I am sick of the targeting penalties

[keln]

Seriously, this is getting ridiculous. The officials keep calling everything targeting this year. Ejecting a player for a good tackle is NOT targeting, and I have yet to see an obvious targeting called. If a guy flat out leads with the helmet towards another player's head, THAT is targeting. If a guy makes a tackle and his helmet happens to make contact, that is NOT targeting. Tossing guys out of games like this is wrong and the rule needs to be changed. Anyone who has played football knows wearing that giant piece of molded plastic on your head ensures you are going to hit things with it, whether you mean to or not.

The latest example is the BGSU-USA game. The tackle was good, but it was early, so there was definitely a 15 yard penalty for kick-catch inteference. But the tackler lead with his hands, not his head. His head hit after his hands. He got ejected for it. There have been tons of examples this year of bad targeting calls, and enough is enough. Guys are getting kicked out left and right because of this stupid rule.

[mikeytbuckeyes]

Dec 20, 2014 23:38:43 GMT -5 keln said:

Seriously, this is getting ridiculous. The officials keep calling everything targeting this year. Ejecting a player for a good tackle is NOT targeting, and I have yet to see an obvious targeting called. If a guy flat out leads with the helmet towards another player's head, THAT is targeting. If a guy makes a tackle and his helmet happens to make contact, that is NOT targeting. Tossing guys out of games like this is wrong and the rule needs to be changed. Anyone who has played football knows wearing that giant piece of molded plastic on your head ensures you are going to hit things with it, whether you mean to or not.

The latest example is the BGSU-USA game. The tackle was good, but it was early, so there was definitely a 15 yard penalty for kick-catch inteference. But the tackler lead with his hands, not his head. His head hit after his hands. He got ejected for it. There have been tons of examples this year of bad targeting calls, and enough is enough. Guys are getting kicked out left and right because of this stupid rule.

I agree!
Signed - Corey Smith

[Deleted]

The Corey Smith one was just awful. What made it worse is Mike "whoever" (the former ref that analyzes replays for Fox) agreed with the call and said he led with his head. That makes our profession lose more credibility than anything. Video obviously proves the call wrong yet you say it is showing something it is not.

I understand the field ref throwing the flag. If you don't and video shows you should have then you get reprimanded. If you throw the flag and video overturns you then no harm no foul.

In Corey Smith's case it failed miserably

[mikeytbuckeyes]

I agree w/ you Ref. I don't expect the refs on the field to get it right necessarily. Usually it is a "bang, bang" type of play. There simply isn't any way the human eye could see if the player led w/ his head or not. However, the replay official SHOULD get it right. I sat there questioning how much of an "expert" that guy was that Fox sports brought in to talk during the review of the Corey Smith hit. Like you said, Ref, he was talking about something that didn't occur.

[keln]

It's a fair point you make Ref. It's the guys in the booth that are upholding it when you can see that there was no "leading with the crown of the helmet" involved. I mean...kicking a guy out of a game should require indisputable video evidence, not the other way around as with most reviews. If in doubt, just slap on a 15 yard penalty and let the guy continue to play.

[angrybaldman]

Was the Corey Smith one where he led with his shoulder and the helmets hit afterwards? Where Perrera said it was targeting even though everyone said "well he was *trying* to lead with his shoulder"? If you are trying to lead with your shoulder, by default you can't be targeting.

[keln]

Dec 21, 2014 13:25:11 GMT -5 angrybaldman said:

Was the Corey Smith one where he led with his shoulder and the helmets hit afterwards? Where Perrera said it was targeting even though everyone said "well he was *trying* to lead with his shoulder"? If you are trying to lead with your shoulder, by default you can't be targeting.

Yeah that's the one. Actually all of the targeting calls I've seen this year (and I've seen several but not all of them) have been similar. Hands or shoulder first, and then the helmet makes contact.