By Michael Kelley & Michael Kowaleski

Targeting Injured Players?

Kelley: After the NFC Championship game this past Sunday, two Giants players openly said that they targeted 49erspunt returner Kyle Williams because of his history with concussions.

Williams has four recorded concussions in his career, so according to Giants special team players Jacquian Williams and Devin Thomas, their main goal going in was to “put a hit on him” and “take him out of the game.” That goal was more than accomplished as the Giants punted 12 times and caused two fumbles.

The average fan would be appalled after hearing this. My Mom was one of those people, saying, “How could someone do that to another person?!” Are you outraged?

Just think about it for a second though. It is an old, dirty, but effective strategy in sports to take advantage of the weak, to show no mercy, to win at all costs. By being on the field, Williams knew the risk he was taking. No one, even the average fan, should expect the Giants players to take it easy on him because he has concussions. They utilized a strategy that is within the rules and it paid off greatly, as Williams’ fumbles cost the 49ers the game and a trip to theSuperbowl.

Kowaleski: I agree completely. They attacked a weakness like any reasonable team would. Predators go after the most vulnerable prey, and that’s exactly what the Giants did. These guys aren’t paid to take it easy on their opponents. The fact that this is a “controversy” is nothing short of preposterous to me. This situation is just another unfortunate example of how the NFL is straying from its roots of the toughest men in professional sports. What happened to players like Jack Youngblood, who played the entirety of the 1979 playoffs (including Super Bowl XIV) with a fractured left fibula? His opponents were fully aware of this injury, and attacked him as well. He stood his ground. If Williams was hindered, he shouldn’t have been playing. Instead, his opponents are catching flak for taking advantage of a known weakness.

San Francisco, already missing their starting punt returner, Ted Ginn Jr., had little choice but to keep Williams in—it was a tough call for 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, and perhaps another substitute could have been found. It also has to be noted that the conditions at Candlestick Park were extremely slick, with rain and wind playing a large factor.

Personally, I would have taken Williams out after the first fumble, but I’m a stickler for ball security myself.

Joe Paterno: Legacy?

Kelley: From the moment Joe Paterno was dismissed from his head-coaching job at Penn State to his final moments before his death January 22, the topic of his legacy has frequently come up.

Should he be remembered as an enabler to the infamous Sandusky child molestation acts or as a legendary head coach who positively changed the life of thousands of players and also the university for which he worked?

For those who knew him best, he was more than a coach, helping his players with their academics, specifically inviting players to his house for his wife’s homemade pasta and tutor sessions.

Let’s remember that this is a guy who had no NCAA violations in 46 years of coaching. 46 years! The infamous mistake is something he has admitted to being wrong, acknowledging that he was confused on how to go about it, and not sure what would become of it. He described it as a decision he has regretted for a long time. Unfortunately, people get remembered for their wrong doings more than their good, but in this case, and with all the respect and prayers to the victims of this awful crime, Paterno needs to be remembered for all the good he did for his players, university, and family, not his one mistake.

Kowaleski: This is a “what have you done for me lately?” society we live in, for better or for worse. With that reality in mind, the last thing Paterno will be remembered for is not for a Big Ten Championship, but for an unfortunate scandal that he was involved in.

Despite the articles upon articles that I’ve read concerning the situation, I still don’t know for certain what exactly “JoePa” knew and reported. But this much is certain: he didn’t do everything he could. Maybe he assumed his superiors would have reported it to the authorities (which isn’t unreasonable), but in a case as terrible as this, more should have been done. Joe Paterno was certainly not the most egregious offender besides Sandusky himself, but he should still be held accountable. If the offense was less horrific, he would be cut more slack. But something that terrible cannot be ignored.

Yes, he was a shining example of honor in a college sports system that is certainly flawed and corrupt in many areas. Let’s not forget USC, Ohio State and Miami, whose own scandals were overshadowed by Penn State’s. That status as the moral lighthouse for so many athletes only makes his fall all the more tragic.