Broncos @ Bengals Monday Night Cheap Shot

[Mike Simonds]

As I was watching the game with my dad last night, I told him that the offensive lineman could have accomplished his assignment with a block from the side above the waist. He probably could have even knocked his man down because the defensive lineman was looking into the backfield.

Legal yes for NFL, but for NFHS since the ball was already out of the free blocking zone this would have been a foul for an illegal block below the waist.

I had a call similar to this over the past weekend. The blocker cut his man at the ankles from the side but it occurred during a sweep in the open field and the defender was moving his feet at the time of the contact so his cleats were not planted in the turf.

I believe that in close line play the chances for injury are greater because the linemen are planting their feet and because of all the bodies in the free-blocking zone the chances for being cut and rolling over another player increases the risk of serious injury.

Unfortunately, I've called chop block fouls at least 4 or 5 times this season... Seems like players are just too tempted to not avoid these types of contact fouls when a regular legal block above the waist would do just as well.

P.S. Also, because the block was from the side, the defender could not put this hands down on the blocker to help deflect the force of the block. To me this is what made the block a cheap shot, in addition to the fact that the blocker could have accomplished his assignment with a block above the waist.

[Edited by Mike Simonds on Oct 26th, 2004 at 02:52 PM]