Comments on: Merton Hanks: New rules have players “turning down hits”

By: saturn1111

saturn1111 — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 15:57:12 +0000

I don’t like the new basketball-in-cleats-and-defense-no-longer-wins-championships NFL, either.

But the notion that not being able to launch and lead w/ the helmet is freezing these guys in their tracks is bogus.

They should be wrapping guys up and bringing them down. Period.

By: CKL

CKL — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 13:00:11 +0000

I hate that these rules are turning guys into Asante Samuel and Antonio Cromartie.
I have no issue with doing all it takes to remove avoidable helmet to helmet hits (wish they gave the defensive players the same courtesy) and things like that but CRIKEY, Carter makes a TEXTBOOK sack vs SD last week and he’s fined for using the hairline of the helmet to the chest or some idiocy, and driving the QB to the ground (which he did not do IMO, he didn’t put his full weight on Rivers). Roman Harper, ditto vs Cutler. How the bleep are guys supposed to sack a QB???? Think about the geometry involved in the angle while a guy is running by you and adjust your original angle on the fly? Look at what happened to Kiwauka vs Vince Young a few years back if you want an earlier example of a guy blatantly pulling away from a full on tackle because he was fearful of a fine or penalty. What they need to do is anytime a guy is has an arm around a QB, play is dead, it’s a sack because the QB is in the grasp. Some of the teams with guys who are better outside the pocket than they are as pure passers will get mad and protest and maybe everything can go back to normal again.

By: pftstory

pftstory — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 12:04:17 +0000

If you hit a ball carrier without using your arms and wrapping him up, and he falls to the ground is it ruled a tackle? Obviously yes. So let’s drop all this “he didn’t use proper technique” BS.
There are many a strong legged running back where we are told over and over,”you better not try to use an arm tackle on this guy or he will run right out of the tackle.”
How amy times today will we hear, “you better hit this guy low if you want to bring him down” or “you better hit this guy high.”

And of course we will hear how someone hit a player and jarred the ball lose causing the fumble or the incomplete pass. And tha will not happen we proper tackling technique where the ball carrier is wrapped up.

LET’S GET BACK TO PLAYING FOOTBALL.

Knock the ball carrier to the ground and move to the next play.

By: ham1

ham1 — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 10:51:34 +0000

Its bull crap.

By: dladd79

dladd79 — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 07:29:16 +0000

Easy for Merton to say that cause he was a good in coverage. But he was never really known for laying hats.

By: fmwarner

fmwarner — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 04:53:37 +0000

It’s good to see a nuanced, intelligent opinion from someone who played the game. Merton Hanks is right. Guys need to master their technique. If you think Dunta Robinson-style missile attacks with your arms at your sides are proper technique and that outlawing them is “pussifying the game”, you’re simply wrong.

By: philrat

philrat — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 04:48:05 +0000

There is no pass defense allowed in the NFL anymore!! Therefore the league should be renamed to NFFL – National Fake Football League!!

If fans want a competitive league back we may have to organize a boycott. Stop buying tickets or subscribing to Sunday Ticket. It’s the only way the league will listen to the fans!

By: paulbrownsrevenge

paulbrownsrevenge — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 04:17:52 +0000

This is pathetic. Everyone knows a ball carriers natural reaction to contact is to lower their heads to brace for impact.

whats next, running backs being fined for lowering their heads and spearing tacklers.

I like the NFL when Tagliabue ran the show better.

By: staffordsyear

staffordsyear — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 03:10:19 +0000

Clarification: I like to call it the penguin dance..its funnier to me,LOL

By: artflooney

artflooney — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 03:09:47 +0000

If he didn’t make it to the NFL, he would have been in trouble with the ladies because of that long neck.

By: cgsuddeath

cgsuddeath — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 03:07:05 +0000

This is what happens when Goodell decided to protect Tom”Golden Girl”Brady

By: sterlingrodgers

sterlingrodgers — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 02:29:32 +0000

“It is actually pronounced (Para DIME).”

Believe it or not- this is only a revelation to those of us here who correctly stress the first syllable and pronounce it “PAR- a-dime”.

By: pittman2052

pittman2052 — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 02:09:41 +0000

of course they are happy. record offensive numbers. more touchdowns, passing yards, and horrible calls against the defense. refs can’t decide when a penalty should or shouldn’t be called, so they just throw the flag to “be safe”.

By: ruffbufffire

ruffbufffire — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 02:08:53 +0000

Merton hanks was the chinese brother whos neck was made off steel and couldnt be chopped off! LMAO @ the chicken dance

By: laeaglefan

laeaglefan — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 02:06:09 +0000

If I were a coach I’d be pissed as hell at a player of mine if he let an opponent score a touchdown rather than risk a penalty. Make the tackle and then worry about it. I’m not saying anyone should purposely try to hurt another player. But let him score a touchdown rather than risk a penalty? I don’t think so.

By: august1969

august1969 — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 01:36:58 +0000

Remember when Shaq did the Merton dance after a dunk?…………..That was awesome………..

By: grogansheroes

grogansheroes — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 01:16:46 +0000

I agree with pretty much what everyone above has said. But how come offensive players aren’t fined? Last week during the Pats game, both Charger running backs, Matthews and Tolbert, lower their head and use their helmet as a weapon. One caused a concussion on a defensive player. So why are there no fines for offensive players using or leading with their helmets?

By: jebdamone

jebdamone — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 01:12:33 +0000

“That’s on him as a professional. He has to master his technique,” Hanks said.

this is the essential sentences of the article. i don’t care if its in pee-wees, high school, college or at the professional level, at some point these kids are going to have to learn the proper way to tackle to assure three things: 1) they don’t hurt the person they are trying to tackle 2) they don’t hurt themselves 3) they make the tackle. there are very few people, even at the nfl level, that make a tackle properly and it bugs the crap out of me.

By: coreyandthejets

coreyandthejets — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 00:53:17 +0000

Im sure Hanks will get fined for doing this interview.

By: johnjosephyossarian

johnjosephyossarian — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 00:51:32 +0000

F what the league is becoming.

By: johntonioholmes

johntonioholmes — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 00:40:24 +0000

Hence the offensive explosions–you can’t play defense in the NFL anymore.

By: staffordsyear

staffordsyear — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 00:29:20 +0000

Good story and all but I wish they would show a video of him doin the penguin dance! Referenced above as the chicken dance.

By: daubs17

daubs17 — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 00:10:14 +0000

These newer rules regarding hits are ridiculous, it totally devalues an enormous facet of football and it isnt fair to the players.

These guys’ bodies are traveling at top speed to try to make a play and the NFL higher ups are demanding that the players make decisions whether or not to hit someone and exactly how to to it in fractions of a second’s time….its so obnoxiously unreasonable.

These guys know what they signed up for, so deal with it. A big hit in football happens and so do injuries and the NFL needs to stop babying these guys and let them play football.

By: freedomispopular

freedomispopular — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 23:40:41 +0000

Master his technique that he’s been taught all his life in high school and college?

By: madisonave99

madisonave99 — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 23:37:08 +0000

The point was excellently made earlier how the game isn’t played on paper. Things happen far too quickly on the actual field of play for perfect tackles to be made. And why should the defenders concede a completion for the sake of making a nice form tackle?? That ruins the competitiveness of the game itself. Big hits are going to happen, incidental h2h contact is also going to happen. Because both happen, doesn’t mean that a player committed a “dirty hit”. when defenders are literally scared to hit receivers for fear of getting fined, that’s how you know you have a problem with the NFL legislative body

By: calvikefan1

calvikefan1 — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 23:29:05 +0000

Coach…….yelling at the cornerback, hey Reynolds ! you missed that #$%#ing tackle and you cost us the game. I’m sorry coach but the only way I could have hit him from that particular angle I might have cracked his ribs and I would have been fined . The new NFLW ( National Football League of Wussies ) !

By: Ralphie

Ralphie — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 23:28:30 +0000

How Merton never suffered some career ending neck injury is beyond me.

“Lead with your neck Merty”

By: coke566

coke566 — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 23:19:12 +0000

When I think of Merton Hanks I think of the chicken dance lol

By: thebizinjax

thebizinjax — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 23:15:09 +0000

He must be talking about the play where Clint Session whiffed on Kenny Britt for the long td. Matt Hasselbeck made that fluke throw that looked like it wasn’t going to make it all the way to Britt, so Clint must’ve pulled off to avoid the fine. A couple years ago that wouldn’t have been a touchdown because the receiver would’ve got smashed by the LB, most likely dropping that pass.

By: jacunn2000

jacunn2000 — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 23:12:05 +0000

Merton Hanks has incredible neck. Is he even human???