You can’t hit a defenseless receiver high in the NFL anymore. If Tom Brady had his way, you won’t be able to hit them at all.
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When asked about the injury sustained by Rob Gronkowski in the Patriots’ 30-24 loss to the Broncos on Sunday, the Patriots QB said, per ESPN: "It's obviously a contact sport, guys are going to get hit, [but] I do think they should change some of those rules with those defenseless receivers.
"Quarterbacks get their legs protected. Defensive linemen get their legs protected. Linebackers get their legs protected. I don't see why a defenseless receiver shouldn't get his legs protected as well."
Admittedly, player safety remains top priority in the NFL. The less injuries sustained the better.
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But there’s a fine line in transforming the NFL from this:
Rob Gronkowski's knee was injured on this play. #NEvsDEN https://t.co/cpKJs6qGJB
— NFL (@NFL) November 30, 2015
To this:
Not to say that defenseless receivers shouldn’t be protected, but this is the reality the NFL embraced after a stern emphasis was made to avoid helmet-to-helmet hits.
All these knee injuries in the NFL are because of the rule changes making players have to aim low.
— Ryan Bronson (@RBRONSON24) December 29, 2014
Simply put: players are so fearful of a fine, penalty or suspension, that they’ve resorted to aiming lower. Taking that away would limit an elite-level athlete traveling at unconscionable speeds to a six-inch window for delivering a hit.
A virtual impossibility for the modern athlete in today’s NFL.
At some point the league must decide what's most important: player safety or the integrity of the game?
Because eventually, you can't have both.
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