OT: Is this hit dirty?

"It's a dirty game."

   ~   Denard Robinson, October 15, 2011

Your child's league should have weekly meetings. Make sure you attend the next one and bring this video clip with you, ideally with a projector or a way to show it big. Explain to the leauge heads that you're not against tackling, even hard tackling, but that the boys need to be taught to play the game properly, and this isn't proper. The coach will need to explain his player's behavior and how he's working to rectify it before his team can play again.

All I know is that looks and sounds way more intense than a fifth grade game should be.  Full-on stadium.  PA announcer.  Parents doing their best meathead parent routine.  A lot of sensory overload to make a kid get keyed up and do something stupid.

Why not look at the situation and wonder if the kids aren't reacting to the scene around them? Certainly doesn't look like any elementary school sporting event I've ever seen.

did your kid's team call the offending player Tom by any chance?

Edit: Beaten to the punchline re: Tom 

I think Dantonio offered him a scholarship directly after the game.

again I dont have kids..so maybe this is gonna sound bad, but both of those were clean hits in that situation football-wise. I do have a sneaking suspicion that kid doing the hitting is older than the rest of those kids though. Are the rules on hitting different for 5th graders? They weren't when I was a kid (a couple decades ago lol).

2 thoughts:

1.  Both hits were dirty.

2.  That was a really slow reaction by the refs.  They didn't blow the whistle until about two seconds after the play ended. 

Shouldn't of been a flag on the first hit, second hit for Unnecessary Roughness but wasn't that bad.  I know that they're 5th graders, but come on, expect to get hit.  He got the wind knocked out of him, give him a minute and let play continue.  

I have to go with the not dirty.

1. The hits happened before the whistle.
2. You are coached to play until the whistle.
3. If any hit was dirty, it was the first, for being a tad late. But if you come free and are going for the QB, I can see your momentum carrying you through the tackle.
4. The second hit, the ball is live and you want to take out anyone who is potentially going to go after the DB who caught the interception.

For comparison, here is a link to the Branch hit on Morelli:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbpunU0qaaE. Morelli obviously releases before Branch hits him. In a football sense, either both hits are dirty or neither are dirty.

There is a difference between a hard hit and a dirty hit. Looking at the original clip, those both seemed to be hard hits, but not "dirty." I'd like to know how you define "dirty." What happened to Denard in the MSU game seemed "dirty." (twisting helmets, etc.) Interestingly, Hoke and Robinson and the team refused to publicly complain about Gholston's play.

I also fully understand the targeting of a player. My son plays tackle (now in 103 lb. weight class, 11 year old 6th graders.) The coaching staff scouts opposing teams and reviews film. You better believe that they know who they need to tackle, and tackle hard. No one wants to cause a concussion, and in my son's league, there have been zero concussions in the last five years, encompassing over a 1,000 athletes in that time span. That doesn't mean that you don't fully understand the game changers on each team. At this level, one or two highly skilled players make a huge, huge difference on a team. The whole premise of the DL is to get to the QB and make him think twice about standing in the pocket.

One other thing: that kid may look bigger, but unless the rules are drastically different, I can guarantee that the DL is no more than 20 pounds heavier than the QB or RB. I'd be interested for the OP to find out the respective weights of the 3 players. This information should be readily available. The leagues are very strict about weight, and most players are within 10 pounds of each other.

I find it very interesting that as we consider and cover incoming recruits, particularly linemen, scouts are always looking for the proverbial "mean streak," linemen who "play to the whistle" and look for someone to tackle. This is one of the characteristics touted of Kyle Kalis. Believe me, that "mean streak" doesn't magically appear in the sophomore or junior year of high school.

Football is a hard game that is hard on players. It isn't for everyone, that's for sure.

EDIT:  5'9" & 190 pounds in 5th grade? This league is vastly different from the one my son plays in. If that is the case, I would have to change my position somewhat. This appears to be an open league, which I'm not sure is good for 5th graders.

Why did it take so long for the trainer and even longer for the coaches to go out and check on the 10 year old that was laying motionless on the field.  Everyone just stood there and went on with their business.

Somewhat related... i 'm surprised QBs aren't drilled more on Option reads.  Like if Denard is  watching the defender and deciding to give the ball to the RB, i'm surprised he isn't creamed anyway, considering they pretend to run with the football.

If you want different rules for 5th graders (and those who recommend flag football, I concur) that's fine, but if either of those were called against a Michigan player people would be screaming at their televisions.

The first hit is probably a penalty, because it looks like more than a step to the QB, but it's close. It's one of those that even if your guy got the penalty and knew it was the right call, you wouldn't kill him for it. Can't tell with the distance of the camera if he went for the head or not (which is always a penalty.  But again, even if it was a penalty to be dirty, did he go for the head...or is he just that much taller?). 

The second hit I don't see any problem with at all. It's sad that the kid got hurt, but if you don't want him hurt he probably shouldn't be playing full contact football at that age. Especially with the difference in growth spurts. He didn't hit him from behind, or the backside so it would be an illegal block. (again can't see if he went for the head).  And you don't have to have the player looking at you, this isn't hockey. Frankly you should be coaching the team to always be aware of the play till it's dead. And if there's a gripe, it's with the refs, who as far as the audio shows seem to wait for a full couple of seconds after the guy was down to blow the whistle. So the play wasn't over (what if the guy was on top of him, but his knee wasn't down, and he popped out? Play to the whistle).   I don't buy all the people on here who on that tiny grainy video say "you can clearly see he's watching the interception." Who knows what his eyes are looking at. If he's doing it like you'd expect him to, he sees the interception, then stops watching the interception and looks for someone to block. Then he's keyed in on that player, not the return, and is listening for the whistle.

So, with the evidence presented, and not being sideline to see if someone was getting it in the helmet, I don't think either were dirty. I think they were football. And if you don't think it should happen with 5th graders, I wouldn't disagree. I'd just say that maybe they shouldn't be playing full rules football then.

I know it's currently set to private, so that's a good sign, but....

Please don't be the parent that "takes actions into his own hands" by posting a video to YouTube with the intent of getting a ref/coach/other parent in trouble.

There was some parent that posted a bball game in which they though some player should have been ejected for flagrant fouls.  It was ridiculous.  They claimed about 5 flagrant fouls, when there was really maybe one.  It's just completely unprofessional to take public action like that and this is bordering on that.

If you have an issue, meet with the appropriate parties to discuss it.  (In general, not saying you aren't taking the correct action)