When Macho Harris was initially called for unnecessary roughness following Asante Samuel’s ninth interception of the season, your Daily Philadelphian thought it was a questionable call that could have gone either way. While we were obviously upset with the change in field position, we didn’t get too angry at the call itself.
However, after watching the replay, we don’t see how that penalty can be called in the game of football. Take a look at the play, then we’ll explain our position.
The hit came maybe a half second after the interception. Harris took two.5 steps before leveling Tony Scheffler.
When players are flying around the field at that speed, you can not expect them to stop on a dime. Momentum would carry Harris forward. Now, did they call the penalty because Harris drilled Scheffler with his shoulder? Maybe.
However, Scheffler was in a position to tackle Samuel so Harris had to chip block him. It just so happens that the chip block was delivered roughly because of Harris’ speed.
Look, the fear of injuries and concussions is very real and the NFL is right to protect players. However, if you are going to call penalties like the one Harris was flagged for, you might as well change to two-hand touch.
