The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good - NFL stepping up

The NFL cracking down on hits to the head is essential and it is in the best interest of the players.  The hit made my Brandon Meriweather (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb1CmHk9GK0) on Todd Heap was malicious and deserves at least a one game suspension.  The reality is that NFL athletes are considerably faster, stronger and larger than they were even a decade ago.  It's simple physics and the NFL is wise to start cracking down on these types of cheap shots immediately.

The Bad - James Harrison

James Harrison is a tremendous football player who plays the game the way it's supposed to be played.  I had no problem with either of his hits on the weekend.  It was his post-fine comments I didn't like.  Threatening to retire because of frustration is the equivalent of a five year old throwing a temper tantrum after being grounded.  He had every right to be upset, but don't make stupid, empty threats about retiring and then on-top of it, miss practice because you're 'mulling it over'.  That's a slap in the face to your teammates, especially considering Harrison returned to practice today and all seems to be forgotten.  If you believe he was actually considering retirement you may have been hit one too many times by Brandon Meriweather.

The Ugly - The Fines

Should the NFL crackdown on hits to the head? Absolutely.  Should Brandon Meriweather been fined and potentially suspended? Absolutely.  What one word can describe Dunta Robinson's fine? Ugly.  On Sunday, Kevin Kolb threw a pass to DeSean Jackson on a crossing route and Robinson hit him at full speed knocking both players to the ground (each suffered a concussion).  Robinson did nothing wrong.  He led with his shoulder and really had no other option if he wanted to stop Jackson.  Had he gone low, Jackson might be out for the year with a devastating knee injury.  In this case the NFL overreacted.  The would've been better off suspending Kolb for throwing a suicide pass.