I’m not saying it was dirty. I made that point in the comments during the game thread — just wanted to see what others thought late last night. However, we’re 0-7, had our first round draft pick injured for the season, spanked 38-10 by the Steelers. All in one day. So I’m not going to blame fans for being ticked about it.

We all love hard hits that decleat a football player and we all hate injuries. To this end, the NFL has created rules to maintain the integrity and excitement of the game while protecting player health, specifically in cases where a player is in a defenseless position. I think Ward’s hit was in a grey area that the NFL should consider regulating. Had Ward simply used his shoulder, he could have knocked Rivers down just as hard and had the same effect on the outcome of the play. Instead, Ward lowered his head and hit Rivers in the jaw. I don’t think Ward tried to hurt anybody, but he made a choice that seriously increased the possibility of hurting somebody. This is the same issue as spearing on defense, legwhipping on the O-line, the George-Foster rule, and the Warren Sapp rule, the Carson Palmer rule, et al. – football is violence with rules. Ward’s conduct is close to diving into someone’s knee. What is the difference between Ward’s hit on Rivers and the hit on Anquan Boldin? Both were hard, both were with the helmet, both seriously affected the health of the recipient. What is Ward’s jaw was broken in the same manner? Don’t tell me that he would call the hit clean.