
The 2019 NFL preseason began last night with the Ravens 17-16 win over the Bears in the Hall of Fame game.
Congratulations to Ravens LB Patrick Onwausor for receiving the first penalty under the NFL’s new helmet contact rule. It only took four and a half minutes to be called.
Not to be outdone, teammate Kamalei Correa, whom I like a lot, blasted Tanner Gentry so hard I thought Gentry should have been removed for concussion protocol. That did not happen however.
By my count, two more hits fell under the new rule but were called unnecessary roughness with no mention of the helmet. They involved Diandre Hall’s upward launch on Hayden Hurst and Bennett Jackson’s tackle on TE Daniel Brown where his helmet kind of grazed Brown’s shoulder. Iffy. Former NFL official Terry McAulay, now part of the NBC broadcast crew, said he didn’t think that play deserved a penalty.
The game also included a play where the Bears Nick Orr collided with the Ravens Stanley Jean-Baptiste. Orr was penalized under the old rule, not the new one. Very confusing.
In all, no offensive players received a penalty, nor did anybody playing within the line of scrimmage.
During the postgame broadcast McAaulay said, “The (helmet) rule is written simply but it expands so far on how it’s applied.”
Further confusion. Stay tuned.
Written by Craig Shemon