NFL owners rewrote the rule on using the crown of the helmet Leonard Floyd Jersey , making it a 15-yard penalty to initiate any hit with it.
Rich McKay, chairman of the competition committee, called it ”a significant change,” noting that it was a ”technique too dangerous for the player doing it and the player being hit.”
McKay said the tackle made by the Steelers‘ Ryan Shazier last season that resulted in the linebacker suffering a spinal injury – Shazier underwent spinal stabilization surgery two days later – was not the impetus for the change. But it was an example of what needs to be eliminated from the game.
”This one technique, we saw so many hits when a player lowered his head and delivered a hit and either hurt himself or the player he was hitting,” McKay said. ”It was time for a change of this magnitude.”
The owners did not call for an ejection on such a play – at least not yet. In college football, when a player is penalized for targeting and a replay review affirms it, he is ejected.
Disqualifying players for these hits will be discussed in the future, McKay said, and that would involve replay reviews. He added that the coaches were ”most vociferous” about wanting these hits out of the game.
”I am very pleased to see the overwhelming support of the coaches, general managers and owners that we want to make the game safer,” said Dr. Allen Sills, the league’s chief medical officer. ”This is what change that could be made immediately that could impact this technique.”
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2:35 p.m.
Texans coach Bill O’Brien is confident that J.J. Watt and Deshaun Watson will have successful comebacks from major injuries.
Watt, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year Nickell Robey-Coleman Jersey , missed all but five games with a broken left leg. Watson was a rookie sensation until he tore up his right knee in practice in midseason.
Houston has little chance of being a serious contender in the AFC South without them; it went 4-12 last season.
”J.J.’s doing really well. J.J. has a great attitude,” O’Brien said Tuesday at the NFL meetings. ”He’s a very, very positive guy. He’s been in a great mood the whole offseason about where he’s at. Obviously working very hard. Just like I’ve always said about J.J., I would just tell you that watching him and seeing him in the building every day, I would never bet against J.J. Watt.
”J.J. is a generational player in this league and he’ll be back. He’s going to be back and he’ll be back to full strength and I just watch the way he is, that’s why I feel so good about him. He’s very positive about where he’s at. He knows exactly what he needs to do to get back.”
O’Brien is hoping Watson will be available for limited work later this spring.
”I know he’s ahead of schedule. He’s been in there every day, working hard. I believe that he feels real good about where he is right now and then we’ll just take it one day at a time during the (nine-week) offseason program. … The first two weeks, you’re not really doing anything on the field. The next three weeks, you can do a little bit on the field and then the last four weeks is where you’ve really got to see, because that’s when you’re practicing, which is OTAs with no pads on.
”Maybe he would be able to do some things there. But we’re not in a rush on that, but I do think there’s going to be some things he can do throwing-wise, probably not in team drills, but maybe he can do some seven on seven Ian Thomas Jersey , some of our passing drills to continue to work on the timing with the receivers, especially.”
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1:50 p.m.
Rams coach Sean McVay confirms that newly signed Ndamukong Suh will play nose tackle in defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ 3-4 system.
Los Angeles signed Suh to a one-year deal Monday. The five-time Pro Bowl pick joins three-time All-Pro Aaron Donald – the 2017 Defensive Player of the Year – along a fearsome front line.
”The one thing you feel so good about Aaron Donald is he said, `Hey the guy’s a great football player. If he can help us win, let’s get him on board,”’ McVay said. ”The mutual respect that exists between those two players was imperative and really paramount to even pursue this in the first place.”
The 31-year-old Suh has never played in a 3-4 alignment during his NFL career and is likely to face fewer double teams as a pass rusher while lining up next to Donald.
The Rams have revamped their defense since losing to Atlanta in the NFC wild-card game. They also added cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters.
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12:45 p.m.
NFL owners approved rules changes defining what is a catch on Tuesday, hoping to eliminate much of the controversy and confusion that plagued the league in recent years.
In simplifying the language of the rule, as recommended by the competition committee, the new standards require three elements:
-having control of the ball;
-getting two feet down or another body part;
-making a football move, such as taking a third step or extending the ball.
The committee cited overturned receptions by tight ends Jesse James of the Steelers and Zach Miller of the Bears last season, and went back to similar negated catches by Dez Bryant of the Cowboys and Calvin Johnson of the Lions in previous seasons.
Also approved was making permanent spotting the ball at the 25-yard line after a touchback on a kickoff; Matt Carpenter had a hunch a fastball was coming. When the pitch arrived, he delivered.
Carpenter hit a tiebreaking solo homer with two out in the ninth, helping the St. Louis Cardinals edge the Philadelphia Phillies 7-6 on Tuesday night.
Carpenter also had a tying two-run double in St. Louis’ four-run seventh. Tommy Pham homered and singled for the Cardinals, and Kolten Wong also went deep.
Odubel Herrera and Carlos Santana connected for the Phillies.
Seranthony Dominguez (1-1) struck out the first two batters in the ninth and had Carpenter in a 0-2 hole. But Carpenter lined the next pitch, a 98-mph fastball Micah Hyde Jersey , over the wall in right to extend his homer streak to three games.
Carpenter noticed Dominguez shake off catcher Jorge Alfaro just before the 0-2 pitch and believed the right-hander wanted to throw a fastball.
”I wouldn’t say I sold out for it, but I was ready for it,” he said.
A hard-throwing rookie, Dominguez began his career by tossing 15 2/3 scoreless innings and entered with 27 strikeouts and a 1.27 ERA in 21 1/3 innings.
”You have to step in the box ready to go,” Carpenter said.
Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said Dominguez’s pace actually helped Carpenter.
”You’ve got a guy with that live of an arm, you just need to get the barrel to it,” Matheny said. ”It was a nice swing path.”
The Cardinals trailed 4-2 before rallying against Vince Velasquez and Tommy Hunter.
Velasquez got the first out of the seventh before a single and hit batsman brought manager Gabe Kapler to the mound. Hunter got pinch-hitter Greg Garcia to line out to left before Carpenter doubled, Pham singled and Jose Martinez made it 6-4 with another two-run double.
The Phillies tied it in the eighth on Rhys Hoskins‘ two-run double. Austin Gomber started the inning, but was lifted for Jordan Hicks (3-1) with two out and runners on first and second. Three of Hicks’ four pitches to Hoskins were fastballs that registered at least 100 mph, but the slugger drove the final 101-mph heater into the gap in right-center.
Hicks pitched a perfect ninth, striking out two, to secure the victory.
”Frustrating game to lose, obviously,” Kapler said.
The Phillies opened the scoring with Santana’s RBI groundout in the first. Pham extended his career-best hitting streak to 13 games with a two-out homer to deep left in the third Ryan Grant Jersey , tying it at 1.
Herrera continued his hot hitting against St. Louis by driving the first pitch he saw in the third, a 79-mph curveball, into the seats in right for a 2-1 Phillies lead.
Cesar Hernandez’s bases-loaded walk in the fourth made it 3-1, but Philadelphia wasted a chance for more when Luke Weaver got Hoskins to pop out to shortstop before fanning Herrera to leave the bases full.
BAD BREAK
The Phillies also lost infielder J.P. Crawford for four to six weeks when he was hit by a Weaver pitch in the fourth, fracturing his left hand.
”It’s really tough,” Kapler said. ”I feel for him the man. I feel for him the player.”
ROAD RAKING
Carpenter has hits in 12 straight road games and is batting .412 with six homers and 11 RBIs over that streak.
FOR STARTERS
The Cardinals’ rally took Weaver off the hook. Weaver was in line for his fifth straight loss when he left after permitting four runs and six hits in five innings.
Velasquez was charged with four runs and four hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out eight and walked three.
CRAZY ABOUT CARDS
Herrera is batting .360 with five homers and 21 RBIs in 25 career games against the Cardinals.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cardinals: RHP Matt Bowman (blister right hand) was placed on the 10-day disabled list and replaced by RHP Greg Holland. Holland pitched a perfect seventh with a pair of strikeouts.
Phillies: OF Nick Williams suffered a broken nose in the field on Monday night, and Kapler said after Tuesday’s game that Williams would go through concussion protocol on Wednesday before getting clearance to play.
UP NEXT
Cardinals RHP Michael Wacha (8-2, 3.24 ERA) will oppose Phillies RHP Jake Arrieta (5-5, 3.33 ERA) in the series finale Wednesday afternoon. Wacha had his career-best eight-game winning streak snapped in a 13-5 loss to the Cubs in his last start. Arrieta will try to help the Phillies win their first series over St. Louis since August 24, 2014.
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30.08.2018 09:02
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