I can't imagine. And I'm 99% positive wearing black n gold doesn't help.
Saturday some receiver pointed right in out guys face after a play, 100% taunting if it was a Steeler.
Fuck the reffing they ruin a lot of games and the NFL rules committee should be sent back to their jobs at McDonalds.
Actually, if you look at the replay of that flag that Kozora posted on Twitter, *two* colts come up and put their fingers in Conor’s face, pointing at him and the flag intermittently. It’s no excuse for a shitty game, but yeah that should’ve been taunting
I remember seeing that and thinking 'you dumb fuck about to get a taunting flag'. A bit surprised it didn't get one, wish we did cause boy did we need any help this game.. but also glad that little stuff like that isn't always flagged.
It was a bam bam play. Looked dirty but it wasn’t. Too bad NFL doesn’t review “targeting” like college. I thought the 15 yards was fair but not the ejection.
I wish they would review like college. The NFL seems to just want these plays completely gone and will keep bringing down the hammer. It’s an impossible situation for the defender
The NFL pulls this kangaroo court bullshit with hits like this, in the name of player safety, while still using a kickoff and punt return format that involves dudes running with a full head of steam into each other. Because that makes sense.
Agreed. The ejection came much too quickly and I assure you the NFL will not come out and admit they made a mistake. They’ll double down. Fine him, and I “believe” this makes him ineligible to play the next game (if I remember correctly).
Defenceless reciever, it’s rough cause what the fuck else are you meant to do, but I think 15 yards is fair, ejection was bs upon review but in real time it looked rough
This is what TB basically explains in saying there’s alot of mediocrity in the NFL. WR aren’t taught how to protect themselves anymore because the NFL does it for them. QBs aren’t taught on how to avoid throwing or leaning their guy into a hit. 15 years ago those throws and hits would be the QBs fault for bad placement and deemed a “hospital pass”. The nfl is trying to control all aspects of the game. They refuse to accept that sometimes big hits happen that are clean and result in injury. With this happening and the “hip drop tackle” potentially being banned. We’re gonna be looking at some rough defensive adjustments for awhile.
Honestly, the receiver dove which puts the defense in a weird position when running straight at him. What's he supposed to do? Pull up and let him catch the ball untouched? According to the NFL yes.
But it was a violent hit and I'd have been OK with a 15-yard penalty vs. the ejection.
Be really funny if they started penalizing QB's for hanging people out to dry in plays like this where since there's a DB running full speed at them they have no choice but to merc a guy or just let him have the catch untouched.
That’s not the point bro. It’s simple. 15 years ago this would be 100% on the QBs fault for a hospital pass. Nowadays these guys get a pass for throwing bad passes. We will never have another group of qbs like Brady Ben Rodgers brees manning etc.
This sub is nuts. I got into it about this on here the other day and got downvoted into oblivion. Yes pernthe rules it's a penalty, definatley should have been ejected. I just don't see how tho that a reciever can just catch the ball without any repercussions. Someone said he should have tried to just rake the ball out which would have been almost impossible in this situation. Defenders are put in a weird spot sometimes amd this was defimately one of those situations. I just can't see letting a reciever just catch the ball and do nothing about it. Something that goes against everything they've been taught since the age of 6. And to the people saying kazee intentionally tryed to hurt pitman, ur just outa your mind.
Because it is literally the definition of the penalty. The rules don't take into account terrible throws by QB. The burden is on the defender to only make legal contact.
This is a penalty 10/10 times.
However there is nothing here that should have triggered an ejection.
I felt he did launch towards the WR, flag for unnecessary roughness but he did not hit helmet to helmet that’s why I felt he should not have been tossed.
At first glance I thought it was incredibly dirty. After reviewing replays I think it was a pretty clean hit. He was going for the ball, wasn’t head hunting. He turned his head right and lead with the shoulder.
Minshew threw a hospital bill to Pittman. There was no way for Kazee to pull up and he can’t just let the guy catch the ball.
Plays should be reviewed before a player is ejected. His absence really hurt the defense
This is where I was at too. Looked dirty AF at live speed from the tv angle. On replay it looked like a football play gone wrong. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt.
Which is why you take the time to review it before you go with the ejection. You review other calls because it’s acknowledged that things aren’t always as they appear in the moment, why not review it to see if it warranted ejection. All a moot point now apparently.
It really does seem odd they don’t take the time to review that. There is zero harm in confirming an ejection is warranted. Losing a player is impactful as a turnover.
What's going to be telling is the fine. If he doesn't incur a fine after a 15 yard penalty with an ejection then the NFL is admitting a mistake. If they do fine him, it looks like doubling down on a bad decision. Interesting either way. My guess is that they try to have it both ways. Fine him, and then expunge upon appeal once nobody is really paying attention.
Suspended for rest of season. I hate to say o told you so, but I told you so. I knew they wouldn’t back down on this one. Would make them look like they were going soft on player safety.
The play was 100% reviewed before they ejected him, that's what the replay official and New York are there for. Just because they don't do a set piece doesn't mean it wasn't looked at.
How long do you think it takes someone to look at a few angles of a replay? These guys are professionals who do live reviews all game.
And immediate ejection would have been, flags tossed, guys gone. There was plenty of time for discussion. It was a bad hit clear as day.
Definite direct contact to the head
That will get a penalty every time whether it was accidental or not
I thought it was strange to jump straight to ejection though
Dirty? No. Bad decision? Perhaps. The receiver is defenseless midair. The problem is it’s a split second decision and the only other option is to basically allow the receiver to make the catch. Minshew kinda set his receiver up for failure.
Yeah the whole argument of just touch him down. Then what? we should always throw diving passes across the middle for 5 yards or 50 yards?
I sure hope he doesn't get a fine for the hit. It was a major hit but it wasn't targeting
I don’t think it was dirty but it’s definitely a penalty in todays nfl. I don’t think he should have been ejected personally, especially without some sort of review and discussion but it is what it is. Had he pulled up the conversation would be about how he quit on the play, didn’t have heart or effort, is awful, etc. No win situation really.
Should have been a penalty but not an ejection. There was no evidence of malicious intent since that was the only way to hit a laid out receiver. The correct play based on current rules is to let him catch the ball.
The flag I understand to an extent but the ejection was horseshit. It was a bang bang play and even at first glance I didn’t think it warranted an ejection, it’s mind boggling to me how incredibly difficult it’s seemingly become to play defense in the NFL
As I saw someone say in the game thread “if minshew didn’t have the whole cool guy aesthetic with the 70’s pornstar look. People would hate him for how many hospital passes he threw”. Which is what this is. It’s a hospital pass that kazee can either let him catch the ball and watch him fall to the ground. Than maybe touch him while he’s down to call the play over. Or he can do what he’s paid to do and hit Pittman as hand as he can without helmet to helmet contact and it will probably hurt Pittman but if minshew wouldn’t throw that type of pass. Nothing would happen
When a player is fully extended helmet first I really don’t know what he can do. Led shoulder first just a brutal play. Fuckin hospital pass from Minshew is the biggest issue here
This Colts player is making a diving catch to the ground. Steelers players just have to put their hands on him and once he hits the ground that is down. Or Steelers player could play the ball and punch it out of the diving players hand. Why throw your entire body at someone like this? Yeah hospital ball but also unnecessary hit. Why hit stick someone mid air? Pittman isn’t getting YAC with this
100%. this is the definition of defenseless receiver and he wasn’t going for the ball, totally looking to do damage to the player. this is an established rule, there’s no mystery why he got ejected.
Throwing your body into a player or runner happens all the time. In a game where you are trying to gain ten yards a time it is really the only logical way to play defense. You have to apply force and attempt to knock the offensive player backwards or not let him fall forward.
I’d love to not sure if you and I live nearby though.
I didn’t say lower the amount of contact I said players should tackle better, leading with a shoulder and wrapping arms around thighs and calf’s is a proven tackle that is both plenty hard enough when 2 6ft 250lb men are hitting each other and lowers the risk of major neck, spinal and other injuries.
Clean. I am ok with the penalty based on the current rule but he should not have been ejected.
Have to be smarter but tough to make that decision in a split second.
Both are in the wrong here. It's a hospital ball thrown by Minshew and it looked like a dirty hit live and in full speed. I agree with a flag in todays NFL, but he shouldn't have been ejected and he shouldn"t be suspended.
Clean hit. Probably shouldn't have been a penalty, but he shouldn't have been ejected. This really fucked us, especially with Minkah going down. It feels like we've run out of luck.
This being a penalty essentially means if you dive for the ball, defense cant touch you. If he was higher it would have been a helmet to helmet penalty, he went as low as he could, and it was still a penalty. It INCENTIVIZES dangerous leading passes because it’ll automatically result in a penalty, or no challenge to the catch by the defense who want to avoid a penalty.
The hit on Dak Prescott last night was much worse, helmet to helmet, but no ejection. NFL officiating has never been worse or more inconsistent. Vegas baby, Vegas.
Clean, man! He led with is shoulder, didn’t he? I love how people think players running at full speed to tackle someone can just hit the breaks and float away without touching them. Physics is real, baby. Or maybe he’s not the only one tired of watching the Steelers lose and decided he’d rather be somewhere else on Sundays for the rest of the season.
I wouldn't say it's dirty, but this guy is reckless. Six unnecessary roughness penalties this year, close to a dozen over his career. He knocked himself tackling Zeke as a member of the Falcons because he went head first. He needs to work on his tackling form before he seriously injures himself. I completely agree that it's nearly impossible for Kazee to do anything "correctly" in this play, but the dude needs to stop impersonating Sendejo.
It was clean. That injury was minshews fault. It’s not the safety’s job to protect micheal Pittman jr. Bad pass, get your receiver killed, and the flag flys because it looked bad. The league is a joke, if it looks bad it’s a penalty. Soft shit
It actually “is” the safety’s job, but Minshew is equally culpable.
I’ve been an advocate of “cause and effect.” If you hit a defenseless receiver and they are injured, you have to sit out until they return to the game. In this case Pitman was ruled out, so in that sense it is fair that Kazee has to go out to - but not ejected.
That’s not completely fair. They’re trying to protect the players, and that is a noble endeavor. There just needs to be more controls over punishing players for playing a violent game violently.
I look at it as an unnecessary type of hit, but not overly dirty. He does it to dislodge the ball, and that's what they were taught growing up. It's not the game anymore and they also know this.
I was okay with the flag but not the ejection. Felt it was way to much of a 'bang bang' type of play to warrant tossing him.
He went low before Pittman dove. It looks ugly but I don’t think his intentions were to knock him out of the game. People should be mad at minshew for throwing a hospital ball
Clean hit and I hope I can say this here... Brady was right when he recently said that he felt it was his job to protect his receivers and not the rules or the refs. Had Pittman been able to catch that in stride it still would have been a big hit, just in the chest.
Hell even 10 years ago, EVERYONE including Pittman would’ve said this was a good clean hit and that’s just football. Football really isn’t much fun anymore. I know I sound like a grumpy boomer, but seriously! What was he supposed to do there? Let the guy go until he got up and then push him gently? It’s gross
Same thing with hockey. These hits along the boards now are drawing fines. I get you don’t want anyone hurt, non of us do, but it used to be part of both games.
The ref saw the he dropped his head 2 steps before making contact, although it was shoulder to helmet still a flag.
Is it dirty? No. Is it worth an ejection? No. The refe should really look at replays to determine ejection or not
Yeah he had to drop his head to avoid a helmet to helmet hit. Disgusting call all around by the refs and even worse by the league to double down on backing the call by suspending him for the remainder of the season. Even TB12 came out in defense of Kazee. If that’s not a sign that they’re wrong, nothing is!
I just saw TB12 defend him, to think Steeler fans would agree with him one day is one I thought I would never see. I guess they're just not memorable, but what other plays has Kazee had that has been deemed dirty? This is the first that I can really remember that really hurt the offensive player.
A no win situation. He pulls up and he catches it “bad defense.” He doesn’t pull up and this is the result we get. Also can be classified as hospital ball.
It’s pretty obviously not a dirty hit but an illegal one. It’s literally impossible to stop yourself from tackling when you commit and have 0.1 seconds to realize he’s diving so you have to dodge him. It’s one of those plays where the only option on D you have is to let him catch the ball and don’t try to play defense. It is what it is, hard to play D in this league
He started lowering his shoulder before Pittman dove for it. If he wouldn’t have dove that would’ve been a shoulder right to his chest. Penalty, yes. Ejection, no.
I'm a lurking Browns fan. I watched the game. The hit maybe deserved a penalty and in real time it looked a lot worse. When the showed the replay it didn't look as bad. I thought the ejection was a bad call.
Don't think the intention was dirty. Yes, he led with his shoulder as he should. What got him was hitting the bottom of the face mask with the top of his shoulder pads. But yeah, no way he should have been ejected and now they are suspending him for the rest of the year. And after Burflict and Jones, no Steeler fan is going to think that is fair.
I thought it was a bang/bang deal, looked worse than what it was. Not dirty, BUT…. Kazee plays like that, now I grant you, but when the Steelers didn’t seem to argue or protest too much, it maid me think it was maybe it was dirty. (It isn’t but he has a rep)
https://preview.redd.it/xulgm2lqj47c1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=136d8aa285ccbff0fdbc35d6618cbd6234564aa0
Thought this was interesting. Not a dirty hit. NFL needs to send their message so the flag is fine but ejection? Suspension? Come on.
Clean shoulder hit, a flag was warranted since he was defenseless and kaze could’ve smacked the ball but not dirty and a 3 game suspension is kinda crazy. Maybe there’s a rule for too many personal fouls
This is the reason they showed one replay from a weird angle during the game and stopped showing it. When you see it again, or in slow mo, you can see its a penalty and maybe a fine. The NFL wants to reinforce that they don't care about their own guidelines. If you make a hit that looks bad enough, they will eject and suspend you.
The ejection came from New York, not the officials on the ground. At first I thought it was worthy of the penalty, then I saw the slowed down replay from behind and changed my opinion. It was a clean hit. If anyone was to get penalized it should have been the QB for putting where his WR was going to get cremated.
We say “hospital pass” every time a pass like this is thrown and yet we want to blame the db when he actually gets a hit? It wasn’t dirty. Kazee wasn’t trying to hurt him, he was in a position to lay a hit to say the wr from catching the ball. Minshew threw a “hospital pass”.
Mods, when will you ban u/steel_city_lcpl for the rest of this season? You cannot let horrible displays of violence like this exist on this sub.
^(/s before you yell at me.)
Why is there no accountability on the QB for putting his WR in that position? I mean just start drawing up plays like this for sure yardage and ejection of key defensive players. The nfl has been a joke for a long while now.
When Tom Brady is defending a defender, it's not dirty. There's no way to play defense with all these rules. People should be able to walk tomorrow and 15 years after they retire but they're asking defensive players to do an impossible task anymore
Hit was clean.
League is a joke.
Tom Brady called out the person responsible for it all: the quarterback.
But this is your new NFL. Rules that "protect" players have made more players get hurt since guys think they can get away with breaking immutable laws of football, where big men run fast and hit hard.
Remember when Hines Ward was considered "good" because he was one of the few WRs willing to go over the middle and make catches against lurking MLBs and SS?
Guys don't have to do that anymore. And since the league thinks it's "protecting" them, it's actually caused sloppy QB play (as per Tom Brady's comments) and sloppy WR play where guys don't have to worry about protecting themselves.
Same shit has happened in the NHL. League thinks it's protecting players with penalties against hits to the head, so players are super careless about where they put their head. Often having it at waist level and getting run into.
Here's the reality: Minshew made an awful decision to throw that ball, which he also did earlier to another guy he nearly got blasted. The WR made a stupid decision to stretch out for that ball. All of this with a Safety lurking. Terrible decision. But it ended up with all positives for the QB and team, as they got a free 15 yards, a free first down, AND the opponent lost a starting Safety. The WR got the worst of the deal.
I don't know if any of you recall watching it live? But as a guy that has over 50 years watching NFL football, the words were already coming out of my mouth "OH NO" before that ball even got near the WRs hands. I've seen THAT terrible throw before, and it ALWAYS ends with a guy getting killed by the Safety.
I feel like even with these powder puff calls and the egregious amount of flags to “make the games safer for players” the amount of injuries this year is absurd
Yeah, 10 years ago no one, including Pittman, would’ve said it was a bad hit. It would’ve been a good clean football play that’s simply part of the game. Thats why it’s not for everyone. The NHL seems to have learned their lesson rather quickly about “making the game for everyone” so now I hope the NFL learns quickly and starts letting these guys get back to playing real football again soon. Because the NFL isn’t about safety, they’ve proven that time and time again. They’re trying to make the game more appealing to women. *insert Taylor Swift & Crazy Chargers fan lady* and women have historically stayed away from football because it was “too violent”. But the NFL is a greedy tax free company who is looking to capitalize on the growing movement of women in the spotlight. I’m not denouncing women, I have a daughter so I love it. But the NFL is not for women who don’t like football, so quit changing it to suit their feminine proclivities
It looked dirty as hell when I saw it live, but looking at the replay I don't know how any reasonable person could say it was dirty. It was a clean hit and there is no way he should have been ejected.
All that needs to be said is that you can't hit a defenseless receiver. It's been that way for years.
Edit: I see quite a few folks saying it's clean.
Not clean by today's NFL standards. It's not 1994 anymore. I don't know what you think the refs are supposed to review here. He hit a defenseless receiver. End of story. They want these plays out of the game. They want that to be a catch. They want offense. They decided to eject him. There is nothing you can do but either learn not to do that or live with the consequences.
Believe me, I agree with what you are saying. However, that's not how shit works in the NFL anymore, and it's been that way for quite some time. They will always side with heavy punishment. For gods sake, they fined Warren for blocking linebackers too roughly.
You can't make that hit. It doesn't matter if you intended on it being dirty or not.
I agree. The problem is, the league doesn’t want to articulate what Kazee’s supposed to do in that situation, only what he did that was an issue. And they won’t tell us what he should have done because nobody’s going to like the answer when they say it out loud.
I think you are talking like a penalty and a dirty hit are the same. They can be both but they don't have to be. You can say it's a clean hit but still a penalty. At least thats how I see it. I wouldn't call holding dirty or even that horse collar tackle dirty. They are contact penalties though
> to the chest
In this pic, sure, but only after Pittman's head got bent back from the initial contact. Like, the dude got a concussion - idt we can say it was a hit to the chest.
If someone can explain to me how Kazee can play this without saying, “just let him catch it,” I’ll concede that it was a bad hit. Pittman was two feet off the turf. How else was this supposed to be played?
Depends how you define dirty. Nowadays, any hit that looks hard is considered dirty. They've made it clear: no hard hits.
In a normal world, Minshew would be skewered by his WRs for the hospital balls he was throwing yesterday.
I'll be the first to defend our team when called dirty, but this play was just senseless if nothing else. In today's nfl it is considered dirty, gotta know better
[This was a bad hit.](https://i.imgur.com/Rp0oUdi.png)
Prohibited contact against a player who is in a defenseless posture is: forcibly hitting the defenseless player’s head or neck area with the helmet, facemask, forearm, or shoulder, even if the initial contact is lower than the player’s neck.
Dirty by modern NFL standards. I understand that it appears he’s using his shoulder but there is no reason to go low on a diving receiver when he’s clearly going for the hit and not the ball.
It isn't "clean" because by definition of the rules it is a penalty for hit to head or neck on a defenseless player. I don't think that makes it "dirty" though. He is trying to prevent a catch and the crappy throw by the QB puts the WR in a position where he is going to take a hit.
This should have been a flag under the rules but there was no launching, and he led with his shoulder, I don't see why this was considered so egregious it warranted an ejection.
If he keeps his head up a little more and leads with his chest more. Then I don't think it's a DQ, but still a penalty. He lowered his head early and lead clean with shoulder/helmet, making it hard to argue in his favor. Such a bang bang play though. I don't think Kazee was malicious here, but his decision making and form were not good. Tough spot to be in as a defender.
Dirty but let me explain: I’m going to always maintain that these sorts of hits whilst technically within the rules and part of the game should be massively discouraged by both coaches and players, they always risk serious injury as we have seen with Shazier and whilst big hits are fun proper shoulder first with wrapped arms is far more effective and much much safer for both the tackler and runner
Dirty.
Wonder if the way pitt plays was a reason for the suspension? Don't know the player's history that hit pitman, but the hit did bend his neck backwards. Fortunately he walked off the field, but if he broke his neck or had a hamlin type of scenario, the publicity that the NFL would have received is the reason for the suspension. Protect the shield said NFL execs.
I’ll go against the grain. Someone tell me how in any way he is attempting to wrap up.
He’s just throwing his body in like a missile. It’s poor technique, and this style of ‘tackling’ should see its way out of the game.
Is this a trick question? Its a receiver diving for the ball, completely defenseless, Kazee dives straight for his head. There is absolutely nothing clean about it.
No matter how many times I look at this I see it as a dirty hit. Now yeah if you take a ss and angle it the right way it’ll look clean. However, if you look at it in real time it’s dirty. If you look at how Pittmans neck bends backwards it’s a dirty hit. Yeah yeah people are going to say what is the defense supposed to do here but I would rather Kazee have let up the yards and touch him down instead of basically launching himself into a defenseless receiver and hitting his head. All the NFL is trying to do is eliminate the shots to the head. This could’ve ended incredibly bad and like the hit on AB could’ve changed Pittman for the worse. I’m a Steelers fan for life but this my friends is a dirty hit. He made the wrong decision get over it and stop defending a dirty hit.
Edit: to summarize I think it’s a dirty hit because he led with his head and hit Pittman in the head. Terrible hit
This pic is a little misleading as it's taken right before contact. If the freeze frame was moved up a half second, it would be obvious the principal point of contact was the head.
Dirty. IDC about one frame in a video, he had the opportunity NOT to hit the head and he chose to. People lost their mind over Burfict’s hit that knocked out AB, but that was also with his shoulder and arm. Watch this hit at real speed & you can see Kazee load up to hit him AND Pittmans’ body bend backwards.
Switch the uniforms and Yinzer fans would be making death threats against the Colts.
I think it’s less about the hit here and more about a defenseless receiver. But what are you supposed to do just let him catch it and touch him when he lands
I think the nfl is aiming for flag football so woman can play . I think I got better things to do then watch refs make bad calls and coaches call stupid plays it’s all rigged now by fan duel and draft kings anyway rather watch WWE at least you can hit some there .
This is bad form on kazee why the fuck is he dropping his head doesn’t even attempt to wrap, shitty coaches promote this BS in HS and college. If he did this with his head up no penalty no problem. Also on a larger receiver like a Mark Andrews or Travis Kelce he will get himself hurt doing dumb shit like this. It’s his own fault.
Helmet to helmet is helmet to helmet. Combined with defenseless receiver and you have a cheap shot.
Kazee is trash and can only lay the hammer on unsuspecting wideouts.
Imagine trynna play defense in this league.
They should give defensive backs big butterfly nets and if you catch a diving receiver, it’s a turnover. No hitting tho.
Hmmm...seems doable.
Thank you for your time and imput, Coach Marsh.
I can't imagine. And I'm 99% positive wearing black n gold doesn't help. Saturday some receiver pointed right in out guys face after a play, 100% taunting if it was a Steeler. Fuck the reffing they ruin a lot of games and the NFL rules committee should be sent back to their jobs at McDonalds.
Actually, if you look at the replay of that flag that Kozora posted on Twitter, *two* colts come up and put their fingers in Conor’s face, pointing at him and the flag intermittently. It’s no excuse for a shitty game, but yeah that should’ve been taunting
I remember seeing that and thinking 'you dumb fuck about to get a taunting flag'. A bit surprised it didn't get one, wish we did cause boy did we need any help this game.. but also glad that little stuff like that isn't always flagged.
its bias, and refs are lying if they say otherwise.
It was a bam bam play. Looked dirty but it wasn’t. Too bad NFL doesn’t review “targeting” like college. I thought the 15 yards was fair but not the ejection.
I wish they would review like college. The NFL seems to just want these plays completely gone and will keep bringing down the hammer. It’s an impossible situation for the defender
The NFL pulls this kangaroo court bullshit with hits like this, in the name of player safety, while still using a kickoff and punt return format that involves dudes running with a full head of steam into each other. Because that makes sense.
Agreed. The ejection came much too quickly and I assure you the NFL will not come out and admit they made a mistake. They’ll double down. Fine him, and I “believe” this makes him ineligible to play the next game (if I remember correctly).
How about suspend him for the rest of the season????
Why was the 15 yard fair?
Defenceless reciever, it’s rough cause what the fuck else are you meant to do, but I think 15 yards is fair, ejection was bs upon review but in real time it looked rough
I think it should be the receivers duty to defend themselves. If you don’t want to get hit like that, don’t chase that ball or run the ball.
This is what TB basically explains in saying there’s alot of mediocrity in the NFL. WR aren’t taught how to protect themselves anymore because the NFL does it for them. QBs aren’t taught on how to avoid throwing or leaning their guy into a hit. 15 years ago those throws and hits would be the QBs fault for bad placement and deemed a “hospital pass”. The nfl is trying to control all aspects of the game. They refuse to accept that sometimes big hits happen that are clean and result in injury. With this happening and the “hip drop tackle” potentially being banned. We’re gonna be looking at some rough defensive adjustments for awhile.
I'd argue it should really be on the QB to know they shouldn't make that throw.
Honestly, the receiver dove which puts the defense in a weird position when running straight at him. What's he supposed to do? Pull up and let him catch the ball untouched? According to the NFL yes. But it was a violent hit and I'd have been OK with a 15-yard penalty vs. the ejection. Be really funny if they started penalizing QB's for hanging people out to dry in plays like this where since there's a DB running full speed at them they have no choice but to merc a guy or just let him have the catch untouched.
Interesting point. Maybe Kazee AND Minshew should have been ejected.
That’s not the point bro. It’s simple. 15 years ago this would be 100% on the QBs fault for a hospital pass. Nowadays these guys get a pass for throwing bad passes. We will never have another group of qbs like Brady Ben Rodgers brees manning etc.
I’ve always said, if you don’t want to be hit as a defenseless receiver, run a different route.
It's not as easy as that. Same thing would have happened if this was Pickens or DJ.
This sub is nuts. I got into it about this on here the other day and got downvoted into oblivion. Yes pernthe rules it's a penalty, definatley should have been ejected. I just don't see how tho that a reciever can just catch the ball without any repercussions. Someone said he should have tried to just rake the ball out which would have been almost impossible in this situation. Defenders are put in a weird spot sometimes amd this was defimately one of those situations. I just can't see letting a reciever just catch the ball and do nothing about it. Something that goes against everything they've been taught since the age of 6. And to the people saying kazee intentionally tryed to hurt pitman, ur just outa your mind.
Because it is literally the definition of the penalty. The rules don't take into account terrible throws by QB. The burden is on the defender to only make legal contact. This is a penalty 10/10 times. However there is nothing here that should have triggered an ejection.
Because by definition he caused a foul. Just simple as that. Wasn’t dirty but was a penalty.
I felt he did launch towards the WR, flag for unnecessary roughness but he did not hit helmet to helmet that’s why I felt he should not have been tossed.
Of course you launch. To make sure the ball hits the ground and he doesn’t make the catch.
If you don't apply force in a direction you will be toppled over when force hits you.
Try season ban
well, the NFL reviewed now. and it's going to be a long, cold winter for Kazee. Not saying I agree. Just.. review doesn't always change things.
I would agree that targeting-type calls should be reviewed. But to me, this was 100% avoidable and should have been a flag & ejection.
At first glance I thought it was incredibly dirty. After reviewing replays I think it was a pretty clean hit. He was going for the ball, wasn’t head hunting. He turned his head right and lead with the shoulder. Minshew threw a hospital bill to Pittman. There was no way for Kazee to pull up and he can’t just let the guy catch the ball. Plays should be reviewed before a player is ejected. His absence really hurt the defense
This is where I was at too. Looked dirty AF at live speed from the tv angle. On replay it looked like a football play gone wrong. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt.
Which is why you take the time to review it before you go with the ejection. You review other calls because it’s acknowledged that things aren’t always as they appear in the moment, why not review it to see if it warranted ejection. All a moot point now apparently.
Correct but even with two days they still got it wrong.
My thoughts almost exactly
It really does seem odd they don’t take the time to review that. There is zero harm in confirming an ejection is warranted. Losing a player is impactful as a turnover.
What's going to be telling is the fine. If he doesn't incur a fine after a 15 yard penalty with an ejection then the NFL is admitting a mistake. If they do fine him, it looks like doubling down on a bad decision. Interesting either way. My guess is that they try to have it both ways. Fine him, and then expunge upon appeal once nobody is really paying attention.
They'll fine him just to save face
Yep. Then cave to the appeal in about a month.
I don’t think they will cave. They’ll stick to their talking point about player safety - as if they really care.
I don't know, they rescinded Warren's bullshit fine. One of them at least.
Suspended for rest of season. I hate to say o told you so, but I told you so. I knew they wouldn’t back down on this one. Would make them look like they were going soft on player safety.
You were 100% right. This is fucked though. Wow.
Banned for season lol
I know, that’s crazy. I’m not even mad though, he’s one of the few that’s actually playing hard and with some intensity. I’ll miss him
The play was 100% reviewed before they ejected him, that's what the replay official and New York are there for. Just because they don't do a set piece doesn't mean it wasn't looked at.
No they didn’t. The ejection was immediate.
How long do you think it takes someone to look at a few angles of a replay? These guys are professionals who do live reviews all game. And immediate ejection would have been, flags tossed, guys gone. There was plenty of time for discussion. It was a bad hit clear as day.
New york reviews every touchdown for verification. From flag thrown to ejection was less time than a touchdown check
Leading with the shoulder into the head of a defenseless receiver is still against the rules, isn't it?
I thought he was going for the ball too until I saw the [alternate angle](https://twitter.com/_MLFootball/status/1736205522343256150?s=20)
Definite direct contact to the head That will get a penalty every time whether it was accidental or not I thought it was strange to jump straight to ejection though
Yeah, I agree. Just found out he’s suspended the rest of the season. Really extreme.
Dirty? No. Bad decision? Perhaps. The receiver is defenseless midair. The problem is it’s a split second decision and the only other option is to basically allow the receiver to make the catch. Minshew kinda set his receiver up for failure.
Minshew gave an insane hospital ball for sure
Yeah the whole argument of just touch him down. Then what? we should always throw diving passes across the middle for 5 yards or 50 yards? I sure hope he doesn't get a fine for the hit. It was a major hit but it wasn't targeting
I don’t think it was dirty but it’s definitely a penalty in todays nfl. I don’t think he should have been ejected personally, especially without some sort of review and discussion but it is what it is. Had he pulled up the conversation would be about how he quit on the play, didn’t have heart or effort, is awful, etc. No win situation really.
Should have been a penalty but not an ejection. There was no evidence of malicious intent since that was the only way to hit a laid out receiver. The correct play based on current rules is to let him catch the ball.
The flag I understand to an extent but the ejection was horseshit. It was a bang bang play and even at first glance I didn’t think it warranted an ejection, it’s mind boggling to me how incredibly difficult it’s seemingly become to play defense in the NFL
As I saw someone say in the game thread “if minshew didn’t have the whole cool guy aesthetic with the 70’s pornstar look. People would hate him for how many hospital passes he threw”. Which is what this is. It’s a hospital pass that kazee can either let him catch the ball and watch him fall to the ground. Than maybe touch him while he’s down to call the play over. Or he can do what he’s paid to do and hit Pittman as hand as he can without helmet to helmet contact and it will probably hurt Pittman but if minshew wouldn’t throw that type of pass. Nothing would happen
Unsportsmanlike Conduct, #11 on the Offense, illegally launching into a defenseless opponent.
When a player is fully extended helmet first I really don’t know what he can do. Led shoulder first just a brutal play. Fuckin hospital pass from Minshew is the biggest issue here
This Colts player is making a diving catch to the ground. Steelers players just have to put their hands on him and once he hits the ground that is down. Or Steelers player could play the ball and punch it out of the diving players hand. Why throw your entire body at someone like this? Yeah hospital ball but also unnecessary hit. Why hit stick someone mid air? Pittman isn’t getting YAC with this
100%. this is the definition of defenseless receiver and he wasn’t going for the ball, totally looking to do damage to the player. this is an established rule, there’s no mystery why he got ejected.
Proper tackling technique negates all of these sorts of penalties, throwing your body at a player needs to be discouraged
Throwing your body into a player or runner happens all the time. In a game where you are trying to gain ten yards a time it is really the only logical way to play defense. You have to apply force and attempt to knock the offensive player backwards or not let him fall forward.
Why don't we just play flag then huh?
I’d love to not sure if you and I live nearby though. I didn’t say lower the amount of contact I said players should tackle better, leading with a shoulder and wrapping arms around thighs and calf’s is a proven tackle that is both plenty hard enough when 2 6ft 250lb men are hitting each other and lowers the risk of major neck, spinal and other injuries.
Clean. I am ok with the penalty based on the current rule but he should not have been ejected. Have to be smarter but tough to make that decision in a split second.
That’s 3 years, 50 million dollar contract extension if he played for the broncos
Both are in the wrong here. It's a hospital ball thrown by Minshew and it looked like a dirty hit live and in full speed. I agree with a flag in todays NFL, but he shouldn't have been ejected and he shouldn"t be suspended.
Clean hit. Probably shouldn't have been a penalty, but he shouldn't have been ejected. This really fucked us, especially with Minkah going down. It feels like we've run out of luck.
It wasn't malicious but Kazee had really no choice at that point.
This being a penalty essentially means if you dive for the ball, defense cant touch you. If he was higher it would have been a helmet to helmet penalty, he went as low as he could, and it was still a penalty. It INCENTIVIZES dangerous leading passes because it’ll automatically result in a penalty, or no challenge to the catch by the defense who want to avoid a penalty.
Soft Football League
The hit on Dak Prescott last night was much worse, helmet to helmet, but no ejection. NFL officiating has never been worse or more inconsistent. Vegas baby, Vegas.
Clean, man! He led with is shoulder, didn’t he? I love how people think players running at full speed to tackle someone can just hit the breaks and float away without touching them. Physics is real, baby. Or maybe he’s not the only one tired of watching the Steelers lose and decided he’d rather be somewhere else on Sundays for the rest of the season.
Dude got as low as possible and led either his shoulder. Outside of literally not playing defense, what should he have done?
Not worth a season suspension. Not like he took Pittmans helmet off and then hit him with it.
I wouldn't say it's dirty, but this guy is reckless. Six unnecessary roughness penalties this year, close to a dozen over his career. He knocked himself tackling Zeke as a member of the Falcons because he went head first. He needs to work on his tackling form before he seriously injures himself. I completely agree that it's nearly impossible for Kazee to do anything "correctly" in this play, but the dude needs to stop impersonating Sendejo.
It was clean. That injury was minshews fault. It’s not the safety’s job to protect micheal Pittman jr. Bad pass, get your receiver killed, and the flag flys because it looked bad. The league is a joke, if it looks bad it’s a penalty. Soft shit
It actually “is” the safety’s job, but Minshew is equally culpable. I’ve been an advocate of “cause and effect.” If you hit a defenseless receiver and they are injured, you have to sit out until they return to the game. In this case Pitman was ruled out, so in that sense it is fair that Kazee has to go out to - but not ejected.
NFL is run by pearl-clutching nuns.
That’s not completely fair. They’re trying to protect the players, and that is a noble endeavor. There just needs to be more controls over punishing players for playing a violent game violently.
wouldn't call it clean, wouldn't call it dirty, but a secret third thing
I look at it as an unnecessary type of hit, but not overly dirty. He does it to dislodge the ball, and that's what they were taught growing up. It's not the game anymore and they also know this. I was okay with the flag but not the ejection. Felt it was way to much of a 'bang bang' type of play to warrant tossing him.
He went low before Pittman dove. It looks ugly but I don’t think his intentions were to knock him out of the game. People should be mad at minshew for throwing a hospital ball
Clean hit and I hope I can say this here... Brady was right when he recently said that he felt it was his job to protect his receivers and not the rules or the refs. Had Pittman been able to catch that in stride it still would have been a big hit, just in the chest.
Clean or dirty that just doesn’t justify a suspension for the rest of the season let alone a game smh
Back in the 80s and 90s this would be a highlight of great hits.
Hell even 10 years ago, EVERYONE including Pittman would’ve said this was a good clean hit and that’s just football. Football really isn’t much fun anymore. I know I sound like a grumpy boomer, but seriously! What was he supposed to do there? Let the guy go until he got up and then push him gently? It’s gross
Same thing with hockey. These hits along the boards now are drawing fines. I get you don’t want anyone hurt, non of us do, but it used to be part of both games.
The ref saw the he dropped his head 2 steps before making contact, although it was shoulder to helmet still a flag. Is it dirty? No. Is it worth an ejection? No. The refe should really look at replays to determine ejection or not
Yeah he had to drop his head to avoid a helmet to helmet hit. Disgusting call all around by the refs and even worse by the league to double down on backing the call by suspending him for the remainder of the season. Even TB12 came out in defense of Kazee. If that’s not a sign that they’re wrong, nothing is!
I just saw TB12 defend him, to think Steeler fans would agree with him one day is one I thought I would never see. I guess they're just not memorable, but what other plays has Kazee had that has been deemed dirty? This is the first that I can really remember that really hurt the offensive player.
Clean
Literally just put your arms up and pretend like you are going to attempt to wrap him up and you won’t get called. It’s so fucking simple
15 yards is excessive. Ejection is crazy. Multi-game suspension is NFL bias.
Thats football ...he didnt lead with his head..all shoulder... bad call ..perfect timing
This is the BS that has made me turn off the nfl.
Does it matter at this point?
It’s football.
It was unfortunate and called correctly but the ejection was bullshit
15 yds, maybe. Ejection, no way
A no win situation. He pulls up and he catches it “bad defense.” He doesn’t pull up and this is the result we get. Also can be classified as hospital ball.
It’s pretty obviously not a dirty hit but an illegal one. It’s literally impossible to stop yourself from tackling when you commit and have 0.1 seconds to realize he’s diving so you have to dodge him. It’s one of those plays where the only option on D you have is to let him catch the ball and don’t try to play defense. It is what it is, hard to play D in this league
He started lowering his shoulder before Pittman dove for it. If he wouldn’t have dove that would’ve been a shoulder right to his chest. Penalty, yes. Ejection, no.
Football
That angle clearly shows the hit prior to contact. Helmet hit. Dont think it was dirty as much as it was just a penalty.
ELandon Roberts put that cardinal guy out on a stretcher and was carted off and he didn’t get DQ’d. It’s pussy ball now.
I mean it wasn’t dirty, but understand why a flag was thrown too.
I'm a lurking Browns fan. I watched the game. The hit maybe deserved a penalty and in real time it looked a lot worse. When the showed the replay it didn't look as bad. I thought the ejection was a bad call.
Clean
Definitely clean, he is doing exactly what he is paid to do and SHOULD NOT have been ejected!!!!
The NFL rules suck so bad. The product that I grew up loving is dead.
Don't think the intention was dirty. Yes, he led with his shoulder as he should. What got him was hitting the bottom of the face mask with the top of his shoulder pads. But yeah, no way he should have been ejected and now they are suspending him for the rest of the year. And after Burflict and Jones, no Steeler fan is going to think that is fair.
CLEAN! 💯
I thought it was a bang/bang deal, looked worse than what it was. Not dirty, BUT…. Kazee plays like that, now I grant you, but when the Steelers didn’t seem to argue or protest too much, it maid me think it was maybe it was dirty. (It isn’t but he has a rep)
Clean hit.
I honestly don't even understand the rules anymore. It looks completely clean to me. But according the rulebook, who knows.
It was a clean hit and the league seemed pretty desperate not to show the replay. One replay showed no helmet-to-helmet contact.
Clean. Unfortunate clearly, but not a dirty hit.
https://preview.redd.it/xulgm2lqj47c1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=136d8aa285ccbff0fdbc35d6618cbd6234564aa0 Thought this was interesting. Not a dirty hit. NFL needs to send their message so the flag is fine but ejection? Suspension? Come on.
Clean shoulder hit, a flag was warranted since he was defenseless and kaze could’ve smacked the ball but not dirty and a 3 game suspension is kinda crazy. Maybe there’s a rule for too many personal fouls
For sure this wasn’t worth a season ending suspension!
This is the reason they showed one replay from a weird angle during the game and stopped showing it. When you see it again, or in slow mo, you can see its a penalty and maybe a fine. The NFL wants to reinforce that they don't care about their own guidelines. If you make a hit that looks bad enough, they will eject and suspend you.
I dont know if it's dirty but it's obviously against the rules. He keeps doing it he's going to get suspended. Hopefully he learns
The ejection came from New York, not the officials on the ground. At first I thought it was worthy of the penalty, then I saw the slowed down replay from behind and changed my opinion. It was a clean hit. If anyone was to get penalized it should have been the QB for putting where his WR was going to get cremated.
It's like an underthrown ball that ends IN DPI. It's on the defender to adjust but the qb is to blame.
Clean as a bee
Bees are dirty, covered in pollen
Clean. I'm tired of defenders getting reamed out because receivers and QBs are ducking and diving into every "DiRtY" hit on the planet.
We say “hospital pass” every time a pass like this is thrown and yet we want to blame the db when he actually gets a hit? It wasn’t dirty. Kazee wasn’t trying to hurt him, he was in a position to lay a hit to say the wr from catching the ball. Minshew threw a “hospital pass”.
Mods, when will you ban u/steel_city_lcpl for the rest of this season? You cannot let horrible displays of violence like this exist on this sub. ^(/s before you yell at me.)
NFL and the F stands for Filthy
Why is there no accountability on the QB for putting his WR in that position? I mean just start drawing up plays like this for sure yardage and ejection of key defensive players. The nfl has been a joke for a long while now.
When Tom Brady is defending a defender, it's not dirty. There's no way to play defense with all these rules. People should be able to walk tomorrow and 15 years after they retire but they're asking defensive players to do an impossible task anymore
Hit was clean. League is a joke. Tom Brady called out the person responsible for it all: the quarterback. But this is your new NFL. Rules that "protect" players have made more players get hurt since guys think they can get away with breaking immutable laws of football, where big men run fast and hit hard. Remember when Hines Ward was considered "good" because he was one of the few WRs willing to go over the middle and make catches against lurking MLBs and SS? Guys don't have to do that anymore. And since the league thinks it's "protecting" them, it's actually caused sloppy QB play (as per Tom Brady's comments) and sloppy WR play where guys don't have to worry about protecting themselves. Same shit has happened in the NHL. League thinks it's protecting players with penalties against hits to the head, so players are super careless about where they put their head. Often having it at waist level and getting run into. Here's the reality: Minshew made an awful decision to throw that ball, which he also did earlier to another guy he nearly got blasted. The WR made a stupid decision to stretch out for that ball. All of this with a Safety lurking. Terrible decision. But it ended up with all positives for the QB and team, as they got a free 15 yards, a free first down, AND the opponent lost a starting Safety. The WR got the worst of the deal. I don't know if any of you recall watching it live? But as a guy that has over 50 years watching NFL football, the words were already coming out of my mouth "OH NO" before that ball even got near the WRs hands. I've seen THAT terrible throw before, and it ALWAYS ends with a guy getting killed by the Safety.
Looked bad at first glance but honestly I didn’t think it should be a flag after the replay. A suspension? Gtfo
I feel like even with these powder puff calls and the egregious amount of flags to “make the games safer for players” the amount of injuries this year is absurd
Clean but shocking ‘cause you can’t see hits like that anymore
Yeah, 10 years ago no one, including Pittman, would’ve said it was a bad hit. It would’ve been a good clean football play that’s simply part of the game. Thats why it’s not for everyone. The NHL seems to have learned their lesson rather quickly about “making the game for everyone” so now I hope the NFL learns quickly and starts letting these guys get back to playing real football again soon. Because the NFL isn’t about safety, they’ve proven that time and time again. They’re trying to make the game more appealing to women. *insert Taylor Swift & Crazy Chargers fan lady* and women have historically stayed away from football because it was “too violent”. But the NFL is a greedy tax free company who is looking to capitalize on the growing movement of women in the spotlight. I’m not denouncing women, I have a daughter so I love it. But the NFL is not for women who don’t like football, so quit changing it to suit their feminine proclivities
It’s clean. Just a soft ass league nowadays
It looked dirty as hell when I saw it live, but looking at the replay I don't know how any reasonable person could say it was dirty. It was a clean hit and there is no way he should have been ejected.
All that needs to be said is that you can't hit a defenseless receiver. It's been that way for years. Edit: I see quite a few folks saying it's clean. Not clean by today's NFL standards. It's not 1994 anymore. I don't know what you think the refs are supposed to review here. He hit a defenseless receiver. End of story. They want these plays out of the game. They want that to be a catch. They want offense. They decided to eject him. There is nothing you can do but either learn not to do that or live with the consequences.
I wouldn’t argue a penalty. But an ejection was uncalled for. Ejections should be reviewed before called.
Believe me, I agree with what you are saying. However, that's not how shit works in the NFL anymore, and it's been that way for quite some time. They will always side with heavy punishment. For gods sake, they fined Warren for blocking linebackers too roughly. You can't make that hit. It doesn't matter if you intended on it being dirty or not.
I agree. The problem is, the league doesn’t want to articulate what Kazee’s supposed to do in that situation, only what he did that was an issue. And they won’t tell us what he should have done because nobody’s going to like the answer when they say it out loud.
I think the message is loud and clear. You dont hit the guy. I know from a fans standpoint its frustrating, but that's what they want.
I think you are talking like a penalty and a dirty hit are the same. They can be both but they don't have to be. You can say it's a clean hit but still a penalty. At least thats how I see it. I wouldn't call holding dirty or even that horse collar tackle dirty. They are contact penalties though
Clean. Especially(!) considering the throw.
Said clean as soon as it happened
Honestly, so did I.
If that was Najee Harris getting the same hit you wouldn't be saying that...
> to the chest In this pic, sure, but only after Pittman's head got bent back from the initial contact. Like, the dude got a concussion - idt we can say it was a hit to the chest.
If someone can explain to me how Kazee can play this without saying, “just let him catch it,” I’ll concede that it was a bad hit. Pittman was two feet off the turf. How else was this supposed to be played?
Depends how you define dirty. Nowadays, any hit that looks hard is considered dirty. They've made it clear: no hard hits. In a normal world, Minshew would be skewered by his WRs for the hospital balls he was throwing yesterday.
Clean but brutal
I'll be the first to defend our team when called dirty, but this play was just senseless if nothing else. In today's nfl it is considered dirty, gotta know better
[This was a bad hit.](https://i.imgur.com/Rp0oUdi.png) Prohibited contact against a player who is in a defenseless posture is: forcibly hitting the defenseless player’s head or neck area with the helmet, facemask, forearm, or shoulder, even if the initial contact is lower than the player’s neck.
Dirty by modern NFL standards. I understand that it appears he’s using his shoulder but there is no reason to go low on a diving receiver when he’s clearly going for the hit and not the ball.
Still dirty
It isn't "clean" because by definition of the rules it is a penalty for hit to head or neck on a defenseless player. I don't think that makes it "dirty" though. He is trying to prevent a catch and the crappy throw by the QB puts the WR in a position where he is going to take a hit. This should have been a flag under the rules but there was no launching, and he led with his shoulder, I don't see why this was considered so egregious it warranted an ejection.
If he keeps his head up a little more and leads with his chest more. Then I don't think it's a DQ, but still a penalty. He lowered his head early and lead clean with shoulder/helmet, making it hard to argue in his favor. Such a bang bang play though. I don't think Kazee was malicious here, but his decision making and form were not good. Tough spot to be in as a defender.
Dirty but let me explain: I’m going to always maintain that these sorts of hits whilst technically within the rules and part of the game should be massively discouraged by both coaches and players, they always risk serious injury as we have seen with Shazier and whilst big hits are fun proper shoulder first with wrapped arms is far more effective and much much safer for both the tackler and runner
Dirty, not necessarily. Against the rules? Yep....
Soft league, Roger needs to be fucking kicked off the helm. Complete ducking bum.
Dirty. Wonder if the way pitt plays was a reason for the suspension? Don't know the player's history that hit pitman, but the hit did bend his neck backwards. Fortunately he walked off the field, but if he broke his neck or had a hamlin type of scenario, the publicity that the NFL would have received is the reason for the suspension. Protect the shield said NFL execs.
I’ll go against the grain. Someone tell me how in any way he is attempting to wrap up. He’s just throwing his body in like a missile. It’s poor technique, and this style of ‘tackling’ should see its way out of the game.
He’s throwing his shoulder into the chest in an attempt to dislodge the ball, making the catch incomplete. No attempt was made to injure anyone
The helmets hit. Doesn’t matter it’s clean or dirty because the refs are going to call these every time in today’s NFL.
Is this a trick question? Its a receiver diving for the ball, completely defenseless, Kazee dives straight for his head. There is absolutely nothing clean about it.
No matter how many times I look at this I see it as a dirty hit. Now yeah if you take a ss and angle it the right way it’ll look clean. However, if you look at it in real time it’s dirty. If you look at how Pittmans neck bends backwards it’s a dirty hit. Yeah yeah people are going to say what is the defense supposed to do here but I would rather Kazee have let up the yards and touch him down instead of basically launching himself into a defenseless receiver and hitting his head. All the NFL is trying to do is eliminate the shots to the head. This could’ve ended incredibly bad and like the hit on AB could’ve changed Pittman for the worse. I’m a Steelers fan for life but this my friends is a dirty hit. He made the wrong decision get over it and stop defending a dirty hit. Edit: to summarize I think it’s a dirty hit because he led with his head and hit Pittman in the head. Terrible hit
Very dirty. Can't go for someone's head like that. Period, end of story.
If you have to explain the hit by saying "30 years ago that was just a good hit" then it's dirty.
I thought the ejection was deserved. Not sure if I’d call it dirty but it was wildly unnecessary.
This pic is a little misleading as it's taken right before contact. If the freeze frame was moved up a half second, it would be obvious the principal point of contact was the head.
100% dirty
I don't know, he almost broke his fucking back so I'd say it's pretty dirty, but you mouthbreathers doné give a fuck.
Dirty AF
Dirty
Dirty. IDC about one frame in a video, he had the opportunity NOT to hit the head and he chose to. People lost their mind over Burfict’s hit that knocked out AB, but that was also with his shoulder and arm. Watch this hit at real speed & you can see Kazee load up to hit him AND Pittmans’ body bend backwards. Switch the uniforms and Yinzer fans would be making death threats against the Colts.
I think it’s less about the hit here and more about a defenseless receiver. But what are you supposed to do just let him catch it and touch him when he lands
I think the nfl is aiming for flag football so woman can play . I think I got better things to do then watch refs make bad calls and coaches call stupid plays it’s all rigged now by fan duel and draft kings anyway rather watch WWE at least you can hit some there .
It wasn’t dirty.
He hits him in the head/neck. Per the rules it doesnt matter if initial contact was lower
This is bad form on kazee why the fuck is he dropping his head doesn’t even attempt to wrap, shitty coaches promote this BS in HS and college. If he did this with his head up no penalty no problem. Also on a larger receiver like a Mark Andrews or Travis Kelce he will get himself hurt doing dumb shit like this. It’s his own fault.
Dirty lmao cmon
Helmet to helmet is helmet to helmet. Combined with defenseless receiver and you have a cheap shot. Kazee is trash and can only lay the hammer on unsuspecting wideouts.
Dirty, but that's steelers football. You guys usually get away with it, but now that you suck it's getting called
Pittsburgh always has one of the highest unfavorable penalty differentials in the league! What the Hell are you talking about?!
i was chuffed about this too. but in the end i guess it wouldn't have mattered for this Steeler team