All Day

I'm not going to bash Al Harris for diving at Adrian Peterson's knee on Sunday. I don't think too many people are going to vociferously bash Al Harris for making a legal hit. But, it is an unfortunate play and it would be nice if the league discouraged dangerous hits on its star running backs and wide receivers a little more, and shifted some of the emphasis away from the overly coddled QB's.

In the game between the Steelers and Browns, Troy Polamolu dove in and upended Jamal Lewis. While Harris is a CB, Polamolu is a safety. Polamolu is supposed to be able to come up in run support and bring the lumber. Hit Jamal Lewis in the chest and knock him backwards ... don't give for his ankles and knees.

Al Harris made a legal hit. But, if the league wants to protect its stars, it should look further than just the QB's. There's a reason why you can't cut a guy that's engaged. There's a reason for not allowing crack backs below the waste. There's a reason clipping is a 15-yard penalty. Any love out there for ball carriers, or should we continue to rely on unwritten rules of conduct?

And, while I'm on the subject of illegal hits, why doesn't the NFL up the ante a little bit? Maybe, if $100K was the fine for hitting flagrantly drilling a defenseless WR in the head, the safeties would adjust their actions a little more quickly than when they only have to pony up $10-15K per offense. Perhaps, if a DE knew he'd have to give up the equivalent of a new Ferrari, he'd think twice before laying out Peyton Manning. If we can prevent the flagrant offenses, maybe we could loosen up the rules so that an errant hand nicking a QB's helmet wouldn't need to be a personal foul as a "blow to the head."