Eric Wood's hit on Clay Matthews

[Maddog69]

Was at the game and missed it. Just watched the YouTube. That was awesome.

[hondo in seattle]

Am I missing something?

 

Woods hit him in the chest while the play was live. I hate dirty play but that doesn't seem dirty to me. Looks like good football.

[Jerry Jabber]

Here's an extended view of the play: http://www.buffalorumblings.com/2014/12/14/7391699/eric-wood-lays-out-clay-matthews

[FLFan]

Am I missing something?

 

Woods hit him in the chest while the play was live. I hate dirty play but that doesn't seem dirty to me. Looks like good football.

Absolutely. Not sure why anyone would be concerned about this. Hit him right in the chest. Matthews did not seem to be expecting it, but that is his problem.

[Jerry Jabber]

"I thought that was the "hidden" impact play of the game.

Bulaga and Mario were having an awesome battle throughout the day, with Bulaga doing great work stalemating the big man. After Hughes sent him to the locker room, Mario took advantage of the back-up and beat him on the edge to make the play that ended the game. I doubt he makes that play if Bulaga is still on the field.

 

And regarding the big hits on returns by both Wood and Hughes, I bet those never happen if that idiot Barrington hadn't lit up Fred with a cheap shot a full 2-3 seconds after the whistle on the non-return after Orton's pick."

 

I agree, so do the folks in GB: http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/loss-of-bulaga-led-to-rodgers-fumble-safety-b99408776z1-285786081.html

[Campy]

Couldn't help but wonder if the shot Fred took was in the back of Woods' mind on that play. But it wasn't illegal.

[stony]

It's hits like Jerry's on Bulaga that will keep Schwartz from getting calls to a be a HC this off-season. He instructs his players to play right on the edge. The hit was legal, but the intent was to lay the dude out hard. We didn't get called on it (don't know why we would, but we see that call all the time) but the Denver game is a perfect example of guys pushing the limit and being flagged for it. This is a good thing to have in a DC (I think), but not as a head coach. Detroit wins close games and doesn't take half as many dumb penalties as they did last year. Hopefully FOs remember this so he stays our DC for a couple of years.

[l< j]

I don't see how that could be considered dirty. The hit was only a few yards from the path of the ball carrier, maybe 5. It is easy to see how circumstances would allow CM to make a play on the ball. If he weren't on the ground looking for his teeth.

 

Sapp's hit, came on the other side of the field from where the ball was, against a player who had no chance to impact the play. 20 yards away. And he left his feet. Totally different.

 

Here's Sapp's hit:

 

Not even close to the same thing, IMO.

 

kj

[KD in CA]

I like seeing the Bills on the giving end of the hard hitting for a change. It's been a very long time since that was the case.

 

I don't see anything dirty on Wood's hit.

[NoSaint]

i think this is a fair one to call nasty but not dirty, as said earlier. fully legal, though probably not required.

[mannc]

I think those moves are dirty, I don't care if it's "revenge".

I don't like those kind of blindside hits on turnovers either, but this one looked ok to me. Matthews was not defenseless and the hit did not even really come from the blindside. And it did not seem overly vicious. I didn't love it, but don't think it was dirty. Edited December 15, 2014 by mannc

[boyst]

Are you ready for some football?

 

[CodeMonkey]

I wonder what the comments would be if it was say Kiko on the receiving end of exactly the same play.

I suspect somewhat different.

It was at the very least borderline dirty to me. Well behind the play but probably close enough not to get a call for that.

But if you look at the link above, you can see Woods lower his head and hit CM what looks to be in the chin. You can further see this was most likely the case by looking at the way CMs head moves after the contact.

 

I don't like cheap shots if the Bills player is giving or receiving them.

Edited December 15, 2014 by CodeMonkey

[jaybee]

Not understanding this thread. That was simply a big hit. A block on a pro bowl linebacker. He didnt lead with his head. He didnt go for the knees. I'm not understanding why this is even being talked about....other than it was a very good block that took a GREAT defender out of the play.

[RyanC883]

Both hits were clean and legal. Teams that play on the edge and with attitude win (Seattle, Pittsburgh, San Fran (when D is healthy)), teams that play like choir boys don't. You have to protect your players, and this is football, you hit the other team as much as you can. Wood and Hughes should be taking every legal opportunity to knock around Matthews and Bulga as they can.

 

Not understanding this thread. That was simply a big hit. A block on a pro bowl linebacker. He didnt lead with his head. He didnt go for the knees. I'm not understanding why this is even being talked about....other than it was a very good block that took a GREAT defender out of the play.

 

I can only guess that some fans are afraid of the terrible penalties that have been called against our team in recent weeks (the E. Sandures penalty, etc.). Perhaps Marrone called the league and asked why we are getting flagged for legal hits. In any event, we need attitude and physical players. Every team gets flags they don't deserve. But you must play a physical game in a physical nature to win.

[dbmu1977]

Love the way the defense hits and the way the knock people down. Hugh's didn't get any unsportsman like conduct penalties, maybe he's listening now. Anyone think that we would have beaten the 4 teams from this division at the beginning of the year?

This defense is playing with a ton of confidence, which means they should be able to open up the offense and take more chances, now we need to knock the crap out of the raiders and patsies. we need to bring this meanness to new England.

[RealityCheck]

It's about time the Bills acted like they belong in the NFL. Inflicting pain is an integral part of the game.

[boyst]

I wonder what the comments would be if it was say Kiko on the receiving end of exactly the same play.

I suspect somewhat different.

It was at the very least borderline dirty to me. Well behind the play but probably close enough not to get a call for that.

But if you look at the link above, you can see Woods lower his head and hit CM what looks to be in the chin. You can further see this was most likely the case by looking at the way CMs head moves after the contact.

 

I don't like cheap shots if the Bills player is giving or receiving them.

Nope It's not a cheap shot. It's football and the whistle had not been blown. Matthews got pancaked. It's football 101.

 

In freaking Junior High we would watch film on Wednesday of all the pancakes in the game and celebrate all the teammates who played to the whistle and did exactly what Wood did. In HS we would watch the films, too, and anyone who didn't play to the whistle and got their ass knocked down got so much heat. It's football 101, know where you are, play hard, pay attention and don't stop playing until the whistle is over.

 

Matthews got what he deserved for forgetting where he was - these are professional players paid to do this. Matthews got paid to get his ass smacked down.

[jethro_tull]

Who wants to chip in and send Clay a Fathead poster of that hit?

-

Schwartz failed as a HC. he had lots of talent and more than enough chances to make it work in detroit. a team will need to be desperate to sign him to that position again.

Edited December 15, 2014 by jethro_tull

[Freddie's Dead]

Indeed. Another thing to worry about is if it becomes a trend, the league/other teams will look for it, and we see more penalties on the Bills in important games, because refs might be instructed to look for it (either by the league or the opposing team). I'm all for having attitude, protecting our players, not backing down, being aggressive... but those sorts of things can get flagged and set us back at inopportune times.

 

For years, the Bills have been pushed around physically. It was usually a Bills player on the end of the crushing block. Now that we are getting some of our own back, we have to worry about being too physical? For the last 6-10 years, the Bills led the league in players on IR. This year has reversed that trend. Excuse me if I don't shed any tears for Bulaga, Matthews, or any of the other myriad players the Bills have knocked out this year. Better them than us (for a change, and a long time comin').