Earlier today, Ryan Wilson pointed out that NFL head of officiating, Mike Pereira, did the unthinkable and came to the defense of a safety for knocking the proverbial snot out of a receiver. Shocking, I know. Right after I read about it I looked out my window and saw two pigs flying across the sky, as it rained skittles on the blue grass. I'll be honest, when I saw Ryan Clark run through Wes Welker on Sunday, I figured the flag was the right call, mainly because I didn't know the exact rule on leveling a defenseless receiver. I was also trying to make a guess as to how big the fine would be, because it seemed like an inevitability that Clark would be receiving "the envelope" on Friday morning. Of course, Pereira set the record straight, and confirmed that it was indeed a legal play.
Following the game, Clark made mention that he attempted to track down Welker to assure him that he wasn't trying to play dirty. Today, Welker spoke for the first time since the game, and said that, as of now, Clark has not been in touch with him, nor does Welker expect him to because, well, it's football. From Patriots beat writer Mike Reiss' blog at the Boston Globe:
No. I mean, I don't really expect him to. It's a football play. It is what it is. No sense in crying or whining about it. You just have to keep on moving on and get ready for the next week.Take note, Terrell Suggs, that's how you react to getting hit in a football game.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-03-2008 @ 2:10PM
stilliz said...
so there you go, hope to see Wes next week.
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12-04-2008 @ 5:14PM
welker fan said...
#1 welker did get smoked,...my opinion was da ball was behind him but he did get smoked
#2 pansy?? a lil man taking a hit like dat and all he had to say was "its football,..expect it"...he couldve b***hed and complain bout the hit,..but he aint no pansy which brings us to ............
#3 goin cross da middle makes him pansy??? well he in da top 3 in catches from goin cross da middle,..top 5 in yards from goin cross da middle,..td's,,.well thats a different story!! lol!!
moss doesnt go cross the middle and labeled as a player who scared to get hit and takes plays off,..he's one of my fav...give da lil man a break,..he just a squirel trynna get a nut!!!!!!
12-03-2008 @ 4:21PM
Bernie said...
+1 cool points for Wes Welker
I am a Steelers fan and I think that Welker is doing a stand up thing here. Look, maybe Clark could have hit him a little easier but I honestly don't think there was any malice in the hit, he was just trying to make it so the guy didn't catch the ball.
Welker not making a big deal out of it is a classy move.
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12-03-2008 @ 7:28PM
ed said...
while welker is classy for not making a big deal of the hit (what else is he going to say?), he still is a pansy lil' slot receiver who lives by going across the middle.
if you're going across, then you need to get leveled. you defend the middle by scaring WR from going across.
in the indy game, welker had 7 catches, which is a very good # of receptions. but he had 37 yards. hmmm, that seems like the definition of candy-a$$.
so kudos for welker taking it like a man.
coal-in-the-stocking for running pansy routes.
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12-04-2008 @ 9:19AM
Laura said...
Don't like the plays he makes?? Funny...I've watched other teams play the same route. So I guess all football players are pansies!
Stop being so jealous and grow up
12-05-2008 @ 10:24AM
Mike said...
wow you should stop watching football and you should probly never talk again on here if you think that any WR going across the middle is a pansy. I would dare you say that to any NFL players face they would laugh and probly walk away from you dumbass. Id like to see you go across the middle all th time and take hits from big guys like Ray Lewis. Your a nut guy and you serioulsy dont deserve the right to talk on this again. That was the dumbest comment iv ever read. The guys that go deep and make the long plays get all the credit while Welker is going across the middle making the tough catches knowing hes going to get hit, and hes one of the smallest WR in the league. Dang guy what were you thinking while posting that comment?
12-03-2008 @ 8:21PM
Vik said...
You can't run those patterns across the middle and expect not to get hit. Nobody cried when Santonio Holmes took a shot when we played the Bengals.
And I think it's a reasonable tactic to hit a receiver hard when he tries that stuff, and to make him think twice before going underneath. Left unintimidated, he'll eat up short yardage underneath all day long.
Clean hit, reasonable tactic. Nobody should have anything to complain about.
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12-03-2008 @ 10:07PM
sg said...
In response to lk's post, you should never hit helmet to helmet, you should never 'spear' a player, nor should you tackle by the facemask, there is however no rule against how hard you hit. Every football player realizes this from the day they start playing. When defensive players start "pulling back" the offensive players will be there waiting to clean their clocks. When players hold back is when injuries occur. Football is Football, but don't worry, soccer season is just around the corner... or so I hear.
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12-04-2008 @ 11:45AM
ed said...
"there is however no rule against how hard you hit."
don't forget that there is a rule against how hard you hit the skirts (qb's). lamarr was fined "$10,000 for sacking Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell in an intimidating manner."
that one still cracks me up. you do have to let up when hitting the qb's, but you are right about the guys going over the middle.
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12-09-2008 @ 9:36AM
gustafson7482 said...
First of all a guy has to be half nuts to go across the middle. Guys who earn their money get my respect. Ya you do have to set a physical tone if guys are coming across the middle. BUT, leaving your feat, putting your head down on a pass that was not going to be caught is how to hurt guys. That was totally cheap and classless. Looked like a Bertuzzi shot. All the petty fines that get handed out, and this crap-bag gets a pass!
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