The NFL has suspended Jets safety Eric Smith one game for his helmet to helmet hit in the final minute of Sunday's game on Anquan Boldin.
"The message is clear: There are no free passes for illegal technique when someone puts a player at risk, including the [offending player] himself," Anderson told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen. "Once you leave your feet to launch, in the view of the competition committee, you now have strict liability if you end up helmet to helmet with another player. When you launch, you take away your ability to be in control.
Smith was not trying to hurt Boldin. In fact, he suffered a concussion as a result of the play. The rules make things difficult on players. Football is a game of aggression and physicality. It is tough then to ask these guys to hold back when on the field. Incidents like this show that these rules are necessary, but these scary moments unfortunately still occur. Everybody should be thankful the injuries Boldin suffered do not appear to be permanent.