Wade Grayson, a Dirty Razorback
by Tyler T. on Jan 10, 2011 8:00 AM EST
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PrintCameron Heyward has a future, and it includes two healthy ACLs. But that future was put in jeopardy shortly after halftime of the Sugar Bowl, when Arkansas offensive guard Wade Grayson speared Heyward long after his involvement in the play was over.
Grayson spears Cameron Heyward after play
Cut blocks are legal when performed from the front and when a defender is not engaged with another blocker. Many offensive line coaches do not advocate their use, however, as they can be very dangerous to the opposing player when not executed correctly. Grayson's cut block is a testament to this, as he clearly waited for Heyward to leave his feet before spearing him in the side of the leg. As an isolated incident, it's a low-class act. But Grayson has a history of such behavior, and that makes the play even more reprehensible.
Grayson spears Alabama DT Marcell Dareus
Against Alabama earlier in the season, Grayson incensed the Tide players with his repeated borderline blocks on defensive tackle Marcell Dareus. After the game, Dareus had this to say about Grayson:
"When he did that I looked at him like, ‘Are you trying to take me out of the game? You already see I’m hurt (with an ankle injury from an earlier play).’ He just looked at me crazy like he didn’t care. That’s how some players play. It don’t really bother me. It just shows the ignorance on some players when they see a person down and they still try to kick him when there’s no reason."
What Wade Grayson did to Marcell Dareus was a penalty, and it should have been called. But what Grayson did to Cameron Heyward clearly crossed the line of simple mistake. Cut blocks are usually relegated to screen game protection, and are almost always executed immediately upon the snap. On this play, Grayson set up in his normal pass protection drop, leaving the cut block to be clear extracurricular activity. Spearing Heyward long after the quarterback had released the ball was nothing less than a deliberate attempt to remove him from the game. Grayson should have been given a personal foul on the play, and the refs should have considered throwing him out of the game.
And I question the Arkansas coaching staff's involvement in this, as well. It sets off alarm bells when a player who has a history of shady behavior turns to the same dirty tactic he's used before, soon after halftime. It would have been a shame if a punk act by a marginally talented player ruined the NFL chances for Cameron Heyward, and it would be downright despicable if he was instructed to do so by his coaches.
Overall, Arkansas was one of the more dirty teams I've ever seen Ohio State play. Whether it was Wade Grayson's antics, Ryan Mallett stepping on defensive linemen while they were on the ground, or Knile Davis kicking Orhian Johnson after he was tackled, the Razorbacks were playing an entirely separate game after the whistle. And again, it's not their first time exhibiting questionable behavior, at least according to Mark Ingram.
"They were being a little dirty, you know. Pushing, grabbing, things like that. Competitive spirit comes out. … Sportsmanship was great throughout the whole game. I think they were just a little angry at the end or whatever because I saw a few guys punching the quarterback (Greg McElroy) when he was under the pile. I was trying to get him up, and the dude snatched me up, also. You know? It is what it is."‘
Terrelle Pryor underwent foot surgery on Thursday after having his ankle twisted under the pile on his final quarterback sneak of the night. Isolated mistakes are on the players; patterns of behavior are on the coaches.
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Please know the rules...
…before writing one of these “cheap shot” posts. Cut blocking is not illegal in the NCAA as long is it is done from the front or the side, as with any other block. It can be, and is, done anywhere on the field, by any player.
Chop blocks are illegal, but only happens when a player is engaged high by one blocker and low by another.
Spearing is leading and making initial contact with the head and helmet.
The block on Heyward only falls into the spearing category. Otherwise it was clean per the rules. If Heyward wants to protect his legs, don’t jump in the air.
The block on Dareus was a completely legal cut block. He came from the side, with his helmet in front. Dareus was not engaged with another blocker. And, Grayson did not make initial contact with his helmet.
I agree, a few coaches do not coach cut blocking for various reasons ranging from a misplaced sense of honor to the increased probability of causing an illegal chop block penalty. Other coaches implement cut blocks and start drilling them from day one, finding them an invaluable part of their offensive identity. Maybe OSU is not used to seeing them in the Big Ten, but I assure you, they are prevalent in the SEC.
Except this found in Rule 9, Article 1, Section 2
(a) A player in the blocking zone may not block an opponent with the
force of the initial contact from behind and at or below the knee
(Exception: Against the runner).
It looked like it could have been in the blocking zone.
Also, the spearing thing you mentioned. Totally illegal, regardless of where you are, and seen during that play.
There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you.
- Woody Hayes
by Culp's Freaking Hill on Jan 10, 2011 1:17 PM EST up reply actions
Not sure where you're going here.
Neither blocks were from behind, therefore that rule does not apply here. The only infraction that Grayson was guilty in those two examples is spearing Heyward.
You know what, you’re right. I read through the pdf rules quickly and was looking for something along these lines and thought this was it.
Anyway, the spearing thing. I’ll go with that.
The Grayson guy, he’s a dick.
There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you.
- Woody Hayes
by Culp's Freaking Hill on Jan 10, 2011 2:54 PM EST up reply actions
The block on Dareus was a completely legal cut block. He came from the side, with his helmet in front.
Just because his helmet was in front doesn’t mean he came from the front.
As someone else mentioned, spearing is illegal, period. end of story.
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway
by notthatnoise on Jan 10, 2011 1:40 PM EST up reply actions
so I guess what I’m trying to say is, “please know the rules.”
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway
by notthatnoise on Jan 10, 2011 1:40 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
while technically within the rules to “cut” a player down, watching Grayson wait for Heyward to come down from his jump and then explode into his knee area is a very dirty tactic. He hits Heyward when his full force is coming back onto the ground. If he had cut him when he jumped, there would be no chance of blowing out a knee. Waiting to hit him until he landed increased the chance for a knee injury exponentially.
First, don’t jump. Football is a dangerous sport and the players need to protect themselves. Jumping up in the air, right in front of a guy assigned to block you is inviting danger because you left yourself vulnerable. Knocked down passes at the line of scrimmage are blamed on the offensive line. In turn, the offensive linemen are taught techniques to ensure that defensive linemen think twice about leaving their feet to bat down a pass. One of the first is to cut a guy that leaves his feet. Heyward will learn that in the NFL if he hasn’t got the picture yet.
First, don’t jump
What, a defender isnt allowed to jump to deflect a pass? Nah, never seen a pass batted down in the NFL /sarc
Jumping up in the air, right in front of a guy assigned to block you is inviting danger because you left yourself vulnerable.
Vulnerable – yes. If the OL wants to cut a guy down when he jumps, I have no problem with this. Because his legs are not planted firmly on the ground, the impact will have him land on his arms etc., less chance of injury. Totally legal and I would expect that.
But to have the OL specifically wait for the player to come down with all his weight on both knees and then place the helmet into the knees is a dirty play. HUGE chance of injuring the player and could be considered career threatening as well.
If this had happened to your star DL, you’d be crying foul just as loudly.
That’s bullshit, husky, and you know it. At the point that Grayson tried to take out Heyward’s knee, the pass was well beyond the line of scrimmage. The play was over for the linemen, it was now in the hands of WR/DB.
"I'm not a psychopath, Anderson, I'm a high-functioning sociopath. Do your research." - Sherlock Holmes
One, I explicitly stated that cut blocking was within the rules as long as properly executed. Two, no one accused Arkansas of chop blocking Heyward on this play, although there were other moments in the game where it looked like that may have happened. Three, your dig at the Big Ten is noted, and also inaccurate. Ohio State sees plenty of legal cut blocks on a weekly basis in conference play. What we rarely see is the type of borderline and outright thuggish behavior displayed by Wade Grayson and other Arkansas players.
(Rule 9-1-2-d).
ARTICLE 1. a. Clipping is a block against an opponent occurring when the force of the initial contact is from behind and at or below the waist (Exception: Against the ball carrier.)
Article 1 explicitly forbids blocks like the one Grayson used on Marcell Dareus. It was clearly from the posterior, with Dareus’s fall evidence enough of the physics behind the block.
Cameron Heyward’s clip is not explicitly addressed by Article 1, subclause a; but it is addressed by subclause b.
b. The position of the blocker’s head or feet does not necessarily indicate the point of initial contact.
Grayson is not protected by his positioning along the line of scrimmage. Heyward’s body was turned when initial contact was made, and that’s the only criteria that must be ruled upon by the referee. The argument that Grayson had already launched himself before Heyward’s turn is not consistent with other NCAA rules; a player is responsible for the outcome of his actions, regardless of intent. Late hits are often called on defenders for launching themselves at a ball carrier before he released the ball or stepped out of bounds, and that rigid enforcement of the rules should be applied to any infraction with the potential to harm.
Furthermore, Section 9, Article 1 makes special exception for fouls that are deliberate and dangerous.
A flagrant personal foul is a rule infraction so extreme or deliberate that it places an opponent in danger of catastrophic injury.
Even if you still insist on arguing the legality of Grayson’s block, Grayson still should have received a personal foul under Section 9. His portion of the play was over, and his actions were deliberate and held the potential for catastrophic injury.
by Tyler T. on Jan 10, 2011 5:20 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
First of all, lines like this:
Cut blocks are usually relegated to screen game protection, and are almost always executed immediately upon the snap.
only illustrate your lack of understanding for how the game is played. Cut blocks are used all over the field by all manner of player, not just on screens and at the line of scrimmage. I’ve watched a ton of OSU film over the last day, and it looks like only the fullbacks cut regularly on lead iso plays. Otherwise, it doesn’t look like a staple of OSU football. This is probably why you have such a narrow view of the technique.
Second, the block on Dareus was from the side. His helmet hits Dareus’s thigh pad. There is no physical way he could come from behind and hit the front of his thigh. As far as subcluase b, the initial contact is with the shoulder to the side of the leg, not the back, and is probably why this wasn’t called a penalty by the referee who was less than five yards away from the play.
Finally, I never said that the block on Heyward was legal. He speared Heyward and should have received a 15 yard personal foul penalty. I will contend that had he not speared with his head, the rest was legal. The OL cannot know if the ball was thrown or pump-faked. Also, the play goes to the whistle (there is no such thing as “his portion of the play over”), and if cutting the DL at the line of scrimmage prevents him from pursuing the play, that is also a legal block. Furthermore, you’ll never see a flagrant personal foul called by itself unless someone kicks, punches, or swings their helmet at another player. Illegal blocks are specified by chops and clipping, late hits are specified, as are helmet-to-helmet hits.
Weird...
Seeing how Grayson block on Heyward ended up with Grayson’s helmet behind the knee…but let those facts get in the way. It was a clip and it was dirty as all get out. If that was a U-Dub D-Line player, your tune would be a lot different…especially if that D-Lineman was blowing up its opponent’s O-line.
Regardless, there is legal and there is moral…I believe the SEC’s approach on most things (ahem oversigning…pay for play)..signifies its belief of following the rules..or just be being good citizens…
by DeathCabForWoody on Jan 11, 2011 1:37 PM EST reply actions
The BCS title game didn't help the rep of the SEC either
Perhaps it is a little unfair that these cheap shots take place on nationally televised games, but they are clear and unmistakable attempts to injure opposing players. I remember how embarassed and disgusted I was when I watched Bobby Carpenter try to gouge the throat of Jim Sorgi under the pile a few years back… that type of play is ugly and has no place in the game. It happens in most games, it’s too bad for ARK and AUB that they don’t have the sense to control themselves with the whole world watching.
Defending cheap shot artists and dirty players says more about you than it does the rule book.
Speaking of cheap shots, a UW fan taking shots at the Big 10 is laughable. (33-14)… Jake Locker is overrated (153 passing yards, 3 picks vs. OSU). UW is a terrible football program that is years away from playing in a BCS game (take that from a Seattle resident who attends several UW games each year). So husky, I realize all you have to cheer about is the rule book, but please take it somewhere else.
Being critical of the product on the field doesn't make you less of a fan.
When did I take a shot at the Big Ten?
I’m taking some shots at Tyler, because he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Obviously having never played or coached in the trenches. But I never said anything disparaging about the Big 10.
And, I’m not sure when the University of Washington or the Pac 10 became part of the discussion? I thought the post was about Grayson, Heyward, Dareus and cut blocking.
It was Robert Renynolds, my bad.
Wires crossed, sorry.
Being critical of the product on the field doesn't make you less of a fan.
Perspective is everything...
It hits a little closer to home when it is a player on your team (ie Huskies). If you are not grasping that concept while posting nonsense on an OSU blog, there isnt much I can do for ya son.
by DeathCabForWoody on Jan 13, 2011 8:34 PM EST reply actions
Cheap shot but...
Shoulda been handled on the field. Huskies know how to do that: www.youtube.com
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