The New York Jets have had a rough enough season, have they not? What did Gang Green do to tick off the football gods so much?
Second-year running back Breece Hall is still on a rookie contract, is one of the most electrifying players in the NFL when he’s full-go, and has been thanklessly pounding away behind a patchwork offensive line all year long.
…And how is Breece repaid for his hard work, admirable effort to return to the field and continuing to play for a team that’s the equivalent of a sinking ship? Getting fined a stupid amount of money for, you know, something that was the fault of the defensive player trying to tackle him.
Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell did take a brutal helmet-to-helmet hit, yet he’s the one at fault here for the result of this collision. You can clearly see Hall contort his body before impact in reaction to the pathetic, poor-form tackle attempt Terrell makes. Hall is trying to lower his shoulder while running full-speed on a 3rd and long, doing all he can to pick up the first down. Terrell whips his body to the side right as Hall approaches him. Bang-bang play.
…And this is a $43,709 fine?? Running backs have short shelf lives as is. Hall already has a major injury he’s come back from. Does the NFL really think he’s trying to go helmet-to-helmet with somebody on purpose? It’s just flat-out stupid.
Be better, Roger Goodell. Every hardcore enforcement of NFL rules always feels over-reactionary. Tom Brady wasn’t lying when he said he sees a lot of mediocrity in today’s NFL. Brady’s larger point was about how certain rules changes and emphasis on player safety have actually caused coaching to regress in some ways, and allowed more bad habits and lazy techniques to seep into the sport. TEXTBOOK case here with A.J. Terrell.
Sucks to be Breece Hall in this situation. Again, what the hell do you want him to do!? OK let’s end this on a positive note: Terrell is a good player overall, so even if he made a bad tackling effort, he gets paid predominantly to be a lockdown cover corner anyway. Good news, too: He cleared concussion protocol.
