Aug 1, 2013; Cortland, NY, USA; New York Jets tight end Kellen Winslow (81) during training camp at SUNY Cortland. Mandatory Credit: William Perlman/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports
Ever since the NFL began punishing players for targeting the head of opponents, defenders have dropped their target area and begun hitting ball carriers low. As a result, the likelihood of knee and ankle injuries has been on the rise and that has left offensive players unhappy with how they are being hit.
It was just recently that Houston Texans safety D.J. Swearinger ended Miami Dolphins tight end Dustin Keller’s season with a low hit that destroyed his knee, and Winslow isn’t happy seeing his fellow offensive players subject to those kid of hits because of the NFL’s rules.
According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, Winslow is just the latest player to want the NFL to protect players from low hits.
“It’s just the way he was hit . . . he’s defenseless,” Winslow said. “I’ve been thinking about that [type of] hit for years. The guy’s defenseless . . . and the [defender] is knifing in at his knees. That’s not cool. That hit should be illegal. . . . You shouldn’t be knifing in at a guy’s knees when they’re not able to protect themselves.”
Of course, if another hit was outlawed, defenders would have a very small area to target.
NFL rules have already made it harder for the defensive players to succeed, so another rule would just upset players on that side of the ball even more. Whether or not they like it, the players and NFL will need to accept that injuries are just part of the game.
