The way the NFL is right now, in about two years it is going to become flag football. It seems every hard hit results in a flag as well as a fine and suspension. While, player safety should be the top priority, some hits are just unavoidable. Ed Reed hits hard. He is not a guy who is known for dirty hits, but instead he is a guy who goes where ever the ball is. If this was twenty years ago, he would be praised for his aggressiveness on the field. In today’s game, he is suspended for a game.
While he did receive the suspension as part of a “three strike” deal, none of those hits were particularly excessive. Throwing a flag, that is expected, but to suspend him? Yes, it was a helmet to helmet hit, but it was not a bad tackle. A suspension may be a little much. He did not knock the guy out or give him a late hit. It was just a good play made by a very good player. While, everyone knows the chances of him getting the suspension overruled, I think he is right in trying to challenge it. It seems defenses are going to have to start playing differently in order to avoid their best tacklers having to miss games.
