League trying to educate players on illegal hits

Underscoring the NFL's concern for player safety in the wake of a spate of illegal hits Sunday, the league distributed a video this week to all teams that showed players and coaches the differences between hits that cross the line and those that are permissible under the current rules.

NFL vice president Ray Anderson narrates the video, which includes three hits from Sunday's games that resulted in a combined $175,000 in fines. The hits were by Steelers linebacker James Harrison, Patriots safety Brandon Meriweather and Falcons cornerback Dunta Robinson, all of whom were fined. Two of the three collisions resulted in injuries.

"Illegal hits to the head of an opponent will not be tolerated," Anderson said on the video. "A player is accountable for what he hits. Illegal techniques must be removed from our game. We all accept that football is a tough and physical game, but a player must be under control."

In addition to the three hits from Sunday, other plays involving Jets and Giants players were shown. One was a legal hit by Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis on Jets tight end Dustin Keller in a Week 1 game. Also shown was Kevin Boss suffering a concussion against the Panthers in Week 1 on an illegal helmet-to-helmet hit.

There was another hit on Giants receiver Steve Smith from a game last season against the Chiefs that was a legal hit.

The league's renewed emphasis on vicious hits was met with stark differences of opinion in the Giants' locker room Thursday.

"As an offensive player and a quarterback, anything that protects us you are always a fan of," quarterback Eli Manning said. "The commissioner and the league are worried about protecting the players and keeping guys healthy, and that's very important."

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But running back Brandon Jacobs said the emphasis is misplaced. "I'm an offensive player,'' he said, "and I think it's insane."

Jacobs suggested that more big plays will occur because "guys don't want the $50,000 fine or suspension, and they're going to start missing tackles."