OT - Was the Clowney hit on Wentz dirty?

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I'm obviously too tightly linked to the Eagles to be objective, but I'm having some debate with buddies today. Local Philly media is losing their shit and national media is picking sides, but I think that's more around creating a debate.

Anyway, here's the hit:


Is it dirty or am I just being a big sissy?

BTW, I know I'm already a big sissy in general, but am I being a big sissy about this hit.
 

msadows

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I'm obviously too tightly linked to the Eagles to be objective, but I'm having some debate with buddies today. Local Philly media is losing their shit and national media is picking sides, but I think that's more around creating a debate.

Anyway, here's the hit:


Is it dirty or am I just being a big sissy?


BTW, I know I'm already a big sissy in general, but am I being a big sissy about this hit.

Yes
 

didshereallysaythat

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I think it was a bit on the dirty side but not blatant.

The dive was fine. You have to try and stop him from getting a first down. But at the last second, he ducks the crown of his helmet into him. That right there should have drawn a flag IMO.
 

Les Grossman

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Honestly, during the game I didn't think so. Having looked at the replay, it definitely appears so. Very unneccessary. Poor Wentz isn't gonna shake the injury-prone thing for awhile.
 

Les Grossman

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I think it was a bit on the dirty side but not blatant.

The dive was fine. You have to try and stop him from getting a first down. But at the last second, he ducks the crown of his helmet into him. That right there should have drawn a flag IMO.
I mean, it's clearly helmet to helmet (and not very incidental, I might add), sooooo it's kinda illegal as well.
 
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JoJoBoxer

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I'm obviously too tightly linked to the Eagles to be objective, but I'm having some debate with buddies today. Local Philly media is losing their shit and national media is picking sides, but I think that's more around creating a debate.

Anyway, here's the hit:


Is it dirty or am I just being a big sissy?

BTW, I know I'm already a big sissy in general, but am I being a big sissy about this hit.
It was a helmet to helmet hit so it was a penalty.

Moreover, he aimed his helmet to hit Wentz' helmet so it was a dirty play.
 

Neckbeard

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The hit looks different in slow mo compared to real-time speed. Probably why it was never flagged.
 

fx1718

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It was a helmet to helmet hit so it was a penalty.

Moreover, he aimed his helmet to hit Wentz' helmet so it was a dirty play.
Per the refs it was deemed accidental helmet to helmet thus not a penalty.


To the OP.. I do not think it was a dirty play.
 

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I can't find a regular speed of the hit,

Here's my take - The league is changing to care about player wellness. That could be a genuine gesture that they care or a reactive move from the ~$1B CTE settlement. Either way they are trying to protect their players better than they have.

When I look at that play Clowney didn't try to wrap up, use his hands and lead with the crown of his helmet. I'd add he put his full body weight to a target (Wentz' head) that's about 1.5 feet off the group.

I'm not disagreeing that Wentz has to do a better job at avoiding these situations. The argument is the way he was lunging, straight legged he wasn't going to break the McDougald tackle and Clowney could have kept his head up throughout the tackle.

Anyway, back to my first point about where the league is trying to protect it's players. Is that the video of a 'legal tackle' that it's showing the refs? Probably not.
 

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Per the refs it was deemed accidental helmet to helmet thus not a penalty.
Here was referee Shawn Smith’s explanation, per a pool report:

"He was a runner and he did not give himself up. We saw incidental helmet contact, and in our judgement, we didn’t rule that to be a foul."

Smith, when asked by a pool reporter, said he had not seen a replay of the play after the game.


My thoughts - So, the ref that provided the explanation never saw the reply, so he has no reason to contradict the call on the field.
 

bamainatlanta

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Yes, it was dirty. Not the first time Clowney has been accused of a dirty play.
 

Wild_x_Card

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I think it was a bit on the dirty side but not blatant.

The dive was fine. You have to try and stop him from getting a first down. But at the last second, he ducks the crown of his helmet into him. That right there should have drawn a flag IMO.

Here's the thing. If you have to slow It down to find wrong doing then the refs would never catch it in real time. That can be said for ANY type of "debatable" penalty.
 

Bears Backer 54

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In slow motion replay, it appears to be dirty due to lowering the crown of the helmet. At live speed, can I fault the referee for missing it, no. At live speed it happened to fast to catch the lowering of the crown detail and the ref was more likely focused on the QB not giving themselves up early enough and trying to determine ball spot that they are not going to see that type of fraction of a second detail in live game speed.
 

ZOMBIE@CTESPN

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It was dirty but when you become a rb expect it.
 

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Yes, it was dirty. Not the first time Clowney has been accused of a dirty play.
For Philly fans in a week 16 game when he was with the Texans Clowney was flagged and fined for a hit on Foles last year. He claims the fine was later rescinded, but I didn't see any confirmation of that.

So, Clowney is our version of Clay Matthews. There's already some fanbase hate going on.
 

Bears4Ever_34

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Of course it was dirty. He lead with the crown of his helmet towards a player who was already on the ground before contact was made.
 

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