Apparently, in the NFL it is now taboo for defenders to hit the opposing QB high or low. In last night’s game between Dallas and New York, a Giants defensive lineman, stumbling after being blocked from behind, lunged at Tony Romo, caught him around the knees, brought him down, and was flagged by an official for an illegal hit. It was preposterous. During the pre-game show, analysts Rodney Harrison and Tony Dungy commented after watching videotape of a player flagged twice for head-hunting hits. They speculated that defenders will now be going low, which may cause severe, career-threatening knee injuries. What then? Will the league ban both high and low hits on all ball-carriers? The desire to reduce injuries is understandable, but how far will it be taken before it becomes absurd? In my mind, it’s already there. The difficulty of legislating injuries out of the game was manifested during a play last night when two Giants defenders went helmet to helmet while trying to make a tackle. Both were stunned and play had to be halted until they were able to leave the field. The head sticks out from the body. It is often the first part that makes contact. Have injuries been reduced since these safety measures have been put in place? What are the statistics? Football is violent. That is its nature. I’ve always respected and enjoyed hard, clean play. Seeing players penalized for what I consider good hits has taken a lot of enjoyment from the game. Fortunately for the NFL, fans tolerate it. Pro football is as popular as ever. Old friends will find this hard to believe, but I find reruns of Law & Order and Seinfeld more satisfying than sports, especially modern football.
It was a a perfect day for golf, cool and dry. Surprisingly, there weren't many people on the course. Unfortunately, we caught up to a foursome that was in no hurry. Still, we finished in 3:45, much better than usual. I didn't even work up a sweat. I continued the above-average play I've enjoyed the past five weeks, and did not experience any rustiness from not having played Labor Day. My last four scores have been 86, 90, 87 and 87, due largely to a steady short game. I did not have a three-putt until 18. The highlight of the round was a 15-foot birdie putt on the par three 7th. Cuz continues to struggle, although he showed signs of breaking out of his funk on the back nine. He is suffering his longest ever bad stretch.
Vic's 4th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
Vic’s Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
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