Photo: Al Bello
Former NFL players like Chad Ochocinco and Tom Brady have recently made comments about the prevalence of penalties called on defensive players for illegal tackling and Doug thinks they are way off base. The biggest issue is still leading with the helmet, or “spearing,” and that isn’t something that is ever taught at the lower levels in the first place, and it’s more for the protection of the tackler than the ball carrier. Complaining about rules that make the game safer for everyone just doesn’t make sense.
Doug Gottlieb: “It’s not that you couldn’t blow up a guy when he wasn’t looking (that’s changed), it’s that you can never blow up a guy now leading with your helmet. And it’s not ‘cause it’s dangerous to him; it’s dangerous to you, you idiots! That’s how you get paralyzed you dumbasses!”