Thursday, October 13, 2011

A Short NFL Rant


So the Giants safety Kenny Philips just got smacked with a $20,000 fine for hitting a "denfenseless" receiver, in this case the Seahawks TE Zach Miller. In other words, he was punished for doing his fucking job. This is becoming a disturbing trend in the NFL.

My late father, one of the biggest diehard Giants fans you could ever meet, often said, "Football is a hard-hitting contact sport. If they're going to make too many rules, they should just put a fucking dress on everybody and forget about it." And ya know, I agree.

I'm all for penalties when a defender picks up a QB and throws him to the ground head first, or someone gets hit out of bounds or someone starts punching the shit out of an opposing player he doesn't like. All that falls into the unsportsmanlike realm. But I'm tired of seeing guys get hit in the wallet for DEFENDING, the job they're actually being paid to do. "Leading with the helmet", WTF? Defenders have been leading with the helmet (or head!) since this great game began!  It's not a new thing and it never used to be an issue. Watch some film from back in the 60s or 70s, or even the early 80s. Guys played, guys got hurt. That was football. They knew what they were getting into and they didn't fucking whine about it.

I am also tired of longwinded penalties. I pine for the days of simple, one word utterances to convey a penalty situation. For instance, why is it necessary to say "neutral zone infraction" or "encroachment" or "unabated to the quarterback"? Who fucking cares? Just say "offsides" and be done with it. And don't get me started on the lengthy orations after a challenge. STFU! Spot the ball! Play!

Having replay after every single score is bullshit, too. It slows the game down and it's boring. Go to replay only if it's not clear the receiver had possession or if he was inbounds.

Kickoffs from the 35. *headdesk*

Oh and a "lifetime ban" should be exactly that. Not "you can come back when you've finished your stint in the pen and show sufficient false humility to impress the commssioner". Yeah, Michael Vick, I'm looking at you. Fucking pussy.

This is only a short list. I'm tired as hell and didn't want to be here all night. And the Giants game with Buffalo
is looking a bit scary right now. I really don't want to talk about that. I still haven't quite recovered from the
flukey humiliation dealt by the Seahawks last Sunday. That was all kinds of fucked up and I can't even blame Eli.

Anyway, I am SwearyGeek and I write about the Giants. Mostly.  (And I know this is a lame first post. I'll do better in the future.)

7 comments:

SwearyGeek said...

And I have NO idea why that second-to-last paragraph is displaying like crap.

STARDUST said...

Fidel Goodell has a small penis.

Raven Mack said...

Roger Goodell has ruined the laughter of children for me.

Whiouxsie said...

Herr Goodell is no doubt feeling froggy because there's no longer an Al Davis to take the piss out of him.

The best Stupid Fine story though is that one about the offensive lineman (Ravens Center Matt Birk) who got fined $5000 for taking the microphone out of his pads because -- naturally -- it got jostled and knocked out of position during the normal course of offensive line play and was now STABBING HIM IN THE NECK.

Which suggests that, according to league guidelines, not only do they not really care about Player Safety [we already knew this] but they don't even really care about the quality of play being broadcast, so long as its broadcast (No way you play center as well without the added distraction of being stabbed by your equipment).

Also, welcome aboard. It's great to see so many new teams get represented around here recently.

Newb said...

Leading with the helmet is stupid, no matter how long defenders have been doing it.

They're just as likely to hurt themselves as they are the person they're trying to hit.

If more guys actually knew how to tackle, the game would be drastically different.

I won't argue the point about idiotic fines or whether the league really cares about player safety, but in the case of those kinds of hits, I think they're trying to do the right thing, even if it's for the wrong reasons.

Neil said...

I just want them to let The Great Willie Young play with a hatchet in his hands. If that's wrong, then being right is for suckers.

Also, everyone meet SwearyGeek. She rocks.

Raven Mack said...

I work in science and can tell you for a fact they will never admit the full effects of brain damage for fear of class action lawsuit by past players crippling the league. seriously. the fines are not so much to protect players as it is to legally protect the NFL down the road when that eventual showdown comes about. players bitching about it actually feeds the NFL's ultimate plan perfectly.