Welcome to the National Finesse League

At the risk of sounding 103 years old, I need to ask a question: What has happened to football? On 105.3 The Fan I co-host the weekly radio shows of Dallas Cowboys' defensive players Jay Ratliff (Mondays 6 p.m.) and DeMarcus Ware (Wednesdays 2:15). Each week they bemoan not being...

By Richie Whitt

December 16, 2010

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At the risk of sounding 103 years old, I need to ask a question:

What has happened to football?

On 105.3 The Fan I co-host the weekly radio shows of Dallas Cowboys' defensive players Jay Ratliff (Mondays 6 p.m.) and DeMarcus Ware (Wednesdays 2:15). Each week they bemoan not being able to, well, hit.

With the latest fines from the NFL office in New York, their moods will surely grow even more unChristmasy. Because teammate Anthony Spencer has been fined $12,500 for a hit on Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback Michael Vick the NFL has deemed "helmet to helmet."

It's a tough problem I understand. Concussions are up. But entertainment is down. Way down.

We can go to the park on any given Saturday and watch some cool passes completed in various 7-on-7 flag football games. But on Sundays - a day that belongs to the NFL - we want to see some of the world's biggest, baddest athletes ...

hitting.

There was a time when Spencer's hit - I grew up with "always see what you're hitting" - would've been legal. Legal? It wouldn't have raised an eyebrow, much less drawn a flag or resulted in a fine. His facemask, for crying out loud, contacted Vick in the helmet.

Pretty sure that's why they developed helmets in the first place. To protect noggins. Right?

These days the allowed strike zones on quarterbacks are smaller than Old Man Potter's heart. Bah Humbug.

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