Cheap shot? Wait a sec, 'Geather' your thoughts

We've barely gotten through Week 1 of the NFL Season and there's already controversy brewing. You might not have heard of Cincinnati Bengals Defensive End Robert Geathers before today, but you'll certainly hear his name on sports shows for the next few days. He's the guy that put Trent Green out of commission with a concussion-inducing collision in during the season opener at Kansas City. Damon Huard came in to replace the QB, who will be out for a substantial period of time.

People are calling for Geathers to be fined, suspended and put to death (well, maybe not quite that extreme, but still, there's an angry mob calling for punishment). This is where YouTube comes in handy. Barely minutes after the incident, clips of the hit were up on the popular video site. Here's the best one I've found. Ignoring the flying white circles the commentators put on screen, it has the clearest angle, and you can see exactly what occurred.

Now, I know we're living in this post-modern era of football, where it's all about the highlight reel. Players get themselves recognised by putting the big hit on a guy. There's even a segment on ESPN called “Jacked Up” ranking the top five hits each week. Screw the fundamentals, the wrap-up tackling, just whack the guy, right? Never mind that if you miss, he's going a long way downfield.

But I must be the only guy online who's leaping to Geathers' defence. I hate that Trent Green is injured, but Geathers did NOT deliberately knock him out. My reasons are twofold: Watch the clip: it's not a late hit by any means, and Geathers actually tucks his head out of the way to AVOID the Chief's QB. There's no spearing here, it's solid, shoulder-to-head. If it were malacious, why would he lead with his shoulder? Secondly, watch the clip again, and focus on the Chief's player behind Geathers (it might be Eddie Kennison).

I cannot believe that with the clarity of the video, the NFL could penalise Geathers in any way. And the legion of idiots on the internet calling this a cheap shot would do well to shut up. It's actually refreshing to see a player NOT go for the cheap hit, to try and prevent the injury of a fellow player, even if he is on the opposing side.

In any case, this all pales in comparison to the real issue. Trent, you're a great quarterback, and you don't always get the credit you deserve. I doubt you're going to read this, but get well soon. I hope you're back on the field and on our TV screens within weeks, not months.

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NFL.com's game report