Suspension, fine out of line for Smith hit

Football is a violent game.

We are always subconsciously aware of this harsh reality, but we’re typically content to rest it comfortably on the back-burners and cheer for those jarring hits between bites of chips and salsa on Sundays.

Every now and then, though, a particularly devastating hit reminds us of just how brutal America’s favorite sport can be.

And anyone who saw the hit that Jets safety Eric Smith put on Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin last Sunday can attest to that.

The scary, helmet-to-helmet collision in the end zone left both players reeling, and Boldin left in a stretcher.

Boldin was eventually diagnosed with a fractured sinus membrane, and a couple stitches were needed to heal his lip.

Calling it a “flagrant violation of player safety rules,” the NFL fined Smith $50,000 and suspended him for the Jets’ next game, against Cincinnati.

Now, I am an Anquan Boldin fan. I admire his toughness and work ethic, not to mention, the fantasy points he racks up for my team. So naturally, I hated to see him absorb such a nasty hit. I hate to see anyone in such a condition, ever.

But I am also upset with the league for so harshly punishing what appears to be an unfortunate consequence the game of football.

This was not a dirty hit. It was an accident.

If you watch the tape, you’ll see that Boldin was running across the middle — a commonly-feared section of the field because of the looming linebackers and safeties — and he was moving into double-coverage.

The cornerback, Kerry Rhodes, actually reached him first, hitting him from behind. This is the contact that redirected Boldin’s head downward, right into the oncoming helmet of an already-diving Smith.

Had Rhodes not hit him, Smith appears to be headed toward Boldin’s chest. And whether or not Boldin comes down with the ball, any helmet-to-helmet contact is avoided.

Going back even further, the play was doomed from the start. The pattern was slow to develop, the pass was lazy, and it was aimed right into multiple defenders.  This is going to lead to a big hit every time in the NFL.

The game scenario is also worth noting. The Cardinals were getting blown out (again), 56-35, with less than a minute remaining on the clock. Should they have even been sending their star receiver across the middle into multiple defenders?

I don’t think the Cardinals should have rolled over and admitted defeat, but the play-calling and the throw by Kurt Warner left Boldin out to dry in a situation that was entirely avoidable.

Now, back to the punishment. I do respect NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for his attempt to protect the players and enforce league rules.

And these kind of collisions do need monitoring. Just last season, the Buffalo Bills’ Kevin Everett was injured on a helmet-to-helmet collision when he led with his head to make a tackle.

Everett suffered a fracture to his cervical spine, and many doctors didn’t initially think he’d ever regain the ability to walk.

Everett’s case justifies Goodell and the league in their attempt to regulate these dangerous hits.

However, a closer review of the tape from last Sunday shows that the contact with Rhodes brought the hit upon Smith before he anticipated. The helmet-to-helmet contact was clearly accidental.

Smith’s hit was bone-jarring. It was violent. It was scary.

But it was the NFL.