Why I don’t mind Dunta Robinson’s hit

People having been giving Dunta Robinson a lot of criticism for his hit on Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin Sunday night. Robinson is now being called a dirty player, and people feel that he should have been suspended. I look at this as just more proof to show that the NFL is not what it used to be. When you look at the play Maclin was coming across the field and the Falcons were playing a zone, Robinson was reading the quarterback and reacted. Of course when people see the hit in slow motion they assume that Robinson could have avoided Maclin, but that is easier said than done when everything is going so fast.

First of all the rules say that if a player makes contact with a defenseless receiver then he should be punished, but if you look at the play Maclin wasn’t a defenseless receiver, he caught the ball in stride. Last year’s play with Robinson and Jackson was more of a fair fine, because Jackson was defenseless. Robinson made a great quote after the game saying “I’m not a dirty player, and if I didn’t play the way that I play I wouldn’t make it in this league.” I completely agree with Robinson, he is not a big guy and he is known for being a hard hitter. If you take away his ability to hit the way he does then he wouldn’t be the cornerback he is now. The play was not dirty at all, because Maclin actually had a chance to avoid the hit. He put his head down as Robinson was coming to hit him. If Robinson wouldn’t have hit Maclin then it was a very good chance that Maclin would have scored play.

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This brings me to my next point about the NFL is taking away from the game of football. I’m not saying that they can’t come up with new rules to protect players, but sometimes enough is enough. Now days the slightest contact of a helmet to helmet hit whether it is accidental or not is costing players fines. This is a contact sport and every player in this league they know what they are putting themselves to risk if they play this game. People get hurt, and I can imagine past football players saying what this game is today. I like the protocols that they have taken about concussions and about defenders hitting quarterbacks low, but the rest of the rules changes I have a problem with. I don’t mind Dunta Robinson’s hit because I know that he was just trying to make a play, and he had no intentions of hurting Maclin, things just happen that way.

By: Steven Virden
ProFootball-fans.com Staff Writer