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Arizona Cardinals News: Will the NFL Punish Adrian Wilson for His Hit on Matt Hasselbeck?

I think it's safe to say that there aren't any Adrian Wilson jersey's hanging in Roger Goodell's office and it's probably equally safe to say that A-dub isn't Goodell's biggest fan either. The two men might talk this week though as there's already speculation that Wilson's hit on Matt Hasselbeck will lead to a fine or even a possible suspension. HasselbeckAdrian_wilson8_medium sure thought that the hit was questionable considering that he got up and told Wilson:

"Good hit but be expecting something in the mail."

Wilson's got a history of penalties and fines for unecessary roughness, including a fine earlier this year for a hit on Bills' QB Trent Edwards, and we all know how much Goodell is trying to crack down on hits on the quarterback. So does hit hit on Matt Hasselbeck warrent a fine or suspension? Darren Urban certainly doesn't think so:

If Adrian Wilson gets any punishment for his sack of Matt Hasselbeck, it will be an injustice based on what I saw watching the replay tonight. I watched it over and over (at least six or seven), including slow motion a couple. I never saw helmet-to-helmet contact. Hasselbeck ducked down just as Wilson was arriving on the play, which to me was the only reason Wilson was anywhere near Hasselbeck's head. Wilson ended up hitting Hasselbeck in the head with his arms as he went to wrap but again, it was because Hasselbeck ducked.

Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt addressed the possibility of punishment in his press conference this morning and he made it pretty clear that Adrian made a conscious effort to do what the NFL asked him to  do  (not lead with the helmet and cradle the QB to the ground). He went on to say that the team will appeal any punishment that was levied against Wilson.

"I read where Matt Hasselbeck thought there should be some fines involved," Whisenhunt said. "I have looked at it from the coaches tape, I have looked at it from (a tape from) our broadcast department, which has an excellent view of it, and with all due respect to Matt, and he is a good quarterback, I don’t see it……I know (Hasselbeck) hasn’t played in a while and he hasn’t been hit in a while, so maybe that was a little magnified to him. Maybe the speed of the game, he wasn’t used to it. … Ultimately, neither Matt nor I have a say. Adrian did exactly what the league asked him to do (after Edwards hit). He didn’t lead with his head, he tried to cradle the quarterback coming done. I don’t see any way there should be ramifications from that."

After re-watching the hit a couple of times, I've got to agree. I don't see how Wilson could have tackled Hasselbeck without touching his helmet. He clearly ducked his head before Wilson hit him and it's not like Wilson launched himself into Hasselbeck or threw him to the ground.

Not that it should matter, but the NFL always seems to consider the health of the player who took the hit and it's possible that Hasselbeck was showing signs of a concussion after the game. He reportedly threw up after the game and seemed disoriented (the two biggest signs of a concussion) in the post game press conference.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Wilson is arguably the most crucial member of the defense and this week is without a doubt the toughest game of the season. They'll need his ability to come down in the box and help out against the Giants power running game. So the question to you is simple, I think we can all agree that A-dub shouldn't get punished but will he? And if you think he will be punished, how severe will it be, fine or suspension?

Quick Update: Here are some sound bites of what Coach Whisenhunt had to say about Wilson's hit on Hasselbeck and what he had to say about Hasselbeck's remarks.  As always, thanks to KTAR for the great audio.

Poll
What do you think the NFL do to Adrian Wilson?
He'll get suspended for a game.
2 votes
He'll get fined but not suspended.
7 votes
Neither, even Goodell can tell that the hit was clean.
26 votes

35 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs  |  Comment 30 comments |

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Comments

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I don't even need a replay.

There was nothing to justice or warrant any kind of action. BS

by badmatty53 on Nov 17, 2008 3:09 PM MST reply actions   0 recs

Here’s a link showing a slow mo of the sack. He lead with, but only brushed him with his helmet. He tried to cradle the QB with his arms. Most importantly he did not land on the QB with all his weight, which is what busted him against the Bills.

http://www.azcardinals.com/video_archive/flash_standalone.php?PRKey=697

by AJ BirdWatcher on Nov 17, 2008 3:24 PM MST reply actions   0 recs

Football players have to remain football players

When a player is ducking/juking an approaching tackler, the tackler isn’t in any position to alter their trajectory to avoid “questionable” contact. Hasselbeck ducked into the hit, so Wilson getting punished for doing his job well is a shame if it comes to reality.

As “Primetime” said last night on the NFLN, the way that defenders are getting fined for hits on QBs, QBs should be required to wear skirts. For once, I agree with Deion.

We all leave footprints in the sands of time, just watch out for the discarded fish hooks!

by Hawkwind on Nov 17, 2008 3:51 PM MST reply actions   0 recs

Bull snot man!

The pussification of the NFL. This is so weak, what happened to society.

This just in, the Super Bowl halftime show this year will include both teams circling up on the fifty yard line and start a drum circle. They have also declared there will be no winner or loser’s anymore, because really, we’re all winner’s right???

Who would win in a fight, Whisenhunt, or God?
Daaaaaaaaaa Cards, Da Cards Da Cards Da Cards Da Cards!!!

by boogatt66 on Nov 17, 2008 3:59 PM MST reply actions   0 recs

I bet those girls over at the Sea Gulls website...

are having a hayday with this over their espresso’s.

Who would win in a fight, Whisenhunt, or God?
Daaaaaaaaaa Cards, Da Cards Da Cards Da Cards Da Cards!!!

by boogatt66 on Nov 17, 2008 4:01 PM MST up reply actions   0 recs

to their credit

I asked what they thought about the hit and they three people responded that they didn’t even remember a questionable hit. It must be getting less play in Seattle than it’s getting down here.

by cgolden on Nov 18, 2008 5:52 AM MST up reply actions   0 recs

Pretty much the general concensus that I've heard...

is Hasslehoff was just being a puss. They reported on the local news that he even apologized for his remarks to AW during and after the game.

Who would win in a fight, Whisenhunt, or God?
Daaaaaaaaaa Cards, Da Cards Da Cards Da Cards Da Cards!!!

by boogatt66 on Nov 18, 2008 8:27 AM MST up reply actions   0 recs

LMAO, drum circle

Pretty sure Roger Goodell is my son’s pricipal.

by badmatty53 on Nov 17, 2008 4:18 PM MST up reply actions   0 recs

Half the QBs in the league are banged up at the moment..

..the NFL has to try to stop the bleeding. The quarterbacks are the media darlings and generally the most recognizable faces to the fans. Think of how quickly the Cards season could become unglued if Warner gets caught in the wrong position at the wrong time. Tom Brady, Carson Palmer, Hasselbeck, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers and a few others are, or have been, hobbled this season and it’s barely half over.

by robert ethan on Nov 17, 2008 10:42 PM MST reply actions   0 recs

Kyle Orton! Don't forget the "Keep Rex Out of the Huddle" Chance Card the Bears like to keep playing in NFL Monopoly

On another note, anyone catch Matt Hasselbeck’s apology to the Cardinals? Is there a sound-byte of that floating around on the net?

Honestly though, I’m tired of the double-standard that QBs are getting. Sure, losing a QB can be a set-back if you’re a bloody moron GM like they have in Dallas, Green Bay, Detroit, Seattle, etc., and do not have a capable back-up on the roster. If you are, well, tough shit. Work the streets and see if Jeff George will play for you. There are dozens of RBs, WRs, TEs that take far more brutal hits on the field and the NFL doesn’t make the same level of whiney stink about that. Let’s play football and reserve the fines for the morons that take two steps to throw a forearm into a QBs throat, or blow up a defenseless WR after the ball has already gone past and hit the turf. Those are worthy of fines. Tackles that Adrian Wilson are known for should be highlight material, not Judge Judy material.

In today’s NFL, half of the NFL rosters of pre-Carter America would be waiting out multi-year suspensions. Hell, Ronnie Lott would be in leg irons. ::grumble, grumble:: LAME!

We all leave footprints in the sands of time, just watch out for the discarded fish hooks!

by Hawkwind on Nov 17, 2008 11:17 PM MST up reply actions   0 recs

+1, beat me to the punch on the apology thing...

Sir, stop being noodnick!

Who would win in a fight, Whisenhunt, or God?
Daaaaaaaaaa Cards, Da Cards Da Cards Da Cards Da Cards!!!

by boogatt66 on Nov 18, 2008 8:29 AM MST up reply actions   0 recs

You're sounding awfully smug..

..want to go back a year and a half to the good old days with Matt Leinart behind center? Another couple years of “give him time, he’ll grow into the job”? Plus Matt hasn’t exactly been Brett Favre in terms of durability, either.

One aspect of the NFL’s policy, I’m sure, is the retribuiton concern. If your QB is knocked out by a division rival on a questionable hit, the next time you play that team the defense is going to be headhunting the other QB. It will be like the NHL when a goon takes a cheap shot at a star player. The other team doesn’t usually waste time beating on the goon’s head for too long, they turn around and run the other team’s star.

by robert ethan on Nov 18, 2008 1:35 PM MST up reply actions   0 recs

that's simply the nature of the game

If you want to eliminate the possibility of your ‘premier’ players getting hurt then put a flag on them and we’ll all play touch football. Football is a violent sport, if you want to play football without violence, I’m sure there are a million intramural, flag football teams out there that would love to have Brady, Manning, Hasselbeck or Palmer.

Go play intramurals brother!!!

by cgolden on Nov 18, 2008 5:59 AM MST up reply actions   0 recs

Actually I don't think it is out of the question..

..that a rule eventually is put in place that a QB can be “downed” just by putting both hands on him when he is in the backfeild. Other offensive players take big hits, but as a rule they aren’t backpedaling while looking somewhere else, stretched out with one leg planted on the ground and their arm above their heads, when they take the hit. As a rule they are built a lot differently as well. There is considerable difference in the vulnerability factor when you compare a 5-10, 220 pound running back going forward in a crouched position to a 6-4, 220 pound QB moving backwards all stretched out. Also, it is a lot easier to replace the running back, lots of the top runners in the league this year are rookies, including a few late round picks and undrafted free agents. Starting quarterbacks as a rule are top draft picks and require a few years to mature.

by robert ethan on Nov 18, 2008 1:21 PM MST up reply actions   0 recs

I certainly hope not

If there was ever a ‘downed’ rule, the NFL would lose alot of fans, myself included. They’d be the joke of professional sports.

by cgolden on Nov 18, 2008 1:39 PM MST up reply actions   0 recs

Smug, smug? Downed rule? Really? Wait wait wait... Really?

You Sir have just earned the “Golden Douche” award! Will you be attending the drum circle at half time?

Oh, and uh, by the way, I think we are all in agreement if a hit is questionable there should be repercussions for it. Anyone who watched that game however would clearly see that it was a clean hit and Hasslehoff was just being a little girl.

FYI: The above, definitely smug:-)

Who would win in a fight, Whisenhunt, or God?
Daaaaaaaaaa Cards, Da Cards Da Cards Da Cards Da Cards!!!

by boogatt66 on Nov 18, 2008 1:52 PM MST up reply actions   0 recs

Are you actually advocating this implimentation???????

Maybe we should all hold hands and sing cumbia during half time.

by badmatty53 on Nov 18, 2008 1:54 PM MST up reply actions   0 recs

LOL, cyber superheros...

..at least the guys in the “drum circle” are outdoors and getting some exercise. Which probably means they could kick your asses if it came down to it.

by robert ethan on Nov 18, 2008 1:58 PM MST up reply actions   0 recs

Seriously, how did you get to this?

Football involves contact, always has. How do we suddenly come to be “cyber superheros” for stating the obvious." Take another look at the film its a pretty standard hit.

by badmatty53 on Nov 18, 2008 2:42 PM MST up reply actions   0 recs

I'm looking at it from the league's p.o.v...

The REALITY of the situation is that most of the top QBs in the league are either out of action, hobbled in some fashion, or returning from injury. The further reality is that the QBs are the poster boys of the league.

Except for hard core fans, the big storylines of the featured games revolve around Tom Brady and his fashion model looks, Tony Romo and his love life, Brett Favre and his tribulations and redemption, Kurt Warner and his born again faith and career, Brady Quinn or Matt Leinart as the next Tom Brady, whiz kids like Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco…..Sports are part of the entertainment industry, and the league has to protect it’s most in demand entertainers.

by robert ethan on Nov 18, 2008 3:18 PM MST up reply actions   0 recs

Harldy consider hacky sack and ultimate frisby legitimate excercise

Who would win in a fight, Whisenhunt, or God?
Daaaaaaaaaa Cards, Da Cards Da Cards Da Cards Da Cards!!!

by boogatt66 on Nov 18, 2008 2:48 PM MST up reply actions   0 recs

So that makes you....a cyber villian?! Or cyber troll?

We all leave footprints in the sands of time, just watch out for the discarded fish hooks!

by Hawkwind on Nov 18, 2008 4:15 PM MST up reply actions   0 recs

Just someone who has no use for..

..message board machismo. It’s way too easy.

by robert ethan on Nov 18, 2008 4:42 PM MST up reply actions   0 recs

I doubt it's as much a case of "machismo" but rather "repulsion"...

…and even shock at the possibility of “two-hand touch” becoming a recourse for protecting NFL QBs.

We all leave footprints in the sands of time, just watch out for the discarded fish hooks!

by Hawkwind on Nov 18, 2008 4:49 PM MST up reply actions   0 recs

Hippies, yeah right. Eck... Hippppieeessss!

CG, you have about a class 5 hippy infestation here, but don’t worry, I have a plan.

Cartman: Hello, ma’am. I’m working to clean up the neighborhood from parasites. Do you mind if I take a quick look around your house? I’m afraid you may have hippies.
Elderly Woman: Hippies?
Cartman: [walks in and begins to rap the walls with his fist] Yeah, they’ve been poppin’ up all over the neighborhood lately. Ms. Nelson next door had seven hippies in her basement; they usually live in colonies. [raps on the wall and the pitch changes] Hm, I don’t like the sound of that. Could I take a look in your attic?
 [The attic. He opens the door and looks in. He gets out a flashlight, turns it on, and looks around again. He stops after a few seconds.]
Cartman: Oh yeah, boy. Take a look at this, ma’am. [she climbs up until her eyes are level with his] See that? Hippies. [five hippies are sitting in a clearing in the attic, smoking and laughing.]
Elderly Woman: Oh my.
Cartman: These are what we call the uh giggling stoners. Pretty common form of hippie, usually found in the attics. Problem is, if you see one hippie, there’s probably a whole lot more you’re not seein’. Uh, whe-where’s the backyard.
 [The backyard. The elderly lady opens the door and Cartman walks out onto the back porch]
Cartman: Yep, that’s what I thought. See that? You’ve got a drum circle in your backyard. [eight hippies are seen seated around a small cmapfire drumming away. Logs are scattered around them]
Elderly Woman: Oh, well they showed up a few days ago, but I didn’t think they were hurting anything.
Cartman: Yeah. You know, I had a guy in Jackson county. He had a little drum circle in his backyard. It turned into a drum circle four miles in diameter. You get a few hippies playing drums and next thing you know, you got yourself a colony.
Elderly Woman: Oh dear.

Who would win in a fight, Whisenhunt, or God?
Daaaaaaaaaa Cards, Da Cards Da Cards Da Cards Da Cards!!!

by boogatt66 on Nov 18, 2008 2:09 PM MST reply actions   0 recs

What's next, Peruvian Pan Flute bands joining the drum circle? Lame.

I suspect the catalyst for the needing to protect the QBs more-so than other positions isn’t some underlining need for the NFL to protect their poster children. People watch football because it’s a team sport and root for a team. The NFL hasn’t degraded into the NBA…yet. More likely it’s owners who invest ungodly amounts of money into the QBs and hate to see their money wasted when the QB is not dressing or even worse sitting at home on IR.

We all leave footprints in the sands of time, just watch out for the discarded fish hooks!

by Hawkwind on Nov 18, 2008 4:14 PM MST up reply actions   0 recs

Probably a combination of things..

..the QBs are generally not the most awesome physical specimans, they are placed in a vulnerable position on almost every play, they cost a lot to draft and develop, and if they can’t play it probably impacts the team more than any other position. Not only that but half of them are on 100 million dollar long term deals at the moment.

However you slice it, the game and the fans suffer when they aren’t around to earn their money. Something has to be done to protect them or you end up with a league full of JaMarcus Russells running the offense. Any QB under 6-5 and 260 pounds ends up in the CFL. Can you imagine Johnny Unitas or Bart Starr surviving in today’s game? They would have a hard time getting a college ticket, much less a starting job in the NFL. Even Joe Montana would have a tough time, I think.

by robert ethan on Nov 18, 2008 4:55 PM MST up reply actions   0 recs

+1,000,000

Who would win in a fight, Whisenhunt, or God?
Daaaaaaaaaa Cards, Da Cards Da Cards Da Cards Da Cards!!!

by boogatt66 on Nov 18, 2008 4:59 PM MST up reply actions   0 recs

Hawk nailed it!

Who would win in a fight, Whisenhunt, or God?
Daaaaaaaaaa Cards, Da Cards Da Cards Da Cards Da Cards!!!

by boogatt66 on Nov 18, 2008 6:50 PM MST up reply actions   0 recs

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