Luke Kuechly Ejected

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by hbk314

Considering the way he way ripped off the pile by a Packers player, I can't really fault him for trying to free himself from someone grabbing him from behind.

I'm not sure what you mean by "when the play is over, stop" when he appears to be walking away from the pile and only reacts to the contact initiated by the official.

Here is what I mean. Players all the time do not stop when the play is clearly over and in these piles. And I am sure the official was talking to him as well and it probably was a little more than him grabbing the player. He probably tried to get him to get away. And often these players keep going when they clearly are not any longer in the play or with the ball. High school players know how to stop. College players know how to stop. Get off the pile and get away. Now if the NFL has a problem they will say so. But until then, he could have stopped and got away and I am sure the officials was talking to him. I have no sympathy what so ever for this player.

Peace

[hbk314]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Here is what I mean. Players all the time do not stop when the play is clearly over and in these piles. And I am sure the official was talking to him as well and it probably was a little more than him grabbing the player. He probably tried to get him to get away. And often these players keep going when they clearly are not any longer in the play or with the ball. High school players know how to stop. College players know how to stop. Get off the pile and get away. Now if the NFL has a problem they will say so. But until then, he could have stopped and got away and I am sure the officials was talking to him. I have no sympathy what so ever for this player.

Peace

So because in a lot of cases players behave a certain way, even though this player didn't, you think what happened is acceptable?

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by hbk314

So because in a lot of cases players behave a certain way, even though this player didn't, you think what happened is acceptable?

Players get grabbed all the time by officials in the NFL. Officials all pro levels have an extra ability to break up fights and actions. I have seen that many times before and players stop. He didn't, so you get what you deserve. Sorry, I have no problem with the official and we do not know what he said to him or if it was only about contact. It might have been because he was a tool and his reaction made the official pull the trigger. Again, the NFL will comment if they see it as wrong and I am sure everything that took place was in the report to the league.

Peace

[hbk314]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Players get grabbed all the time by officials in the NFL. Officials all pro levels have an extra ability to break up fights and actions. I have seen that many times before and players stop. He didn't, so you get what you deserve. Sorry, I have no problem with the official and we do not know what he said to him or if it was only about contact. It might have been because he was a tool and his reaction made the official pull the trigger. Again, the NFL will comment if they see it as wrong and I am sure everything that took place was in the report to the league.

Peace

What reaction? He got ripped off the pile and was clearly walking away from the situation. Nothing would have happened if the official hadn't initiated contact with him. Minimal, non-malicious contact in direct response to the official grabbing a player from behind doesn't even warrant a flag, much less an ejection. Very poorly handled.

You should try to be more objective in posts, since you come off as someone who blindly defends officials in the majority of posts I've seen from you. You're defending the official using things that simply didn't happen.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by hbk314

What reaction? He got ripped off the pile and was clearly walking away from the situation. Nothing would have happened if the official hadn't initiated contact with him. Minimal, non-malicious contact in direct response to the official grabbing a player from behind doesn't even warrant a flag, much less an ejection. Very poorly handled.

You should try to be more objective in posts, since you come off as someone who blindly defends officials in the majority of posts I've seen from you. You're defending the official using things that simply didn't happen.

Neither you or I know what was said or what he was ultimately being pulled away for. Now if you think it does not warrant a flag, then when you work your NFL games you will not throw one. That is why we are all different and why they hire some people and others are sitting at home and it has a lot to do with their judgment.

I also really do not care what you think of my opinions of officials. I have seen this kind of action for years and I almost never see a player act the way this player did. If you do not like it, that is your problem. I stand by my position on this and other things I have said. And for the record, this is not HS or college football we are talking about. The standards at the pro level is very different in all sports. You are dealing with adults, not kids or student athletes. You do not like my comments, do not read my posts. You sound like a fanboy that would complain about what the umpire did in Pat-Jets game on Thursday.

Peace

[hbk314]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Neither you or I know what was said or what he was ultimately being pulled away for. Now if you think it does not warrant a flag, then when you work your NFL games you will not throw one. That is why we are all different and why they hire some people and others are sitting at home and it has a lot to do with their judgment.

I also really do not care what you think of my opinions of officials. I have seen this kind of action for years and I almost never see a player act the way this player did. If you do not like it, that is your problem. I stand by my position on this and other things I have said. And for the record, this is not HS or college football we are talking about. The standards at the pro level is very different in all sports. You are dealing with adults, not kids or student athletes. You do not like my comments, do not read my posts. You sound like a fanboy that would complain about what the umpire did in Pat-Jets game on Thursday.

Peace

lol. Now you're dismissing me as a fanboy? I'm the one being objective here. I can't speak to the Pats-Jets game as I didn't watch it. If I thought this was handled properly by the officials, I would say so. I said out loud tonight that the two officials made a great call on the catch that Harbaugh challenged halfway through the second quarter.

I'm more of a baseball guy and am a bigger participant in baseball discussions, usually in defense of umpires against people who don't know/understand the rules. Part of being objective is being able to acknowledge when an official makes an error as well as being able to compliment a particularly good call or bit of situation handling.

In my opinion, the decision to flag and eject Kuechly here was outrageous. He had a natural reaction to being grabbed from behind, and it's debatable whether the official needed to intervene at all. My understanding of the other ejection today was that he swatted at an official's hand who was trying to guide him away from a situation. The way I've read, it seems like that would be a justifiable ejection. But I can't accurately compare the two without having seen both incidents.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by hbk314

lol. Now you're dismissing me as a fanboy? I'm the one being objective here. I can't speak to the Pats-Jets game as I didn't watch it. If I thought this was handled properly by the officials, I would say so. I said out loud tonight that the two officials made a great call on the catch that Harbaugh challenged halfway through the second quarter.

You are sounding like one. Did you know what was said? Did you know if there was more to the penalty than what you saw on the video? I cannot answer that myself and I am not saying what should or should not have happened in this case other than what was seen on the video. I am sure the official had the entire picture and made a judgment.

Originally Posted by hbk314

I'm more of a baseball guy and am a bigger participant in baseball discussions, usually in defense of umpires against people who don't know/understand the rules. Part of being objective is being able to acknowledge when an official makes an error as well as being able to compliment a particularly good call or bit of situation handling.

What is your point? I have to agree with you to be considered objective? And you say that you are a baseball guy, but you must not have read many of my comments about baseball umpires on the baseball side. I have often criticized umpires in MLB for making bad mistakes on routine situations. But no one fires them so they keep making those mistakes without the same level of consequences that most pro guys have to face. And in my opinion on this situation, the official was doing his job and the player did not let it go. Shame on him and he got ejected. Trust me, life will go on.

Originally Posted by hbk314

In my opinion, the decision to flag and eject Kuechly here was outrageous. He had a natural reaction to being grabbed from behind, and it's debatable whether the official needed to intervene at all. My understanding of the other ejection today was that he swatted at an official's hand who was trying to guide him away from a situation. The way I've read, it seems like that would be a justifiable ejection. But I can't accurately compare the two without having seen both incidents.

And it is great that you have an opinion. It is my opinion the player should have acted better and walked away from the situation. And if players act like that all the time, why don't they act that way when their teammates grab them? Something tells me he knew exactly who was grabbing him and thought his actions were going to be ignored. Well he ran into the wrong guy now didn't he. Life is full of lessons and this is one for that player.

Peace

[ajmc]

Originally Posted by hbk314

So because in a lot of cases players behave a certain way, even though this player didn't, you think what happened is acceptable?

Since the game of football began, at every level, something that is KNOWN by EVERY player; hitting an official is like hitting your MOTHER, and doing so causes consequences. There are no excuses, no allowances, it is something that is NEVER, EVER allowed.

On a second note, there is no valid reason to unpile opponents off a pile. If there is a problem with players on the pile, game officials will handle it. When a player CHOOSES to pull opponents ANYWHERE after the play is over, he accepts whatever consequences result. That too is nothing new, and something EVERY player, at every level, should understand.

If a player wants to protect a fellow player, he should buy him a big dog (but the dog won't be allowed on the field either)

[hbk314]

Originally Posted by ajmc

Since the game of football began, at every level, something that is KNOWN by EVERY player; hitting an official is like hitting your MOTHER, and doing so causes consequences. There are no excuses, no allowances, it is something that is NEVER, EVER allowed.

On a second note, there is no valid reason to unpile opponents off a pile. If there is a problem with players on the pile, game officials will handle it. When a player CHOOSES to pull opponents ANYWHERE after the play is over, he accepts whatever consequences result. That too is nothing new, and something EVERY player, at every level, should understand.

If a player wants to protect a fellow player, he should buy him a big dog (but the dog won't be allowed on the field either)

Again, I don't think he hit him.

Also, Kuechly wasn't doing any of that. He got ripped off the pile, got up and was walking away from the situation.

[JRutledge]

I think the overall point you are missing here is it really does not matter if he hit him or not. He was acting like a jackazz and he got caught and did it to the wrong person.

An officiating mentor used to say to me, "You can roll the dice all you want, you just might crap out." He rolled the dice and he was around the wrong person. If that person had been you, he might have been lucky. If it was me, you might have been ejected. Not all officials feel the same about plays and situation and that is never going to change.

Peace

[hbk314]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

I think the overall point you are missing here is it really does not matter if he hit him or not. He was acting like a jackazz and he got caught and did it to the wrong person.

An officiating mentor used to say to me, "You can roll the dice all you want, you just might crap out." He rolled the dice and he was around the wrong person. If that person had been you, he might have been lucky. If it was me, you might have been ejected. Not all officials feel the same about plays and situation and that is never going to change.

Peace

He wasn't acting like a jackass. He was trying to walk away from the situation when he was grabbed from behind from a spot where a couple Packers were also standing. All he did was wrench his arm free. If he'd done anything more than that, I'd agree with you. It's not like he took a blind swing at anyone.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that he didn't do anything other than have a natural reaction to having his arm grabbed from behind. He freed himself and kept on walking away. It was a natural response to contact initiated by the official, completely non-malicious. To eject someone for a reaction like that is ridiculous.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by hbk314

He wasn't acting like a jackass. He was trying to walk away from the situation when he was grabbed from behind from a spot where a couple Packers were also standing. All he did was wrench his arm free. If he'd done anything more than that, I'd agree with you. It's not like he took a blind swing at anyone.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that he didn't do anything other than have a natural reaction to having his arm grabbed from behind. He freed himself and kept on walking away. It was a natural response to contact initiated by the official, completely non-malicious. To eject someone for a reaction like that is ridiculous.

Well that is your opinion and you have a right to hold that opinion. And considering what people think is appropriate is subjective. And when you have an official at that level grabbing you and trying to pull you away from the situation and you still cannot stop, then I have no sympathy for your situation. If he had swung at a player and missed, he would have been ejected as well. So if that is ridiculous to you, because that standard certainly applies at the NCAA and NF(HS) levels. I am sure the NFL has been given guidelines for their players and tell their officials what they are to do in these situations. You can complain all you like, but that is the way it is and unless I hear something else, something tells me this ejection is going to stand or be supported.

Peace

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Here is what I mean. Players all the time do not stop when the play is clearly over and in these piles. And I am sure the official was talking to him as well and it probably was a little more than him grabbing the player. He probably tried to get him to get away. And often these players keep going when they clearly are not any longer in the play or with the ball. High school players know how to stop. College players know how to stop. Get off the pile and get away. Now if the NFL has a problem they will say so. But until then, he could have stopped and got away and I am sure the officials was talking to him. I have no sympathy what so ever for this player.

I dunno about you JRut but when I'm grabbed from behind I don't react well. You can't expect players to "just stop" when they are frustrated. Football is full of this type of reaction -- if the ref wades in there and gets involved he better expect that this might happen.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by AremRed

I dunno about you JRut but when I'm grabbed from behind I don't react well. You can't expect players to "just stop" when they are frustrated. Football is full of this type of reaction -- if the ref wades in there and gets involved he better expect that this might happen.

I dunno about you, but I work football all the time and we grab or touch players so they get off the pile. And we are usually yelling at them to get off the pile or the play is over. Now we do not grab them at my levels like they do at the NFL level, but if a player gets up in the wrong way, they could be subject to the same action, whether it is me the officials or an opponent. Once again, I have no sympathy.

Peace

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by AremRed

I dunno about you JRut but when I'm grabbed from behind I don't react well. You can't expect players to "just stop" when they are frustrated. Football is full of this type of reaction -- if the ref wades in there and gets involved he better expect that this might happen.

And if you don't react well when an official tells you to get off the pile and grabs you... you see the result.