Niners Alex Boone Kicked In Face By Cardinals Alameda Ta’amu
By Scott Allen
Oct 13, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers center Jonathan Goodwin (59) during the fourth quarter in a game against the Arizona Cardinals at Candlestick Park. San Francisco 49ers won 32-20. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports
I never condone actions like the one Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Alameda Ta’amu took on Sunday afternoon, kicking San Francisco 49’ers offensive lineman Alex Boone in the face as he was getting up from the ground. However after knowing the previous actions of Boone prior to that play, it is understandable why Ta’amu would appear to intentionally go to such extremes.
Ta’amu stuck his foot inside the facemask of Boone and then Boone went to the sideline to cry about it. Funny thing is, he wasn’t off to the sideline worrying about himself when he was taking a swipe at Ta’amu prior to the kick in the face. He also had a personal foul on Cards safety Tyrann Mathieu later in the game. Yeah, Boone isn’t so innocent.
My feeling is if you think you are a big enough man to dole it out, you should be able to be man enough to take it too. This isn’t just about Boone but everyone who cries and screams anytime something happens to them. Not many are innocent. Not in the NFL. It’s always the second guy that will get caught. It’s amazing how the first action is almost never caught. If Boone maybe took the time to realize he had it coming, he wouldn’t need to be calmed down by his teammates on the sidelines. Suck it up Boone.
This doesn’t of course exonerate Ta’amu either though. He needs to be smarter than the guy before him. He needs to know when a player is trying to instigate something. If he punches you, if he kicks you, whatever, be smart. Beat him during the play, not between them.