Should a RB, including Zeke on Sunday, be called for lowering their head to initiate contact?

[MarcusRock]

First of all, this is supposed to be tackle football, not flag football.

Second of all, where is the flag against the iggles DB for intentionally going low towards Zeke's knees? Is anyone saying Zeke does not have the right to go as low and lower his head and shoulders to make contact with the knees-aiming DB in order for Zeke to be able to save his own knees from a potential career-ending injury???

Lastly, Zeke was still one step away from passing the 1st down marker, so he had no choice but to fight to stay in bounds while going low enough to protect himself from the knees-aiming iggles' DB.

No one's saying he can't get as low as he needs to but why turn back into the guy? ES is right that if he continues straight and lowers himself the exact same way I don't think they throw a flag there.

He also did not "have no choice," and could have stretched towards the sideline to guarantee a first down. Maybe he picks up a 15-yard penalty in the process. You talk about avoiding injury but he got injured on the play doing what he did. Turned out to be the wrong choice on a few levels.

 

[MarcusRock]

No it was a terrible call and he wasn't really leading with the helmet, he was falling down. Third worst call of the game... right behind the Goedert PI and the fumble on the kick off.

Most people don't fall down by changing directions first.

 

[Fritsch_the_cat]

You can argue the point about whether it should have been called since it hasn't been enforced in general but if you actually look at the video, Zeke pretty much targeted that DB to run him over by turning back towards him instead of running straight like he had been or just running out of bounds with the first down. He got himself hurt on the play too so he simply needs to stop doing it. He probably got flagged because it was unnecessary.

He was trying to protect his knees. If they are going to call this then they should make tackling below the waist illegal. Don't go for a guy's legs and he won't have to do what Zeke did. Otherwise a runner just has to give themselves up to potential career ending injury.


I bet this is the only time we see it called since it seems the Cowboys are always on the crappy end of these obscure rules never called before or after.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

Lol, smh

Weren’t folks trying to blame Alvin Kamara for “lowering his head” on that blatant helmet shot by Jaylon?

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

Of course not!!! A RB naturally lowers his head just before contact. A RB will lower his head to protect himself( his knees, etc.) and to get lower than the defender. Low man wins in football. What is a RB suppose to do just before contact, stay high so the defender can get lower and drive him backwards. Also, on the Zek play both players lowered their heads. Zek did not initiate contact anymore than the defender.
Zek was penalized because he ran the other guy over because of his momentum and power. Terrible call!!

they put that rule in place this year.......applies to everyone.....called it a bunch in pre-season....

 

[MarcusRock]

Have you ever ran at someone and got hit? That DB gets a low shot at the legs of Zeke if Zeke continues a straight path. I'm only going to assume Zeke takes the guy head on because that's the best way he can protect his legs with another defender on him as well.

Could be, but why turn into him instead of otherwise just getting out of bounds with the first down?

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

No!

Half the running plays in the league end up just like the one Mr Elliott got called for. Ridiculous.

Go Cowboys!

its a new rule they put in place this year......

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

First of all, this is supposed to be tackle football, not flag football.

Second of all, where is the flag against the iggles DB for intentionally going low towards Zeke's knees? Is anyone saying Zeke does not have the right to go as low and lower his head and shoulders to make contact with the knees-aiming DB in order for Zeke to be able to save his own knees from a potential career-ending injury???

Lastly, Zeke was still one step away from passing the 1st down marker, so he had no choice but to fight to stay in bounds while going low enough to protect himself from the knees-aiming iggles' DB.

Feel free to cite the infraction in the NFL rulebook where a defensive player can’t go low on a ball carrier.

You’re making up rules to feel indignant about.

 

[aikemirv]

People seem to want the NFL to be the UFC on the field where anything goes and you can just beat the crap out of each other and if you get hit in the head 500 times in your career that is the risk of the game.

This is not the UFC and was never meant to be. Football was not designed to go after people heads or lead with your head. Stupid players came up with this for the macho of the sport and laying the big hit. The bigger the hit the better. The helmet got brought in to that falacy of the big hit. The NFL is trying to take it back out for the health of the players. Why is everyone so against that?

 

[Donut]

Loving our new physical team. I'll take a few penalties (at the right time) to fire up the guys. Loved the Jaylon hit although not great timing. We got lucky on that one.

 

[MarcusRock]

Maybe somebody could point to another RB this has been called on..?? I'll wait.

Personally, I think it was a BS call, right up there with the "snap infraction" a few weeks back. Another call where, I'd love for someone to show me the last time that was called.....

We sure have a knack for getting called for the most obscure "penalties", that no other team seems to get called for......

Thats why I'm saying it's totally debateable. I thought I heard the announcers say it was called left and right in preseason but had only been called 9 times during the regular season. Was that accurate?

 

[Moose48]

Lowering your head is one thing, but I believe you got to keep the chin up. Using the crown is what will get you.

 

[Fritsch_the_cat]

Why is everyone so against that?

I don't see where "everyone is against it", we have a beef with how it was called. A runner not wanting his knees blown up is natural. How about blaming the guy who used his helmet to go for Zele's knees?

 

[blueblood70]

it was bad call and these as whole by any runner are hard to officiate because all runners lower their head before being tackled, you will never change that for todays player..they need to not call them unless it looks like a runner was TRYING to initiate more of blow..its tough..id say the last 3 games have had there share of bad or no calls on both sides, ist evened out by games end..

happeing all over the nfl, the big ones are after replays and you know what the call should be and the ref still makes the bad call, that was fumble by lewis and Eagles for sure recovered it, that no call the other night for the FG kick block, thats illegal and yet they changed their minds? hows that? id be here all day going over bad calls or missed calls but the league should be most concerned with the ones still being wrong after Instant replay.. IE the Dez no catch..leave it alone if its borderline but if its blatant how could you not get those right?

 

[superonyx]

Not going to debate the actual play and just piss and moan yet again? And you think I have an M.O.?

As much time as you spend reviewing ref calls you should surely be able to roll of tons of blown calls or missed calls that went against your favorite team....

Come on give us some...

 

[OmerV]

Folks, the OP didn't ask if the penalty against Zeke was a correct call, he asked the more general question of whether lowering the helmet should ever be called on a RB.

To that, my response is that is if a DB is going to get called for leading with his helmet when he initiates contact, I don't know how you can excuse it when a RB does the same. If the determination is that leading with the helmet while initiating contact is dangerous, it has to apply both ways. I don't think that's what Zeke did though - he was going to the ground and was not trying to initiate contact.

 

[tm1119]

People want to blame the NFL, yet ignore the fact that they have been sued for over $500M by players for not protecting them enough. So there’s outrage for the nfl not being safe enough, and then outrage when they try to implement rules to make the game safer. That just can’t be...the game has to change some, just is what it is. Sure, the game was better to watch in the 80’s, but the majority of your favorite players from that era are either crippled or don’t remember what they had for breakfast this morning.

 

[Melonfeud]

He was trying to protect his knees. If they are going to call this then they should make tackling below the waist illegal. Don't go for a guy's legs and he won't have to do what Zeke did. Otherwise a runner just has to give themselves up to potential career ending injury.


I bet this is the only time we see it called since it seems the Cowboys are always on the crappy end of these obscure rules never called before or after.

I wouldn't take that "bet" as long as our team is on the field

* this is the time of the season where one could reasonably expect to see it selectively enforced

 

[ESisback]

Wow...what has the NFL come to that a fan would say this and feel justified?

Yes, the offensive player should just let himself get destroyed by defenders. No more defending yourself. Endanger himself...wow.

Zeke’s my boy, but who showed aggressive intent? He had two ways to go—straight forward or out of bounds. He had the first down, and knowing the way they call these kind of plays these days, it was kind of dumb.

 

[cwbyfn88]

Yes. If we are going to penalize the D for it, then be consistent and do the same to the offense.
I would even go to the length of penalizing the stiff arm where the offensive player pulls the deffensive player down by the face mask.