apaladin wrote: ↑Mon Sep 06, 2021 9:15 pm
After watching the replay I thought both of their targeting calls were correct. The one on Sisson was blatant. Two things you can’t do, launch, which he did, lead with the helmet which he did helmet to helmet. The other was less obvious but there was head contact with helmet and shoulder.
I know A&T fans didn't like the calls, but they were both correct.
Targeting is frequently misunderstood. There are two different rules - (1) no forcible contact with the crown of the helmet, and (2) no forcible contact with the head or neck area of a defenseless player. Both rules require at least one "indicator of targeting" and can be initiated by the replay official, even if not called on the field.
Essentially, the calls are type of "per se" liability. It doesn't matter if it was vicious. It doesn't matter if you meant to or couldn't stop yourself. If you do one of those two things, it is targeting, regardless of your intention.
In both instances, the Furman player was definitionally "defenseless"
Deluca had just reached for and dropped a pass. One of the definitions of a defenseless player includes "[a] receiver attempting to catch a forward pass . . . and has not had time to protect himself or has not clearly become a ball carrier."
Sisson, too, was definitionally "defenseless" as "[a] player in the act of or just after throwing a pass."
As both players were definitionally defenseless, the question is essentially was whether there was forcible contact with the head or neck. In both instances there was.
Unlike a number of targeting calls, both plays were unnecessary. Aggie defenders had other options beside targeting the offensive player.
