Refs idle while Bradford takes illegal helmet-to-helmet hit

by Ryan Van Bibber on Oct 18, 2010 12:24 PM CDT in 2010 St. Louis Rams season

Week 6 this year might be forever known as the day of brutal helmet to helmet hits. St. Louis Rams QB Sam Bradford took a shot from Chargers LB Kevin Burnett.

Bradford got lucky in that it didn't result in a nasty injury. Just as lucky was Burnett, who got away with attempted murder while the refs stood idly by. Check out the video evidence:

Inexcusable. The refs gave the Rams a makeup call, but that would have been little consolation had the Rams lost their starting QB on the kind of hits refs are responsible for taking out of the game.

Burnett ought to get a hefty fine for this, but is he the only one that should be punished? Doug Farrar makes a great case in this post at Shutdown Corner for how to handle these kind of hits. Fines and suspension for refs should be part of the answer. Will at Rams Herd has a good post on this too.

It's one thing to watch when your team doesn't get a pass interference call. This is different. Teams invest too much money in personnel and fans invest too much time and money of their own to watch top players get taken out because of referee idleness.

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Comments

Yes, the Rams got a payback call.

But let’s be careful on overreacting.

What’s the actual helmet to helmet rule? Surely there are times when it is not a punishable offense?

It seems to me that the hit on Desean Jackson was brutal, but legit. Should be no fine for that. Now maybe the rules say otherwise.

I don’t want to see anybody get hurt, but I sure don’t want to take away from the hard hitting that helps make this game great.

I can take a beating ... I'm a Rams fan.

by Midasknight on Oct 18, 2010 12:36 PM CDT reply actions

I kinda agree

The Jackson hit was legal, he led with his shoulder, and hits like that can turn the game around. But intentional hits, especially helmet to helmet need to stop…who knew that football players will try to take out an opposing player from the game…..who knew….

"Twin-headed infinite swirling vortex of grotesque suckitude known as Tony Clark and Eric Byrnes"

by sergey606 on Oct 18, 2010 12:51 PM CDT up reply actions

just watched the second hit by Harrison

he should be fined or suspended

"Twin-headed infinite swirling vortex of grotesque suckitude known as Tony Clark and Eric Byrnes"

by sergey606 on Oct 18, 2010 12:55 PM CDT reply actions

Skins fan here

Bradford is my favorite rookie QB, so that hit worries me.

Also, can you guys not blow us out by 14 points next time? T_T

Question: Woody, what happened to the ball movement? Answer: I think our defense was pretty solid tonight. We held them to under 200 points so we did our job on that end.

by JohnWebb on Oct 18, 2010 1:14 PM CDT reply actions

lol

thanks! We’ll try to keep it closer, by which I mean I’m sure if we get a lead and shurmur is still OC, we’ll get a lead then let it bleed away.

I thought you guys would pull an upset on Indy last night. I’m surprised they squeaked out of that one.

THIS year's the year. I hope....

by thisguy on Oct 18, 2010 1:51 PM CDT up reply actions

Ugh

we were about a lucky one handed interception away from winning. But there’s always four years from now, when we play them again, haha.

Question: Woody, what happened to the ball movement? Answer: I think our defense was pretty solid tonight. We held them to under 200 points so we did our job on that end.

by JohnWebb on Oct 18, 2010 2:52 PM CDT up reply actions

illegal hit

no that was an illegal hit his helmet came off. and if his helmet came off he hit him to hard. Stupid refs cant call penalties

by TIVOthinksimgay on Oct 18, 2010 1:46 PM CDT reply actions

That's a dumb thing to say.

I can take a beating ... I'm a Rams fan.

by Midasknight on Oct 18, 2010 3:37 PM CDT up reply actions

well....

….you can hit someone legally and have their helmet come off, happens quite a bit.

"Twin-headed infinite swirling vortex of grotesque suckitude known as Tony Clark and Eric Byrnes"

by sergey606 on Oct 18, 2010 3:59 PM CDT up reply actions

Max Hall

example 1

You don't seem to want to accept the fact you're dealing with an expert in guerrilla warfare, with a man who's the best, with guns, with knives, with his bare hands. A man who's been trained to ignore pain, ignore weather, to live off the land, to eat things that would make a billy goat puke. In *St. Louis* his job was to dispose of enemy personnel. To kill! Period! Win by attrition. Well, *Steven Jackson* was the best.

by 3k on Oct 18, 2010 4:57 PM CDT up reply actions

haha

that guy just got smashed on the hit he took.

I felt bad for him

"Twin-headed infinite swirling vortex of grotesque suckitude known as Tony Clark and Eric Byrnes"

by sergey606 on Oct 18, 2010 4:59 PM CDT up reply actions

are u guys even fans of the rams or are ok with what the other team did and the refs not calling it

by TIVOthinksimgay on Oct 18, 2010 4:12 PM CDT reply actions

No. I am not ok with it. I just took exception to your statement that if the helmet comes off then they got hit too hard. That's just dumb.

I can take a beating ... I'm a Rams fan.

by Midasknight on Oct 18, 2010 4:40 PM CDT up reply actions

dude it was helmet to helmet

by TIVOthinksimgay on Oct 18, 2010 4:43 PM CDT reply actions

You aren't listening.

I can take a beating ... I'm a Rams fan.

by Midasknight on Oct 18, 2010 4:47 PM CDT up reply actions

I think the ruling was correct on the field

If I remember correctly, once the quarterback extends his run past the line of scrimmage, he is treated as any other runner in possession of the ball at which point a helmet to helmet hit does not incur a penalty. I’ll look for something to back that up, since that’s just off the top of the dome. NFL rulebook freestylin’.

by 3k on Oct 18, 2010 4:58 PM CDT reply actions

yeah

he was out of the pocket; however, it was still helmet-to-helmet. I think that a hit like that should be penalized.
I can also see many amendments to a rule like that. If its in the open field, then penalty. BUT if it’s a back running through the line, then in all the confusion it can happen by accident.
Hard to say, I know the league wants to protect the QBs the most, but I hate seeing WRs get leveled on a helmet-to-helmet, and nothing is done about it.

"Twin-headed infinite swirling vortex of grotesque suckitude known as Tony Clark and Eric Byrnes"

by sergey606 on Oct 18, 2010 5:03 PM CDT up reply actions

What you are not allowed to do is leave your feet and launch into the helmet of another player.

…which that guy clearly did.

I guess I am bias, but in bradfords case, the guy should be ejected because he did it with the clear intent to knock Sam out of the game. He I understand, you get pissed because you are getting your ass kicked… you could have easily sent a message by taking him lower down and hitting him hard.

by leadhead on Oct 18, 2010 5:04 PM CDT up reply actions

Leaving your feet

I agree, That if you leave your feet, becoming a missile, then the flag should be thrown if it is a head shoot or not.

by learning on Oct 18, 2010 5:54 PM CDT up reply actions

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_rule_on_helmet_to_helmet_contact_in_the_NFL

using any part of a players helmet (including the top/crown and forehead/hairline parts) or facemask to butt, spear, or ram an opponent violently or unnecessarily; although such violent or unnecessary use of the helmet is impermissible against any opponent, game officials will give special attention in administering this rule to protect those players who are in virtually defenseless postures."

by TIVOthinksimgay on Oct 18, 2010 5:02 PM CDT reply actions

watching the replay makes it worse

sam looks like his got hit in the ear hole

"Twin-headed infinite swirling vortex of grotesque suckitude known as Tony Clark and Eric Byrnes"

by sergey606 on Oct 18, 2010 5:05 PM CDT up reply actions

Exactly

and usually when it’s applied to runners, they’re not defenseless. The more I look at it and think about it, the more I like the no call. It’s called a QB slide for a reason.

by 3k on Oct 18, 2010 5:12 PM CDT up reply actions

I'm just glad Sam is okay!

Go Rams...go Sammy B!!!

by sb8ramsfan on Oct 18, 2010 5:35 PM CDT reply actions

After all the nasty hits this weekend

the league is talking about making them all illegal and suspending players for not only helmet to helmet hits but also other “too violent” hits. It sounds like the hit on Jackson is the one that finally was the last straw. Probably the college player getting paralyzed has something to do with it too. I don’t know how they are going to define “too violent”, but they do need to do something about the guys who are just out to knock opposing players out of the game.

by andyhawk on Oct 18, 2010 11:53 PM CDT reply actions

I agree the refs missed the call. But I don’t blame them. They are humans. They miss all kinds of calls. What I find inexcusable is that fines came out today and this isn’t in the list. The player was out of control and led with his helmet to the helmet of the QB. I have coach a little football, but not on this level. I always taught my player to see what they are hitting. This guy head was down. He couldn’t see what he was hitting. It could have resulted in 2 players being seriously hurt. Why haven’t the Rams submitted this to the League?

by jwbulldogs on Oct 20, 2010 4:38 AM CDT reply actions

Missed call

The hit on Bradford is not a penalty because his last name is not Brady or Manning. I lost respect for the NFL this week because the league overreacted to hitting in football. How lame, especially sincemany offensive players (Adrian Petersen) lead with their helmets and hit hard too.

by ALLD on Oct 21, 2010 5:21 PM CDT reply actions