The helmet-to-helmet hit by San Francisco safety Donte Whitner that sent Saints running back Pierre Thomas to the locker room early in Saturday's NFC playoff game was legal. Whitner was not penalized because the tackle was not against a defenseless player. Helmet-to-helmet hits are outlawed against eight categories considered defenseless players, and a runner is not one of those categories. Thomas was considered a runner because he'd made a catch, turned and made a "football move" before being hit. The competition committee that recommends rules changes could examine such hits in the offseason. Source: Associated Press
yep, this was early in the game when the niners were absolutely punishing the saints ............ they were hitting so freaking hard ......... it was fun to watch ............. that was a REAL football game from start to finish and both teams left it all on the field ............ i don't care if it's a defensive battle or an offensive battle ............... to me, what makes a good game is when the teams are playing their asses off and giving it everything they have. You would think this would apply to every game but it doesn't. in fact, it's actually kind of rare to get that kind of effort from both teams on the same day.
