San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks is steaming over his 15-yard personal foul that ended up as the key play in Sunday's biggest game. If the play stood, it would have given the 49ers the ball near midfield with a three-point lead and just over three minutes remaining. "I didn't hit him with my hand or my helmet," Brooks said, via the San Francisco Chronicle. "I basically bear-hugged him. That's just how football is played. I think this s--- is bull----. Football, the way they call stuff these days, it's watered down. It ain't real no more." "It was at home. It was Drew Brees. And maybe the officials were for the New Orleans Saints a little bit more than the 49ers. I think it's B.S., man." Source: NFL.com SteveRobWhatever's Take: The call was borderline in my book. It was a big hit, no doubt, but he struck Brees on the chest with a clothesline. Tough break for the 49ers who now are in a fight just to make the playoffs.
Funny that's what I said watching it. If brees was a normal size qb never would have hit him so high.
I didn't get to see the game, but after watching the full replay, I think what they were calling against was that his arms were around the neck and hand pulled up the facemask on the way down. Not the initial hit. If that's what they were calling, then based on rules its probably right. But ya, its becoming a ticky-tack league. That said, there was so much more that could've been done better for the niners to win that game. They're going to be in a dog fight just to make the playoffs now. If it works out, hopefully they end up like the Ravens last year.
I thought the ref got it right when I was watching the game,and after seeing many replays nothing changes my mind.The fact that Brees head and neck jerked forward so much is what got the flag.With the rules as they are now that one gets flagged every time. If Junior Gallette had hit Kap like that 49ers would have 100% wanted a flag,and rightly so.
Maybe it was a ticky tack call, but this is just an idiot thing to say that will probably net him an invoice from the league.
agreed markaz. the league won't like that comment. i would say it was borderline (under today's nfl guidelines) so i wasn't shocked they called it.
How violently his head jerks has nothing to do with it, it was a legal hit under the current rules and should not have resulted in a call. I would not have wanted a flag if the same thing happened to Kaepernick.
It was not a legal hit under the current rules.Section 12.9.C. How violently his head jerks is an indicator to the Ref of the force of the hit.It gets flagged every time. You can call it soft,or flag football,but the Officials are bound by the rules.
I'm assuming you mean 12.8c. 12.9 is roughing the kicker. Where in any of that does the Brooks hit become illegal? And again, the "force" of the hit is irrelevant, all that matters is whether it's legal or not, and the force does NOT have anything to do with it. Nobody has ever gotten a flag for hitting someone "too hard", only for doing it in an illegal manner.
Ray Lewis just said on ESPN that if Brooks gets fined, he's paying half of it. The rule is the rule so it's a good call. But the rule is a joke. The pussification of the league is like a runaway train. It's only going to get worse and worse until it runs off the rails and completely explodes. Nothing is going to stop it though. If they make the game "safer", they have to deal with everyone snitching. If they don't make it "safer", they have to deal with lawsuits and legal bullcrap. Which do you think they're going to go with?
I don't know the rule. All I know is what I've heard. "They" have been saying that the rule he broke says you can't hit the QB in the head or neck in the pocket, or something of that sort.
His arm clearly hits Brees in the neck. I know Brees is short, but I'm pretty sure there's no bylaw that excludes short QB's from the rule.
