Amari Cooper Suffers Hard Hit Against The Seattle Seahawks

e OrimO via Flickr

NFL

Should The Hit On Amari Cooper Have Been A Flag?

Oakland didn’t perform today against the Seattle while in London, England. During the second quarter, quarterback Derek Carr’s short pass to fifth-year wide receiver, Amari Cooper, was incomplete.

After dropping the ball on a crossing route, Seattle Seahawks free safety Bradley McDougald made a huge hit on Cooper knocking him out. No flag was thrown for helmet to helmet, yet Cooper lay on the field unable to move.

The Helmet To Helmet Rule

The new helmet rule was added to the rulebook this past offseason. The rule is explained as “a ball carrier initiating contact with the crown of his helmet in the open field or by a defender while making a tackle.”

Due to this new rule, if you’re called for the violation, it’s a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down. Incidental contact, however, won’t be penalized according to the league. The NFL is trying to avoid concussions; the protection of players has become a top priority over the past few seasons.

Many other rules have been changed over the offseason. Most notably is the roughing the passer penalty. This has caused problems throughout the NFL, especially regarding the consistency of the referees.

Plenty of questionable calls have been called or not been called. The refs have yet to stay consistent, even after clarity by the NFL. For further clarification on the additions to this rule see TSJ’s Football 101 article on it.

Amari Cooper

Cooper is in the fifth year of his NFL career. He played three years at Alabama and recorded 31 touchdowns and almost 3,500 yards. The 2014 SEC offensive player of the year was the fourth pick overall in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Cooper is a two-time Pro Bowler and has almost 3,200 yards and 19 touchdowns in his career with the Raiders. The wide receiver had a breakout season his rookie year with six touchdowns and 1,070 yards.

The Oakland Raiders traveled to London for a “home” game against the Seattle Seahawks this week. Early in the second quarter, on a 2nd and 20, Carr threw a pass to Cooper and before he can bring it to his body to officially become a catch, contact was made by McDougald.

The Questionable Hit

Cooper laid on the field unconscious for a whole minute before being able to move, then many more minutes before getting up and being helped off the field. He was ruled out of the game during halftime with a concussion.

The whole point of changing the rules is to benefit players and keep them safe. The refs in the game did not penalize McDougald for the hit. The rule clearly states that you can’t use the crown of your helmet to make a tackle.

Cooper Was A Defenseless Player

The NFL defines a defenseless receiver as “a receiver attempting to catch a pass who has not had time to clearly become a runner. If the player is capable of avoiding or warding off the impending contact of an opponent, he is no longer a defenseless player.” Cooper, unable to hold onto the ball should be classified as a defenseless receiver.

Certainly, Cooper is unable to avoid or ward off the impact since his eyes are not even on the defender. The refs should have easily called this a foul. In the pre-season, multiple flags were called and suspensions were threatened, but in the regular season hardly any helmet to helmet penalties have been called.

The League Failed To Protect Cooper

This hit is a textbook example of what they are trying to extract from the league. Yet, no flag and definitely no threat of suspension for McDougald. Since a concussion is a serious injury, it is unknown how long Amari Cooper will be sidelined.

Week after week, fans see hits that should be penalized but aren’t. NFL rules are meant to protect players and punish players that cause pain, but they failed this week to protect Cooper.

Photo Credit

Featured Image courtesy of e OrimO

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