Posted on 01/20/2014 6:53:19 AM PST by rawhide
For the second-straight season, the loss of Aqib Talib during the AFC title game affected the way the Patriots defense played the rest of the game, and not coincidentally, New England, without its No. 1 cornerback, lost to the Ravens last year and to the Broncos on Sunday.
As soon as Talib, who collided with Wes Welker while trailing Demaryius Thomas on a crossing route, was injured and had to leave the game, Denver quarterback Peyton Manning begin targeting Welker and cornerback Devin McCourty.
On Monday, Belichick said in his postseason press conference that Welker -- Belichick's former player who contributed mightily to New England for many seasons, mind you -- deliberately hurt Talib.
"The way that play turned out, I went back and watched it, which I didn't have a chance to [Sunday]," Belichick said Monday morning, via ESPN Boston. "It was a deliberate play by the receiver to take out Aqib. No attempt to get open. I'll let the league handle the discipline on that play, whatever they decide. It's one of the worst plays I've seen."
(Excerpt) Read more at cbssports.com ...
So the penalty would have been for an illegal pick. Not for unnecessary roughness. Not for a shot to the head. Not for anything dirty. It was a CLEAN hit. It was timed 2 tenths of a second early... but that doesn’t make it a dirty hit. It makes it an illegal pick. A clean hit during an illegal pick. To say it wasn’t a clean hit, means you do not know what a clean hit is.
My point is NOT that I am hanging on a penalty. It is irrelevant to me that a penalty was or was not called. That would have made zero difference in the outcome.
My issue is a refusal to acknowledge the fact of the case that it was not a hit within the rules of the game.
The answer is no. The answer is also that hit happens in every game. The blown call did not impact the game. The fact that the guy got hurt from a clean hit probably did. Its football. He wasn’t the only guy who got hurt on Sunday. It ain’t beanbag.
How many hits occur that aren’t within the rules of the game. Everytime someone is hit out of bounds it isn’t “within the rules of the game”. That doesn’t mean they are dirty hits.
It was a clean hit and a missed penalty. That’s all you can say about it and be accurate.
Did I say that it was a dirty hit? Yes or no?
You said it wasn’t a clean hit. It’s either a clean hit or a dirty hit. And you pinged me into this conversation.
It would have been a clean hit if the receiver had caught the ball. But he did not.
Saying it is not a clean hit is not the same as saying it IS a dirty hit.
If it had been a clean hit there would not have been a “missed penalty”.
And let me tell you something else. I aint’ on a witness stand. I don’t answer questions Yes Or NO just because you say too.
It was a clean hit. It was a tenth or two of a second before the ball got there. That makes it a penalty (if they call it) The receiver catching the ball has nothing to do with it either way.
A cheater calling someone else a cheater. How ironic.
In that situation, blocking is a penalty.
I don’t believe that Welker was attempting to hurt Aqib, it was just an aggressive pick.
Thats a blatant illegal pick.
Its very apparent that he was not running a pass route. Hes not even looking for the ball.
I know yesterday was a day of very bad calls, not sure if this one is or not.
Better team won, however I don’t think either will beat Seahawks.
i'm not disagreeing with what you said, the ref was looking at the ball and not at the other play, the pic proves your point
I LOLed....thanks :)
Wow. thanks for posting that pic. Like I said, i didn’t see the ‘similar edelman hit on the previous drive’. The short video posted earlier led me to believe that he had just caught the ball. This picture...wow...and folks are comparing the hits. I suppose ‘hate-riots’ glasses help, but those 2 are nothing alike.
I don't think that folks are complaining about the actual hit, just the fact that the ball had not yet gotten to the receiver, and it was an illegal pick. Guys hit other guys with shoulders all the time in football, and it is legal (like Edelman's). But not down field, while the ball is in the air, and picking the guy trying to play defense on the receiver.
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