There's nothing technical about the hit being legal. It was legal. End of story. Stop making excuses and trying to create a gray area.
Originally Posted by: Zero2Cool
Grey doesn’t play well in the sound-bite world like back-white does.
Here’s the rule, by its very nature it is about 90% grey:
“Article 8 There shall be no unnecessary roughness. This shall include,
but will not be limited to: (a)-(j) [Stuff that Babre didn’t do]…
Note: If in doubt about a roughness call or potentially dangerous tactics, the covering official(s) should always call unnecessary roughness.”
And by Article 9 Clay was deemed to be defenseless.
If it’s deemed the force of Babre’s hit was unnecessary or was dangerous; then it was illegal and a flag should have been thrown and he'll get a fine or a reprimand from NFL
But the topic was “cheap shot” not legal/illegal. I don’t think a guy that accidentally grabs a face mask is committing a “cheap shot” though it’s illegal. If Babre announces he was trying put Clay out of the game, HE WILL BE FINED. I believe Babre was trying to injure Clay [and BTW, Clay was trying to injure R. Wilson, but he deserved it😂] I think the hit was a dangerous tactic and I think he could have easily accomplished his assignment using less force,so it was unnecessary. And like Chuck Cecil, Babre stupidly exposed himself to a greater risk of injury.
So, I say it was both illegal and a cheap shot [because an illegal hit was made on a defenseless player], plus stupid.
If football is to survive past 2040 or so, this type of hitting must stop. Each player needs to police his own behavior and deliver hits only in necessary measure and NEVER to injure another.