Asked to clarify the NFL’s helmet-to-helmet contact penalty in the case of a dirty hit on quarterback Josh Dobbs, Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell was at a loss for words.
In a Week 11 primetime matchup on Sunday, November 20, Denver Broncos safety Kareem Jackson, who returned after a two-game suspension for unnecessary roughness, launched himself and lowered the crown of his head into the helmet of Dobbs, who fumbled and turned over the ball on the play
After being asked if he felt Jackson should have been penalized on the play, O’Connell was asked to clarify whether the rule has a different interpretation when the quarterback has the ball versus another skills player.
He gave a blunt answer after struggling to find the words and maintain his grace with the officials.
“The rule is what it is, they didn’t throw the flag,” O’Connell said in his postgame news conference.
“On the field it felt like,” O’Connell added, saying he felt the hit should have been penalized. “It tends to happen pretty fast out there but in the moment, coming from the second level the way he did, it seemed like a pretty direct helmet-to-helmet type hit, but I’m sure they saw it differently.”