Suh vs. Sapp ?

Blocking rules changed this year. That was a legal but dirty hit back in the Sapp days.

Didn't the league also change the rule a year or two after Sapp's hit to specifically make that sort of hit illegal?

I don't recall Sapp having a rep as a dirty player in the public's eye (players may have thought that of him though).

 

Suh's fine was half for the dirty (low) hit and half because of his rep - IMO.

Well, more than just from his rep but from his history of past offenses.  It's not just an image issue.

Yes, his past offenses are as much a part of this.

Sapp and Suh are both dirty players.

I don't think Sapp was a dirty player at all.  He was loud, rude and obnoxious for sure.  He played balls out every game.  I think he was a great player deserving of his place in the HOF.  

 

Suh is a punk ass.  

Agree with Pakrz..

Sapp was a annoying, but not overtly dirty.   The hit on Clifton happened all the time during that era in the NFL and still does occasionally today on special teams and INT returns.."Head on a swivel"  It was also common for the opposing team to just seek out the QB for a free shot after an INT.   

Suh has serious mental issues.

Sapp was an a-hole. What he did to Clifton puts him Suh's class. He intentionally injured a player when he wasn't in the play. And if injuring a player intentionally isn't dirty, I don't know how to define dirty.

Do you consider CMIII a dirty player for tackling Kaep 6 feet out of bounds?  Just trying to gauge your thought process on what makes a player dirty.  Is it because Clifton was hurt on the play?  What if Kaep would have sustained a season ending injury on that play?  Does that change your perspective? 

Not even close to the same thing. Sapp delivered a blindside blow where he literally launched himself at Clifton- the intent was clear, especially considering whee Clifton was in relationship to where the play was happening.

Matthews grabbed Kaepernick as he was going out of bounds and around the shoulders. Didn't launch, didn't have an seem to have an obvious intent to injure.

not to argue but Clay did launch himself, but I believe it was in an effort to keep Kap from going for the 1st down marker so I couldn't care less.  (do I get points for using "couldn't care less" correctly?)

How does one actually launch them-self?

Ok , let me clarify- he didn't launch the way Sapp did, body to body kind if launch. He dove and grabbed Kaepernick around the shoulders and took him to the ground. And as Matthews was starting his leap, Kaepernick ass just crossing the out of bounds line. Penalty worthy? Sure. Right call. In the zip code of Sapp's hit? Not in the same galaxy...

Sapp's shot was dirty and cheap but within the rules as they existed at the time. Clay's hit clearly wasn't and neither one of them have a history of being what I would call a dirty player.

Sapp said on any interception he would target the QB first and if he had no shot available would look for the center.  Even said that on the Clifton hit he couldn't find either the QB or C and decided the LT wasn't a bad option.  

 

PF article talks about Sapp's rationale on the Cliftn hit and his shredding of Jerry Rice's knee.

http://profootballtalk.nbcspor...its-on-clifton-rice/