The NFL suspended Los Angeles Chargers S Derwin James this week after his unlawful hit on Pittsburgh Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth on Sunday. Whereas the Freiermuth hit precipitated the suspension, the NFL suspended James as a repeat offender. His head coach, Jim Harbaugh, strongly defended him on Wednesday when addressing the suspension, and the hit, blaming Freiermuth.
“There was not a defenseless participant, modified his course, and I assumed that Derwin’s helmet was stiff-armed by Mr. Freiermuth”, Harbaugh stated of James’ unlawful hit towards the Steelers, by way of Michael David Smith of Professional Soccer Discuss. “I assumed that induced his head to make the contact, and I assumed the contact was first with the forearm, then the shoulder, then the top”.
Derwin James struck Pat Freiermuth within the head shortly earlier than halftime, recognizing the Steelers 15 yards by way of penalty. As Freiermuth turned upfield, James went in for the sort out. Freiermuth did try and stiff-arm James, however it had no impact by any means on what ensued. If something, the meager try softened the direct helmet-to-helmet blow he suffered.
Jim Harbaugh making an attempt to assert that Freiermuth redirected James’ helmet into his personal strikes me as greater than disingenuous. Whereas James might have meant to purpose at a extra authorized portion of Freiermuth’s physique, he was, at greatest, focusing on the neck space, which additionally qualifies for a foul. The truth that he additionally left his ft and “launched” into the hit is a strike towards him. He was actually a complete foot off the bottom.
“You may by no means actually take the top out of the sport as a result of it’s in between the 2 shoulders”, Harbaugh stated. He added that Derwin James is attempting to keep away from such hits “to the very best of his human capability” and that he “genuinely cares and needs to do it absolutely the proper method”.
James “has reached out on his personal to officers this previous summer time to realize a greater grasp of how they need it completed”, Harbaugh continued, “actually going out of his method, generally giving up yards, in order that he cannot injure one other participant or hit him with the top. So yeah, I’m disillusioned”.
Derwin James has drawn greater than half a dozen private fouls over the course of his profession, together with 4 final season. It was possible the buildup of penalties that spurred his reaching out to the league, to attempt to keep away from flags. However he didn’t keep away from hitting Pat Freiermuth within the head when he might have.
James is a former Professional Bowl security who by and enormous has had a very good popularity across the league. His current string of private fouls following a run of accidents has diminished that some in recent times, however he’s nonetheless probably the most proficient safeties within the recreation.
However James isn’t any extra free to illegally strike gamers than anyone else is. Jim Harbaugh can argue that it’s Pat Freiermuth’s fault for getting in a half-hearted, short-armed stiff-arm try in that marginally redirected the contact level, however that didn’t trigger the unlawful hit. And it’s the defender’s duty to keep away from such hits in any respect prices, as the foundations state. Harbaugh claims that’s what James is doing, however he didn’t right here—or his ft would have been on the bottom.