APBroncos rookie safety Rahim Moore can expect a sizable fine this week after delivering a nasty helmet-to-helmet hit on Bills receiver Donald Jones.
Moore delivered the hit as Jones was reaching high for a pass on a sideline route. Moore appeared to try to lead with the shoulder, but his helmet hit Jones’ helmet first, and Jones’ head slammed to the ground. Jones lay knocked out for a while with his arms frozen in place before becoming alert. He was able to get up and walk to the locker room under his own power.
Bills receiver Stevie Johnson got in Moore’s face and there was some pushing and shoving between the teams before it broke up. In a somewhat confusing scene, Moore then left the field and sat by himself at the end of the Broncos bench.
The announcers speculated that Moore was ejected at first, but they were wrong. Coaches came over to talk to him before leaving him alone to cool off.
Jones started the game at wide receiver in Lee Evans‘ old spot.
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There is very little I wanted to see more than Stevie actually start a fight after this. That was a dirty, dirty hit.
I was already unimpressed with Moore for ripping off Spiller’s helmet after the whistle had blown a few series earlier.
Looked like a high and hard hit on a defenseless receiver, but I’m not sure it was helmet-to-helmet. Looked more like a shoulder to the chest.
This game got out of control early. These refs were a joke and they were allowing the Broncos to cheap shot the BILLS pretty much after every play and then style afterwards. It culminated with this disgusting cheap shot on the sideline. Good job Stevie for calling this fool out, he knew he was wrong too cause he went and sat with his tail between his legs at the end of the bench dolo.
That was not a helmet to helmet hit. It was a hard hit on a defenseless receiver, yes, but not helmet to helmet.
Sounds like an accident if he was leading with his shoulder. Never know where the receiver’s head will be once contact is made.
Good hit.
Reagardless he still drop the pass before the hit. Wish him well could be a blessing he blows were in trouble he supposed to be our # 2
Haven’t seen this hit, but wish the league would offer more clarification on defenders attempting to lead with the shoulder, as you mentioned. What can defenders do to prevent helmet-to-helmet contact that occurs because a receiver turned his head at the last nanosecond? Will leading with the shoulder be banned, too?
i’m not watching the game but hopefully he’s alright.
rahim moore is going to be a nasty safety in the NFL
I kinda figured something like this would happen. I mean, they didn’t call a penalty on those goons from Denver when they hit Fitzpatrick when he was in a QB slide, and they continued to throw Spiller around 15 seconds after the whistle was blown. Neither drew a penalty. These refs allowed that to get out of hand.
rahim moore….cant wait!!!!
Well, I guess the Rams are going to have to find a new punter. What was Donnie Jones doing on the field for the Bills anyway?
There seems to been multiple Head to Head contact in each of the Preseason games so far this year. There were 3 alone in the Pat’s/Buc’s game.
For those who continue to mock the new rule changes ie… kick offs as well as berate the NFL & Goodell for coming down hard on the players .
Are you listening Steelers?
The players held together during the lock-out now lets see them do the same for there own well being.
We could have seen a huge brawl if DJ Williams didn’t protect Raheem Moore from Stevie Johnson and other Bills coming after him. Good call to keep him out of the game after making that hit because it isn’t worth having your 2nd round pick getting punched at over a meaningless game.
everyone plays with T-Rex arms these days.
How hard is it to use your arms to wrap up and tackle like a pro?
Instead, everyone’s going around tackling like that Headbutting Dinosaur from Jurassic Park2.
It was not a helmet to helmet hit.
Saw the hit and after the helmet ripping off episode it is clear he is dirty player. Watch out this season rook…. Watch out. These things arent forgotten.
You have to be kidding me. It was shoulder-to-chest. I feel bad for the receiver but it was not helmet-to-helmet at all.
And for all the people whining about Denver cheap-shotting Bills players, wtf were you watching? The only thing I saw was that play with Spiller in which they were still fighting over the ball after the whistle. Other than that it was just a bad Broncos team knocking around a terrible Bills team.
@axespray, you said it. Players these days just can’t tackle like men – they substitute dull violence for actual skill. They’re a bunch of dumb, blunt instruments out there.
And the funny thing is, there’s always a whole crowd of cretins that think playing that way is “tough” or “manly”, and that to question it is to “pu$$ify” the NFL.
Well I’ve got news for those types: the guys who do the hardest cheap-hitting are the wimps, the cowards. What they do is just sucker-punching, no better than that. The line up easy targets and hit in a way that minimizes risk to themselves.
They’re the cowards on the field. That means you, Rahim Moore. That means you, James Harrison. Cowards.
I hate to be one of those ‘put ‘em in dresses’ whiners, but if that’s a penalty and a fine then 3/4 of the S’s in the NFL are obsolete. I’m not sure exactly what Moore was supposed to do. I guess let him catch it, then go back and look his coaches and teammates in the eye, say, “sorry, didn’t want to bruise the poor fella.”
Spare me the whinny baby crap from the Bills fans and Stevie Johnson doing the school yard punk thing. Weird how he kept a lid on the billy bad ass stuff until the very moment there was no chance he could at Rahim.
John Fox football = Lots of cheap hits
Let’s all get our panties on and get ready for the fines!
I wished we got Rahim Moore.
been waiting for a safety like him since days of Jack Tatum at Oakland.
Dont apologize for nothing, Moore
and this is coming from Raider Fan.
I watched the reply and it is pretty clearly helmet to helmet on a defenseless player. You can chalk it up to a rookie being a rookie, but he also ripped a guys helmet off earlier in that quarter.
Broncos also got a roughing the passer penalty on that drive and later in the game they also drove a guys head into the ground where he had to be taken off the field on a stretcher and went to the hospital.
Pretty dirty for anytime of the year, but waaaaaaaay out of line for pre-season.
Fred Jackson was absolutely furious.
Are you kidding me? Try shoulder to shoulder hit! I’m sick of the NFL taking good hits out of the game. Bills fans, you guys are pathetic. Whining about that hit and calling the Broncos goons for hitting your so called qb on a slide…..pathetic. Grow a pair.
Doesn’t surprise me. Denver’s always been a dirty team. Shanahan use to coach em that way. Remember George Foster breaking the ankle of Tony Williams (Bengals) by performing an illegal “chop” block.
“Moore appeared to try to lead with the shoulder, but his helmet hit Jones’ helmet first, and Jones’ head slammed to the ground. Jones lay knocked out for a while with his arms frozen in place before becoming alert.”
Sounds like helmet-to-helmet hit to me.
This is what happens when the NFL commish listens to raving idiots like PFT who believe they know how to play football. Football is a contact sport. When u lead with the shoulder, guess what, the head follows and sometimes the helmet which is rather large, makes contact with whatever gets in its way. Its a fact. Crap happens, or so the bumper sticker says. Let these things go, its part of football. If PFT doesnt like it, then trun off the TV and close your site. ITS FOOTBALL. If this playe is fined then every player should be fined for any contact. Then u have NO football for someone may get hurt. This is getting so stupid.
It was not a helmet to helmet hit. Do your research before you blog. It was shoulder to chest. Is that not what the NFL wants? If he get fined then all defensive players need to take notice. If you hit a player and he is hurt you will get fine?
Moore twists his body to lead with the shoulder, shoulder hit numbers. Perfectly timed. The receiver was NOT unconscious until his head snaps back and bounces off the turf. If you want to see somebody unconscious before they hit the ground, watch Steve Atwater go limp in mid-air after his monster Superbowl hit against the Packers. Moore ain’t no Atwater.
I’m watching the rerun of the game on NFL Net right now – didn’t look helmet-to-helmet to me, defenseless I guess. Also, any idea why NFL Net didn’t show a replay until after he got up? Are they not going to replay hits of questionable legality until they’re sure no one’s hurt?
@kevpft …
James Harrison, like every defender, has made some bad hits. I won’t argue that. But people focus on James because he has a big mouth. Forget his surliness and watch his play. James isn’t one of those dumb, blunt instruments. He actually has excellent technique. Using his brain (and he does have one) and developing his technique is how he went from perennial backup to NFL DPOY. That chip on his shoulder makes him a tough competitor, but it also creates a lot of problems for him.
Maybe Stevie Johnson needs to get knocked out too.. And the writer of this lie filled post.
I agree that the NFL is rediculous at times when it comes to protecting QB’s. But only the biggest f’ing idiots in the world can watch the replay and say it wasn’t a helmet-to-helmet hit. Considering the position on the field (near the sideline), the position of the WR (in the air) that he should’ve not “launched” himself but in stead broken off the play since the WR didn’t have a chance to come down in bounds with the ball anyway. Dirty! That could’ve left him paralyzed like what happened to Daryl Stingly in the 70′s.
@pensacolasteelers …
I just ran that play repeatedly in slo-mo frame-by-frame. The WR was not in the air. He was looking at the ball and didn’t see it coming, but he wasn’t in the air. And the hit was not helmet to helmet. Moore didn’t launch, either. I’m a Steelers fan and really really dislike Denver, but it wasn’t a dirty hit. Like Stevie Johnson and the refs, you’re reacting to the outcome of the hit rather than the technique of the hit. Watch it a few more times.
That was a good hit! Don’t play football if you don’t want to get hit!
It was a very hard hit, but it was a clean hit. Hitting is part of football always has been always will be, unless the rule makers take it away. With all the new rules flowing out of the office on high like the kickoff rule that places the ball on the 35 yardline you might as well be playing flag football. The players that play professional ball are supppose to be men they are played to play the game and the game involes hitting man up and quit whinning. Dont let the so called fans that dont understand the game ruin the game with foolish new rules for the rest of us.
He led with his shoulder and it WAS NOT a helmet to helmet hit. If Moore gets fined for this I’m going to be pissed.
This is the problem with the NFL these days. It’s becoming a wussy sport. THIS IS FOOTBALL! Stuff like this is going to happen, that’s what they signed up for.
I’m happy Rahim Moore laid this hit on the guy. Him a B Dawk are gonna have fun laying the wood this year!
BOOM!
Let’s play football and stop whining about every time someone get’s knocked out.
Go Broncos!
greg5green says:
Aug 20, 2011 10:04 PM
There is very little I wanted to see more than Stevie actually start a fight after this. That was a dirty, dirty hit.
You-tube it. Rahim led with his shoulder. The impact carried him up, causing the helmet-to-helmet hit. He didn’t launch, he just ran through the tackle. No “dirty, dirty” anything involved – just hard football hitting, which sometimes results in a guy getting knocked out. It sucks that he got hurt, and I’m glad he’s OK, but there should not be a fine here.
If the NFL always handed out fines for hits like this, guys like Ronnie Lott and Steve Atwater would have been on food stamps. Was it necessary to hit the receiver in that way? Maybe not, but I was under the impression that you want your safety to be intimidating to opposing WR’s.