2017 Week 13 Sunday and Monday Game Balls

It’s not often that one game has multiple hits that cause for conversation. Both significant in more ways than one. The first one was a tackle that every linebacker makes hundreds of times and gets up no problem, but for Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier it was one of the biggest scares the game of football has gotten in quite some time. Shazier made a routine tackle on Bengals running back Giovani Bernard. Shazier went in and tackled Bernard’s waste and his legs went limp. Shazier knew immediately something was wrong and his legs did not move the entire time from when the medical staff looked at him to when he was carted off the field. This is a scary thing for the game because it was a routine play. Maybe this is just a freaky situation and is a one-time thing, but if Shazier ends up being paralyzed there is a conversation that will happen and rightfully so. I don’t know if there is anything we can do about plays like this and the NFL will be on a crash course with disaster.

The other hit in question is a block from Ju Ju Smith-Schuster on Vontaze Burfict. In the 2007 NFL world this is a monster hit that gets put on montage reel for the world to see. This hit is a football play but the crown of Schuster’s helmet did hit the chin of Burfict. Schuster lead with the shoulder and IF he tucked his head in and just blasted Burfict in the chest there would be no conversation about this hit. Yes, there would probably still have been flags thrown because officials could view that hit as unnecessary, but it wouldn’t have been a hit that would be an example of what not to do. Burfict is a dirty player with a history of cheap shots and dirty hits but he doesn’t deserve retaliation for what he has done in the past. At the end of the day you’re a professional and not a child. Schuster should be suspended for the now normal game (which is disgusting) even though he did lead with the shoulder. The hit from Schuster was almost a good legal hit. It’s comparable to T.J. Watt hit on Brett Hundley on Sunday Night Football a couple weeks back. But, the NFL and football coaches in general need to re-evaluate the way the teach tackling. It should be tucking the head in, square the shoulders, and hit the middle chest area. Hits like this do happen and both of these plays are both football players but they are both conversations starters when people wake up this morning—and also takes away from a good game on the field. We are in a weird vortex for football and honestly; who knows where the game will end up. The only thing we can do now is start the right conversations and start to talk about how we better the game of football as whole; while keeping the health of the players at the type of the list.

Getting to the actual games, there was a bunch of good games that occurred this past week. Starting at the beginning of the day and what a way to start. The Jets got a great win, Jimmy Garoppolo got his first NFL win (thanks to a great late game drive starting at the San Francisco five yard-line), and the Minnesota defense plays the game of the year against that high-powered Atlanta offense IN ATLANTA. Than at the 4PM EST time slot we got the return of Geno “Gone Girl” Smith in a New York football Giants uniform against the Raiders. That return was short lived, but we did get some good football in the Big Easy between the Saints and Panthers. And, if that wasn’t enough we got to witness the Seahawks staying alive while the Eagles had their first real hiccup of the season in the mad house in Seattle. However, as good of a day that that is; it doesn’t have my game ball recipient. That comes in the Jaguar-Colt game. Jacksonville Jaguars Linebacker Paul Posluszny. Posluszny is one of the games premier line backers in the NFL and one of the best people in game with that. He is one of the many players that gets overlooked and what a game for a great player on arguably the best defense in the NFL this season. Posluszny had 10 tackles (four assisted tackles) and a sack and a half. It’s good for him to build on a game like this heading into the playoffs.

Getting to that aforementioned Steelers-Bengals game. The game did showcase Le’Veon Ball and Antonio Brown both getting over 100 yards receiving last night. But, that isn’t as important as Pittsburgh’s kicker Chris Boswell. Boswell scored 11 points and kicked the game winning field goal after the Steelers were down 17 points at points in the second quarter. If the Steelers didn’t have Boswell they would have been blown out on the road in a divisional Monday Night Game. Hopefully we have learned something about football whether it’s the Giants moving on from the Mcadoo era in New York to these two hits last night. There are hundreds of thousands of football fans that want the game of football and we just want a safe game that makes sense. That might be my New Year wish…