The Packers' Hit On Justin Fields Last Sunday Further Proves My Take That The NFL Should Ban Sliding
Here we go again. Another quarterback sliding and almost having his head decapitated. I blogged just last year how absoultely asanine stupid it is that sliding is allowed and the hit Justin Fields took on Sunday vs the Packers is exactly why I am 10000000000% right.
Imagine thinking an adrenaline pumped athelete moving 20+ mph towards oncoming defenders going the opposite direction - IDK let's say 10-15mph - can somehow know at what point it's not too late for any defender to stop their inertia in its tracks. I mean, is this where those standardized questions about the train from Boise going 110 km and the one from Kansas City going 80 finally comes into play in real life?
Imagine then thinking it's a good idea to allow said athlete to drop the height of his head to where his torso was which just so happens to be the only place a defender would otherwise be allowed to hit him. Now imagine that no one who blogs/talks/pods about sports knows this but you. That's the Twilight Zone I'm currently in. My Truman Show. My Upside Down. I can't be the only one that thinks this.
Let's chat about the specific hit on Fields from last Sunday.
I'll preface by saying I'm a Bears fan and although I'll ride with whatever Poles does with this #1 draft pick I favor the likely kings ransom over Caleb Williams. Fair to say, I'm a Justin Fields guy overall. But here's the thing...
THIS DUDE DOES NOT HAVE A CLUE WHEN TO SLIDE!
Two things can be true at once here. Everyone clammoring about how it's not fair that Fields never gets these calls other quarterbacks get is absolutely correct. I'm not here to tell anyone their wrong about that imbalance. Dear God we've seen calls on lineman in full "hands up don't shoot (the flag)" motion on quarterback hits.
But the fact of the matter is Justin Fields slides way too late. Just like most quarterbacks. It just seems more egregous with Fields. I hold my breath like a scared parent every grass stain his cheeks paint. You gotta think his speed has a lot to do with why. It's hard to time up when to slide when you wear rockets like Justin wears that in turn makes defenders have to commit to tackling earlier than they might otherwise for a slower plodding quarterback. I feel like that's what's really going on here not only for Fields but any mobile quarterback.
One other thing. Anyone that thinks these defenders are targeting on purpose can go put a tin foil hat on. You're telling me all of these defenders are trying to get penalized and fined just to get a cheap shot that everyone can see clear as day? OK Eddie Bravo. Using slow motion replays to claim these hits are intentful is a joke. Like DBs are suppossed to be Neo. In a post-Pacman/Burfict world there just aren't any of these boogeyman DBs in today's game.
Baning the slide fixes all of this. Not just for Fields, but any quarterback. Keep in mind this was a rule was put in place in 1985. A period of time when fat guys chasing down the hot dog vendor in the stands were faster than quarterbacks on the scramble. Don't give them the false security that sliding makes anything safer. It doesn't. Make these quarterback brace for a hit like any other position. If he doesn't want to take the hit - here's an idea - then don't run. But you can't make a quarterback a de facto ref who gets full control in deciding when is just enough time for a defender to hold up. Allowing sliding is beyond idiotic and ironically dangerous. It does the exact thing it espouses to prevent.
