Anderson, the league’s VP of football operations, states the following in the video: “Initial contact in the neck or head area with a forearm, shoulder or helmet is prohibited.”
(You can watch the video on NFL.com by clicking this link.)
By that description, Ray Lewis‘ hit on Julian Edelman at the goal line early in the fourth quarter should have been punished. The veteran linebacker collided with Edelman at full speed, hitting the receiver directly in the helmet with his forearm. Edelman could not haul in Tom Brady‘s pass on the play.
Edelman left the game with a head injury and did not return. He was officially listed as having a concussion on Wednesday before returning to practice on Thursday.
Yet, on a weekend highlighted by frightening hits by Meriweather, James Harrison and Dunta Robinson, Lewis’ hit hasn’t drawn any attention.
In fact, Lewis is spotlighted in the NFL video for performing a perfectly clean hit in Week 1 against the Jets, when he crushed Dustin Keller over the middle.
“Great player making a great play,” Anderson says in the video.
That play was great, it helped the Ravens secure a win over the Jets, and it was also clean — but the hit on Edelman on Sunday violated the very rule that Anderson was reinforcing just a moment before heaping praise on Lewis.
Addressing the media at practice on Wednesday, Lewis said he doesn’t plan on changing his style of play, regardless of stricter enforcement by the league.
“In my opinion, just play the game like the game’s supposed to be played, and whatever happens happens,” Lewis, a 15-year NFL veteran, said. “If you go into the game thinking about any of that stuff, the game will be diluted very quickly.
“The bottom line is those are hits that, when you go into your defensive room, you’re getting praise for, because that’s the way the game of football is supposed to be played.”
Do you think Ray Lewis’ hit on Julian Edelman should have been punished? Share your thoughts below.
