I'm not ever gonna say a word in defense of a player hurting/hitting illegally any Packer player, BUT, face it, at some point, the shoe will be on the other foot. A Packer player will inadvertently/carelessly/maybe even intentionally lead with the head.
I did an experiment this morning - testing a theory - that leading with the head is the more natural movement, and turning the head to the side or raising the chin/bending the back of the neck to hit with the face mask is an unnatural act. I dug out my old blocking dummy from 20 years ago when I coached kids football; I set it up - on a nice soft mattress to save my poor old body, and tried comparatively bending the neck sideways to hit left shoulder first - effect: I landed hard on my right arm and if not for the soft mattress, might have injured my right (off-side) shoulder or collar bone. Plus, it felt damn weird that way. I then tried head on, neck bent back/face making first contact. THAT hurt! Even though the dummy was not planted or held at all, there was stress on the back of my neck - similar to whiplash - to the extent that it was more than a little bit painful. I then did it the way probably we all were taught, the old-fashioned/now illegal and shunned way. I launched myself head and shoulder together first - as much as a 66 year old can launch hahahaha, and no problem at all. Not yet satisfied, I had my wife hold the dummy as we used to do in football practice, and I launched - still no ill effects.
Granted, I did not go head into a hard helmet. I'm sure that would run the risk - RISK, not sure thing - of injury.
Conclusion: Forcing unorthodox or unnatural positions could cause more harm than the good done by encouraging alternatives to leading with the head. I can really see how somebody tackling in what seems to be the instinctive/natural way could meet a runner lowering his head - as we were all also taught to do - and bang, there is helmet to helmet contact.
All these guys can afford fines, but you get into suspensions, and I would like to see proof or strong evidence that the guy was head-hunting - intentionally acting to injure.
Originally Posted by: texaspackerbacker