. I too am concerned about Richardson and Green’s health. They were taking some wicked hits in traffic over the middle of the field and were slow to get up on a few occasions.
Now, football is a man's game and injuries occur all the time. Those hits, however, definitely appeared to me to be an attempt to injure. The Als have been a class act for more than a decade due to the diligent and professional work of all in the organization. If this type of thing is not recognized and dealt with in a timely and severe manner, it will mean that star players are out of the lineup and the CFL will become a second-class organization. If that's the only way opposing teams can beat us, then the entire league is cheapened. We have had "goons" in this league before; there is no place for players like that.
I am of a mind to write a letter to the CFL about this issue, even though I know I will be tagged as a "homer" .
Seriously, when did it become okay to lead with the helmet against another player's head? That's pretty much every tackle from Butler and a few from other members of SSK's secondary. It seems like they were head-hunting on every tackle. I don't mind clean, violent tackles targeting a player's torso, but repeated helmet-to-helmet shots should be penalized. Butler had better watch it. He's a rookie in the league and what goes around comes around.