EJECTION !! The Penalty For 'Targeting' Hits

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VolBraniac

VolBraniac

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About time.

Ejections will be jarring penalty for 'targeting' hits in 2013 » GoVolsXtra

Vanderbilt cornerback Andre Hal was the star of a video clip played on the big screen at the front of the main media ballroom last week at SEC Media Days.

He could have done without the attention.

A decade ago, fans and coaches might have cheered Hal’s vicious hit on South Carolina receiver Justice Cunningham. In 2013, it will earn him an immediate ejection.

Steve Shaw, the SEC’s coordinator of football officials, said an increased emphasis on “targeting” — hits in which a defender launches himself toward a defenseless player and hits him above the shoulders — could have the most dramatic impact on the game in decades.

And yet as the 2013 season approaches, few players, coaches or fans are discussing it.

A few early ejections could change that quickly.
Hal, who heard about his dubious recognition in the video presentation, was contrite. He didn’t intend to hurt anyone, nor did he intend to make contact near the head. In a violent game that requires a mix of speed and recklessness, even well-intentioned players can have a hard time following the rules.

The only solution Hal can think of? “Aim low,” he said. “Don’t aim high.”

The targeting foul hasn’t changed from a year ago, but the definition has been expanded and the penalties enhanced.

“The targeting foul is when a player hits a defenseless player above the shoulders,” Shaw said. “Everybody says helmet-to-helmet, but using an elbow, shoulders or the crown or top of the helmet to deliver a blow, that’s a targeting foul. That hasn’t changed.”

What has changed is the meaning of a “defenseless
player.” The category now includes the punter all the time, not just when he’s coming out of his kicking motion. That means no more free shots on a punter aimlessly jogging down the field. A quarterback is now considered a defenseless player after throwing an interception, meaning defensive players can no longer line up to get free and legal “blocks” on an interception returns.

“That doesn’t mean he can’t be blocked,” Shaw said. “He just can’t be hit above the shoulders.”

A year ago, targeting fouls led to a 15-yard penalty. In 2013, the offending player will also be ejected immediately.

“The penalty mimics our fighting rule,” Shaw said. “If you have a targeting foul that’s committed in the first half of a game, then you’re going to be disqualified for that game. If you have a targeting foul that’s committed in the second half of a game, you’ll be disqualified for that game plus the first half of the next game.”

Not all players are thrilled with the changes.
“They’re basically making us play flag football,” said South Carolina cornerback Dominique Easley.

Although the rules emerge from a growing national discussion about player safety, Easley’s confusion is understandable.

Until recently, ruthless hits were celebrated by fans and coaches. Defensive coordinators preached “flying to the football.” Old-fashioned “form tackles” were seen as quaint.

But at all levels of the sport — from youth leagues to the NFL — concern about concussions and head injuries has prompted a crackdown on using the helmet as a weapon. Officials want to see more defenders wrapping up a ball-carrier, and fewer tackles made by helmet-first launches.

Coaches are trying to get the new message across before the real games start.

When Auburn cornerback Jonathon Mincy was ejected from the team’s spring football game, it prompted a flurry of sarcasm online. How could a player get ejected from a spring game, many wondered? In reality, the officials were simply enforcing the 2013 rules.

But Mincy’s ejection illustrates the challenges of enforcing the rules in real-time. Auburn coaches looked at the play again and again and determined that it was probably illegal, but certainly not dirty.
Mincy hit a receiver with his forearm above the shoulders as the receiver turned to catch a pass. The receiver was a “defenseless player” but replays indicated that Mincy was reaching to break up the pass, not make a knockout hit.

SEC replay officials will review each targeting foul and can overturn an ejection on the spot. (The 15-yard penalty cannot be overturned and will stand no matter what).

But Shaw told the Birmingham News that Mincy’s ejection wouldn’t have been overturned.

“You would have to have indisputable evidence that there was no contact above the shoulders. I watched the TV and school video. It was not indisputable. That one would have stood.”

Shaw knows that these are difficult calls, and that defensive backs won’t be the only ones under extra scrutiny this year. Officials will be on the spot, too.

“There are three components,” Shaw said. “Coaches have to teach head-up tackling. Players have to execute what they’re being taught.

Finally, if the player doesn’t execute it properly, the official has to have the courage to put the marker on the ground. Our expectation is that they will.”
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#2
#2
I'm sure this is well intended, and probably even well needed, but I'm even more sure that the enforcement will be wildly inconsistent and frustrating to fans.
 
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#3
#3
I don't disagree with the intent of this rule, but enforcing it will be tough.

To suggest that Clowney would be ejected for his tackle on the kid from Michigan if it happened this season is nonsense.
 
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#4
#4
i suggest nascar allows drivers to only go 100 mph.

that way, there are no accidents

they should also signal which direction they wish to pass another car.
 
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#6
#6
Janzen Jackson would have been ejected for the hit on the tarheel receiver on that last drive in the Music City Bowl, which I thought was an outstanding play by JJ
 
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#7
#7
Sheik Yerbouti said:
I'm sure this is well intended, and probably even well needed, but I'm even more sure that the enforcement will be wildly inconsistent and frustrating to fans.
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The enforcement will be a work in progress. Ejections will be reviewed by football hierarchy, sporting officials, coaches and the fanbases (public opinion).

Out of these highly critical reviews will come a consensus of what the key elements actually will be that supports the enforcement.

Expect the written as well as the actionable rule(s) to be molded over time.
 
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#10
#10
The ACC head of officials said the Clowney hit in the Outback Bowl would result in an ejection under the new rule. If that's how this rule is going to be enforced, then this is one of the worst rule changes ever.
 
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#13
#13
Lawrence Wright said:
Chances are my hit on Joey Kent 18 years ago would result in an ejection in 2013.
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it just saddens me that not only is this stuff happening, it's happening over a lie.

they don't care about making players safer. they care about lawsuits.

and at the end of the day, players are still going to be seriously injured and the game i love will soon become unrecognizable.

and usually, the results are the opposite of what was intended. i fon't know if there are any hockey fans here, but the game has become more dangerous since they all but eliminated fighting.
 
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#15
#15
I understand the intent but this will be a nightmare to enforce correctly. It may start driving players to hit lower which can be bad as well. If a foot is planted watch out. Lattimore comes to mind.
 
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#17
#17
bamawriter said:
The ACC head of officials said the Clowney hit in the Outback Bowl would result in an ejection under the new rule. If that's how this rule is going to be enforced, then this is one of the worst rule changes ever.
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clowney didn't even have a chance to target that guy. that's how quickly that play happened
 
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#18
#18
i'll make this prediction. i'll bet anything the amount of serious knee injuries for ball carriers goes up significantly.
 
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#19
#19
bUTchLookin4Dimez said:
Let them wear tutus and fairy slippers too. This is getting worse then our government trying to be in our lives too much.
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Grow up.

If someone doesn't step in and do something officially to remove targeting hits to the head, then we are going to have, with no doubt, a player death. DEAD. Right there in front of millions, DEAD. Carting off the corpse.

Kewl, right? :eek:hmy::mf_surrender:
 
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#20
#20
99gator said:
it just saddens me that not only is this stuff happening, it's happening over a lie.

they don't care about making players safer. they care about lawsuits.
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Lawsuits, you bet? Uncaring about the serious potential of death on national television?

No?

You kid. I see it, good one. You kid. :whistling:
 
#21
#21
I am fine with the rule and the punishment. I think most reasonable people are. I also think most reasonable people know that the enforcement will be wildy inconsistent. Very similar to how celebration penalties are called/not called depending on the official....or what school the official went to
 
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#22
#22
VolBraniac said:
Lawsuits, you bet? Uncaring about the serious potential of death on national television?

No?

You kid. I see it, good one. You kid. :whistling:
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just for fun, i'll play along here.

have boxers died in the ring?

have x-games people died doing their feats?

has a baseball player died after being beaned?

do police officers die in the line of duty?

what about military personnel?

have firefighters died fighting fire?

have construction workers ever died on the job?

what about coal miners?

have any skydivers died?

a number of things human beings do are dangerous. the people who participate know the danger when they sign up for it.

i have a feeling more people have died as a result of most of those activities than by playing football.
 
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#23
#23
If the qb is defenseless, he should lay in the fetal position an cry after throwing an interception. And he goes for the ball carrier, someone should take his head off.
 
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#24
#24
volfanhill said:
I am fine with the rule and the punishment. I think most reasonable people are. I also think most reasonable people know that the enforcement will be wildy inconsistent. Very similar to how celebration penalties are called/not called depending on the official....or what school the official went to
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An inconsistently called celebration penalty results in a 15 yard penalty after a TD. THIS improperly called penalty could result in an ejection. Huge difference.
 
#25
#25
The well intentions are there, and I understand what they're saying. But pretty soon we will be watching touch football with no tackling. All the new rules are getting ridiculous. Just like the late hit on the QB rule in the NFL. There were some hits on QB's last year that weren't even close to being late or above the shoulders but yet the refs still called them.
 
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