Bruschi on Brady

I agree with Bruschi that he did not intentially set out to injure - this is not the WWE. BUT, if it's illegal to hit below the waste and he is practically shooting into his knee, there is no way that's a "clean" hit AND it's one or the other. On top of that, this guy didn't exactly overextend himself to apologize.

Sonny_Colione,

I agree. The thing that bothered me was Pollard pumped his fist after he got up, but in an interview after the game Pollard said when he hit Brady and Brady went down he could hear him scream and Pollard said he knew it was bad right away. If he knew he just caused Brady significant damage, and it wasn't intentional, why is Pollard pumping his fist in a celebratory manner once he got to his feet?

Maybe the impementation of a new rule should be made. I'm not sure what it would be, but maybe if a defensive player is flat on the ground and at the feet of a Quarterback, the defensive player is now not allowed to swat or touch the QB's legs, and that defensive player is now non existant until he gets back to his feet again. Then he can continue his rush.

I'm just tossing that out there. Is it perfect? No. But something needs to be done before we lose all the best players to something so unessesary.

Did he intentionally try to hurt Brady? Who knows? But he was blocked to the ground and lunged at his knee. It was a dangerous, reckless play - what did he think was going to happen?

There is no question that this was an illegal hit. I would refer any one to the 2006 rule change (John Clayton at ESPN had a long article which you can google). I doubt that Bernard Pollard "intended" to injure Tom Brady in the same way that I doubt a player intentionally commits a roughing the passer penalty. The point is that a player is required to play within the rules. Mr. Pollard did not and he should be fined significantly.

I would add that Mr. Pollard showed a deep insensitivity and personal cowardice in his comments after the game. To comment on Brady "screaming" after the hit is a disgrace and beneath the basic dignity of the Kansas City Chief's organization which Lamar Hunt built.

Don't expect the media to say anything about it though; its permanent open season on the Patriots.

I also agree with Teddy. My problem is with the hypocrisy with which the media and the nfl have treated the Patriots.

Last year, playing Buffalo, Wilfork took out the Bills QB in a nearly identical play. The result: penalty on Wilfork for the hit because it was below the waist. Fine by the nfl for the same reason. Derision by the media and nfl for the play which just had to be a deliberate attempt to injure the QB.

This year the same play that just happens to injure Brady and the result: no penalty, no fine (at least yet - though no one expects there to be one), and a media and nfl going out of their collective way to forgive the play as a non-intentional one and put no blame at all on Pollard. Not to meantion the absolute glee with which some in the media have received the news of Bradys injury.

I do not for a second believe the hit was intended to hurt Brady. It was simply the result of a player working his butt off to make a play, the same as Wilfork was doing the year before. The disparity with which the two have beem treated however, is totally unacceptable, and completely irresponsible of the nfl for allowing, simply demonstrating the bias with which they (nfl and media) treat the Patriots.

The nfl and its games are certainly not rigged, this does not mean that there is not a great gap in the equality with which some teams are treated by many of those within the organization, and the way the teams are portrayed within the media.

It's Illegal to dive at the Quarterbacks leg. This is the Carson Palmer rule. Correct me if I'm wrong. He could have grabed the leg, but he chose to lundge into it.

The only penalty here was that Pollard was being held before he lunged! He practically had his helmet ripped off and fought to get to Brady in whatever way he could. I guess he should have just laid at the feet of the almighty? He did what every player is suppose to do, work as hard as you can to get to the QB. It was not dirty OR illegal. He lunged from the ground because he was pulled to ground in the first place. It was just unfortunate that Brady stepped into him as he jumped. Bernard Pollard was very contrite afterwards. He said he heard Brady scream because he DID hear him scream. I guess he should beg forgiveness from the NFL gods for hitting the "untouchable". Get over it, football is a tough sport and nobody is above the law of averages.