New York Jets running back Breece Hall learned on Sunday that it has become impossible to play running back in the NFL over the past few seasons. Clearly the oversaturated market has absolutely demolished the salaries of running backs but in the era of penalties, running backs just can’t catch a break. It seems like every contact draws a major fine in the current atmosphere.
Jets RB Breece Hall plays through contact and is punished
Last week New York took on the Jets in what turned out to be an absolute slugfest as two extremely physical teams butted heads. On one play in particular, Hall took on a low tackle by Falcons defensive back A.J. Terrell and powered right through him. Terrell was seriously injured on the play but this is one of those plays that would have been applauded 10 years ago as good old-fashioned tough running on the part of Hall.
On Saturday, the league announced that they had decided to fine Hall for the hit. Not only was he fined, it was the largest fine of the week at $43,709 for unnecessary roughness. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero added some additional context to the report, writing that Hall makes $61,931 a week on his rookie contract so this fine is essentially 2-3% of Hall’s total salary.
The full contact can be seen below.
This is a brutal case of how the NFL has changed its rules toward players because while a defender can change the way they attack a ball carrier, its even more difficult to try to tell a running back to not lower their pad level on a hit: it’s essentially just bracing for contact. The argument of the NFL is that Hall lowered his helmet along with his pad level so he ultimately speared Terrell but that is a much harder distinction to change in a ball carrier.
It should be noted that while concussions are no joke, Terrell escaping this play with only a concussion is a fairly positive outcome when neck injuries and paralysis are also possible. Atlanta will surely miss it’s best defender in the following weeks as they continue to compete with the rest of the NFC South teams for the division title. The NFC South is clearly the worst division in football this season as the division winner most likely will only have a 0.500 record.
It’s also significant to note, based on the way the NFL does business in the current market, that Hall will be open to more significant penalties if this happens again. This late in the season, the suspension of the emerging superstar is absolutely the last thing the struggling Jets need.
More must-reads: