The Suspension Watch is On

Today could be the Pittsburgh Steelers' James Harrison's last game ever. He said he may not be able to play within the new enforcement of NFL rules that have always existed. Could he hit a Miami Dolphins player hard enough today to not only generate a second large fine, but also a suspension? My guess is he probably won't let up. Hit with your shoulders James and you'll be just fine.

The Arizona Cardinals Adrian Wilson should be ok. I think he's learned his lesson from past hits. Although, I'm sure he was on the list of 10 players the NFL sent to the Cardinals to make sure were in line with the new enforcement. The NFL sent a list of 10 players to every NFL team to make sure they were in compliance with the NFL rules and were especially aware of the new consequences for helmet to helmet hits. The players on the list were those that have had two or more infractions for dangerous hits in the past.

Will we see any let up today?  My guess is no, although if teams like the Steelers lose because of poor tackling, you can be rest assured that the excuses will start to fly.  Some teams always have poor tackling, so I'd better not hear one player use the new enforcement as an excuse.  It will get old and fast.

It will be interesting though to see if any players do make a dangerous hit today and then see how long they get suspended for.  There are some that believe the NFL should give the suspended player a suspension the same length his victim misses games because of the injury.  I'm ok with that, but the NFL had better make sure the hit was definitely illegal before considering suspending a guy for a season if the player he hit goes out for the season.  Also, if that is going to be the case, and the player that got hit say, only misses a half, then only suspend the hitting player for a half, not a full game.  It must go both ways if this is the measure the NFL will take in order to determine the length of suspension.