The crushing hit that Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Terence Garvin delivered to Cincinnati Bengals punter Kevin Huber Sunday night -- a hit that broke Huber's jaw and sent him to injured reserve -- should have been a 15-yard penalty, the NFL announced Tuesday.
Dean Blandino, the NFL's vice president of officiating, said Garvin should have been penalized on the field for hitting a defenseless player.
"You can't hit him in the head or neck, and you can't use the crown or forehead parts of the helmet to the body," Blandino said on NFL Network's NFL Total Acccess, via NFL.com.
"Even though he's pursuing the play, he still gets defenseless-player protection. You can't hit him in the head or neck, and you can't use the crown or forehead parts of the helmet to the body."
It's difficult to argue Garvin's "block" wasn't unnecessarily violent, but calling Huber defenseless obscures the issue here. Punters are players, too, and they need to be mindful of defending themselves on the field just as any other player. They get special protection under the rules, but they can't assume they won't be hit.
The NFL has made it clear that most hits to the head are penalties, so perhaps it's time for the league to rename this type of penalty to remove the "defenseless" description and tell it like it really is.
The NFL has yet to announce whether Garvin will face a fine or suspension for the play.
