PEOPLE START TO GO TO THE GROUND AFTER THEY GET HIT....this cannot be the basis for a penalty...period.
We have now entered the arena of "stupid". The fact is the penalty is inherently flawed. They must make these hits reviewable and that the only part of the hit that is to be considered is the initial impact.
The fact is when Brooks hit him,
IT WAS LEGAL. Whether Brees started to fall and therefore his neck ran into Brooks' arm cannot be the basis for a penalty because Brooks has no control over this. If Brooks would have hit Brees in the helmet then it's a penalty, but Brooks did not do so, and that is a fact.
This is the worst penalty call of the year in the NFL to date.
My big problem here is that this issue is bigger than just this one hit. Naturally, this hits closer to home because we got screwed out of a win because of it (yes I know there were other plays that if made would have sealed the victory, but that doesn't discount the point that this single play also would have won the game), but the issue of refs arbitrarily picking and choosing winners because of already bogus rules is maddening.
These penalties are flawed at their core. That is the real problem, and the league is hurting the game. At the very least, the league must make these plays reviewable and add a qualifier to the rule that the rule only regards the initial point of impact, not what occurs afterwards i.e. Brees sliding down Brooks' arm.
[ Edited by bigwads on Nov 18, 2013 at 4:50 PM ]