Maybe It's Me

San Diego Chargers free safety Rodney Harrison is currently appealing a fine handed down by the NFL and commissioner Paul Tagliabue on his hit of Oakland Raiders wide receiver Jerry Rice. He is expected to lose the appeal.

Denver Broncos safety Kenoy Kennedy crushed Miami Dolphins wide receiver Chris Chambers, giving Chambers a concussion and causing him to miss the Dolphins game against the Bills. Kennedy was suspended for one game.

Dallas Cowboys safety Darren Woodson was called for unnecessary roughness on his hit of Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Darrell Jackson, who later suffered a seizure in the locker room.

Enough is enough.

We need to stop punishing football players for playing football

Bet you didn't see that one coming.

That's right, I'm sick and tired of hearing how "vicious" these hits are, or how there was harmful intent. Damn right, there better be harmful intent, otherwise you're not hitting hard enough. If I'm the coach I want to see intent to crush, destroy, and demolish. Every time you hit the ball carrier the goal is to "blow him up."

Here are the hard facts ladies and gentlemen. Jackhole Tagliabue and his troupe of clowns at the NFL offices don't know football from ballet, and should NOT be the ones making decisions on whether a hit is legal or not.

I'll bet Ronnie Lott is just ecstatic that he retired when he did. If he was playing today . man, the poor S.O.B. would be broke.

Let me make another point. I DO NOT condone headhunting. It is illegal and should be regulated by the NFL. And no, that does not make me a hypocrite. I'll tell you why.

I have seen plenty of plays in which a defender left his feet and went after the ball carrier's head. Regardless of whether I'm cheering for that team or not, it makes me mad because it's a cheap shot.

It's a simple case of policing the impossible. How do you tell whether a player has gone after another player with the idea in mind to break both his legs and blow out his knee? The answer is that you can't.

This is exactly the reason that it is impossible to regulate and legislate hitting in the NFL. The ONLY play that should warrant a fine is head-to-head contact during which the defender has left his feet. So did he deserve a fine? Yes. Did he deserve a suspension? No.

I'm not trying to confuse you, but it is a confusing topic. I realize there are legal ramifications if the NFL allows hits that can end careers, and I don't disagree in the premise, just the way it has been executed. I'm willing to bet that if Chambers doesn't miss a game, then neither does Kennedy.

If you don't leave your feet then it's very difficult to give someone a concussion. Leaving the feet and not getting head-to-head contact should not be a penalty. Jackhole and the rest of his NFL officials have not done a good job of distinguishing between the two. If you've never played football, then you don't know what I'm talking about.

But it happened in Dallas with Woodson, and I'm waiting for the news that the league has decided to hand down a fine and possible a suspension. It's a shame what happened to Jackson, but it doesn't mean that Woodson should be suspended, especially since he hit Jackson with his shoulders.

It just makes me sick that the league is trying to change the way the game is played. If they want to cover themselves from lawyers fine, but don't change the game.

Receivers have also helped lead to the growing number of injuries. If you saw Monday Night Countdown this past week then maybe you heard Sterling Sharpe mention that he doesn't think receivers are doing a good enough job of protecting themselves. I agree. Receivers need to start dropping their shoulders and turning from the hit, you can't tell me they don't know where it's coming from.

I suggest that the NFL hires a panel of former players, both offense and defense, to evaluate tapes sent in from the teams each week. Some sort of majority vote can decide the decision. It's not perfect but it's an idea, and in my opinion, at least better than the current system

Then again, maybe it's me.