Ummmmmmmmm...back before the current sissified state of the NFL, Hines Ward was just a regular football player. How far back does your football watching go?? Try popping in a tape of a typical NFL game from the 70s (perhaps the Oilers, Steelers. Raiders, Dolphins, Bears). Hines Ward fits right in with football as it SHOULD be played. Mean Joe Green, Larry Czonka, Dick Butkus, Ray Nitsche, Jack Tatum, Ronnie Lott, Donnie Shell, Deacon Jones..........not a single one of them could play the game as it's devolved today. Pathetic commentary, ain't it?? The greatest legends of the game would be fined and suspended out of their careers.Players today are too damn soft and stupid to expect a WR to block like a LB, that's their problem. As far as I remember, that's part of the JOB description. Or it USED to be. If it takes a broken jaw to remind folks to keep their heads on a swivel (a perfectly LEGAL play BTW), then so be it. As for Ben, I agree. He's going to be a cripple at 40 if the Steelers don't get some big uglies in front of him. But then, his improvisational skills and escapability make him what he is.
well, i'd venture to say the raiders played dirty even when more was allowed, lol. i agree, the hit he put on rivers last year that broke his jaw was fair, just unfortunate. today's players are, i venture to say again, probably bigger, stronger and faster and as a result more dangerous on average (not to mean tougher!). i mean, you picked out the elite players of way back when, hall of fame guys, players who bucked the trend in any era. were we having this discussion back in the 70's, someone would say the say thing about it being all sissified with helmets not made out of leather and such. sissified or not, the rules are the rules, and by those rules hines ward is considered a dirty player even by his peers. sour grapes on their part? maybe, maybe not. watching him he seems to take some cheap shots, if you ask me, then turn around and smile at the camera as if he's done nothing wrong. one thing that's become more sissified is the treatment of the QBs. you practically can't invade his aura without it being a penalty unless you nab him flat-out.
I hear you Scatter. You are supposed to keep your head on a swivel and as long as its a legal hit, its part of the game. Thats why these guys play this game, for the big hits (or used to anyway). Its why I also love Portis, even when he doesn't have the ball, he'll knock your a** flat (LB's included) if you're not looking out. It a violent game, its also part of the culture of Football.
Unfortunately I'm a Lions fan. They are like the Raiders where ownership is one of their biggest problems. Look how long it took for them to fire Millen. Even this year with the #1 pick, there is no clear choice as to who should be #1. Thank goodness for the Wings as I'm a bigger hockey fan and it's not because they win. I've attended games since '84.BK
well, i'd venture to say the raiders played dirty even when more was allowed, lol. i agree, the hit he put on rivers last year that broke his jaw was fair, just unfortunate. But that's precisely the sort of hit that got him the rep. He plays till the whistle, and he prefers to lay you out rather than tap you if you're in position to make a play. Makes folks think twice. To me, dirty is illegal. Not brutal. Brutal is football.today's players are, i venture to say again, probably bigger, stronger and faster and as a result more dangerous on average (not to mean tougher!). i mean, you picked out the elite players of way back when, hall of fame guys, players who bucked the trend in any era. were we having this discussion back in the 70's, someone would say the say thing about it being all sissified with helmets not made out of leather and such. I see your point...........but the guys getting hit are bigger, better equipped, and more athletic too. Better equipped to TAKE the punishment. I'm all for safety, but by nature the game is brutal. They know it going in. I'm not happy with the fabric of the game being changed though.sissified or not, the rules are the rules, and by those rules hines ward is considered a dirty player even by his peers. sour grapes on their part? maybe, maybe not. watching him he seems to take some cheap shots, if you ask me, then turn around and smile at the camera as if he's done nothing wrong. This year Hines was fined for being (and I quote the NFL precisely here,)"Too rough." TOO ROUGH?? LOL!!one thing that's become more sissified is the treatment of the QBs. you practically can't invade his aura without it being a penalty unless you nab him flat-out. LOL!! Yup, I agree. Can't hit above the chest or from the knee down, and have to stop in mid-air lest contact is made a millisecond after the ball is gone. PLEEEEEEEEEEZE!!
I am a Miami dolphins fan. I have been since the day they played their first game way back in the AFL. I have never been in Florida but I liked the team. Griese, Czonka, Kiick, Warfield that plus Don Shula as coach was the team. The undefeated 72' team. I live in Maine so it is not easy up here. Most folks are Patriots fans and I haven't liked them since the snow plow game. Even to this day the Patriots always have a controversy about them i.e. Spygate. I have been loyal through thick and thin and a couple of years ago it was very thin. With only 1 win and a bad coach, when they hired Parcells to turn things around, he delivered and maybe, just maybe Super Bowl bound this year.
