In general, I think the NFL goes too far in trying to protect quarterbacks. But during today's NFC Championship, the referee didn't go far enough.
Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Quintin Demps leveled Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner several seconds after Warner had thrown a pass to Anquan Boldin, and for no reason at all other than an attempt to hurt him. This wasn't a case of a defensive player rushing the passer and not stopping quickly enough. This was a case of a defensive player going out of his way to hit a passer long after the pass was thrown. It was a cheap shot, pure and simple.
And while the referee was obviously correct in calling Demps for a 15-yard personal foul, he erred in not also ejecting Demps. It's not that Demps' hit was all that hard -- it wasn't -- but a player who goes out of his way to try to hurt an opponent has no business being on the field.
Quintin Demps' Cheap Shot on Kurt Warner Deserved an Ejection originally appeared on NFL Main on Sun, 18 Jan 2009 16:29:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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