There has already been plenty of discussion about the blow to the head of Bengal's wideout Jordan Shipley delivered by Cleveland's T J Ward this past Sunday. Some people say it was a good hit and some folks disagree. I've been following NFL football, and more specifically, Ohio football at all levels, for well over 30 years and I think that historical perspective is a must to form a correct conclusion on what constitutes a good tackle and more importantly, how to encourage a game that is both entertaining and not unnecessarily creating physical risk for it's players.
Once upon a time, the tackling skills practiced by players at all levels were the very sound techniques that Vince Lombardi surely taught. Get your body in position, arms ready, head up, put your shoulder into the ball carrier roughly at belt level, wrap him up and drive him down. When I think back to when this started to change, Ohio State's Jack Tatum comes to mind as the first defensive back who consciously tried to make more intimidating tackles, using body leverage and speed to deliver a shoulder level blow to a vulnerable receiver. The result is often spectacular and today this very "unfundamental" tackling method is commonplace in the NFL. This style of tacking is also extraordinarily dangerous. A tackler looking to deliver a showtime tackle at shoulder level to an offensive player running at full speed, instead often ends up delivering a blow to the vulnerable player's head. One only need recall the name Darryl Stingley to remember what can happen when this all goes wrong. I think it's clear that the NFL looked the other way on this issue for 30 years, frankly speaking, because this style of hitting puts fans in the seats.
However, over time, as more data have become available about the long term health impact of head injuries, the NFL has had to face this issue. Too many people are getting hurt because the game was not being played safely. The new rules that protect vulnerable players are absolutely necessary. Football is by it's nature a violent game that carries a certain amount of physical risk. It is however unacceptable to deliver violent high speed blows to the head of vulnerable players. Obviously the game is played a very high speed and these kinds of hits can never be completely eliminated. The new rules will however assure that football players use more fundamental tackling methods in the heat of battle, and that will surely reduce concussions and neck injuries.
I think the world of T J Ward as a safety, and an aggresive intimidator on a defense is a must for a winning team, but his hit on Jordan Shipley was wrong, and I expect that the NFL should and will fine him. The great game of football doesn't need it's players to risk being maimed to be great.
