Sharper confirms Saints' gameplan was to hurt Favre

it was an intentional, concious goal of the Saints defense to physically hurt Brett Favre.

When is it NOT a conscious goal of a defense to hurt the QB? The very design of this game is to attempt to dismember the QB while his big nasties in front of him try to stop you. I know this is going to be a very hated opinion, but this story does not surprise me nor provides me with any further anger. Defenders trying to knock a QB out of the game is nothing new.

Moreso he’s saying, “If the QB plays bad, the offense suffers.” Look at the Minnesota/Dallas game. Romo was rattled, running for his life, and their offense was TERRIBLE.

So, while I’m sure they wouldn’t mind hurting Favre, and every defensive player is doing their best to take the opposing QB out, I don’t see this as “confirmation” of anything.

Darren Sharper told me Sunday the Saints’ mission against Favre was, "Cut off the head, and the body will die.’’

Sharper confirms Saints’ gameplan key was to intentionally hurt Favre

Over-exaggerate much?

Drew Brees must go down, and he must go down hard.

thats bs, the intentions of a game should never be to hurt someone. there were so many unneccisary hits on favre after the play. maybe our d-line should have picked up little brees and slammed on his head. thats just the difference in culture in our teams. playing a game versus playing dirty.

There is a big difference between trying to rattle a qb and trying to hurt a qb. If you get a legit shot, then he has to be pounded. This is football and the qb needs to take hits to help the d. But when you are stretching the rules and taking cheap shots, thats not cool. NO did take plenty of cheap shots and bent the rules to try and injure the guy. They were not just trying to rattle him, they were trying to injure him at every turn. They dove at his legs on one play, body slammed him on another, what more do we need to see?

They tried to take KW out as well. I think that d was trying to see how many qb’s they could make retire by inflicting pain. It’s clear to me that this had to come form the coaching staff because fof how consistent it was happeing. I thought Peyton was a class act, but I was wrong.

Like I said, I’m all for nailing the qb and make him hear steps. But I’m not for taking cheap shots to do it. For this reason I hope that sorry ass team gets destroyed and humiliated by Manning. Before this game I was going to root for NO if they won, not now. I hope that franchise reverts back to the bag wearing fans again.

We handed the game to them, we had a chance and blew it. But we get another crack at them next year and pay back a bitch.

I’m with Viking64. I liked your post too and thought it was accurate and objective. Keep up the good writing!

You can say what you want, but I think QBs that are in the way on a RUNNING play are fair game (not a passing play) . I don’t mean that a DE or DT can go running after them 12 yards and pop them- clerly no. But, on that play Favre handed off and immediately Mc Cray and he were face to face. Favre could have easily attempted a block. He has done that countless times before while playing for Green Bay. He tried to position himself for a block on the play that Harvin fumbled, but it was a fumble too early for a block. If you watch you will see Favre positioning to help out with a block. You can’t have it both ways. If a QB can throw a block, he is part of the play and you have to take his dress off. Can you imagine if Mc Cray doesn’t pop Favre and the RB reverses field and now Mc Cray misses the tackle because Favre leveled him or even just got in his way? I think QBs who are in the way on a running play are fair game unless they are clearly trying to run away which Favre didn’t and clearly never did in his career. He has thrown blocks often.
Again, no defender should be allowed to run 10 yards and track down a QB to hit him, but this was not the case.

Now, the hi-lo where Hargrove hit Favre near the knee? Clearly a missed call- should have been a penalty. But I think the ref swallowed the whistle for the exact reasoning above- they made a bad call on the penalty where Favre was in the way on the running play and it was a payback situation. Clearly Mc Cray “blew him up” but QBs are only protected 1) after they release the ball on a pass and 2) on a running play where a defensive player goes head hunting out of his way to hurt a QB. If Favre had held onto that handoff 1 second longer, he is fair game and Mc Cray just reacted to who was in his path and Favre could have blocked him and may have. I think it’s unrealistic to expect Mc Cray to wait and find out if he was going to be the victim. No way.

And for the record, when Warner got blown up the week before on an interception- he was trying to make a play- a tackle (Warner was) and he was clearly fair game and it was a clean hit- a vicious clean hit.

Didn’t the refs, who you suggest were “letting the players play” throw 3 personal foul/unnecessary roughness penalties on the Saints, 2 of which were for hits on Favre? And weren’t there 2 more pass interference/defensive holding penalties (also judgment calls) and 9 total flags against the Saints? Didn’t I see a ref helping Favre up and tucking his shoulder pad back into his jersey? Didn’t the Saints have twice the penalties that were called against the Vikings? Are you suggesting, honestly, that 4 time MVP and 1 time SB Champion QB Peyton Manning gets more protection than 3 time MVP and 1 time SB Champion QB Brett Favre? Gimme a break. The refs, league wide, protect Favre at least as much (if not more so) than any other QB. That was true when he was in GB and it’s true in MN.

According to NFL.com’s drive charts, the Vikings benefited from the following “judgment” calls:

- 5yd penalty for defensive holding on Gay, 1st down
- 15yd penalty for unnecessary roughness on McCray, 1st down
- 15yd penalty for unnecessary roughness on Casillas 1st down
- 15yd penalty for Roughing the Passer on Hargrove 1st down
- 18yd penalty for Pass Interference on Porter 1st down

And the Vikings put a very similar hit on Brees to the one Hargrove put on Favre, and got no call, which they shouldn’t have, as even former QB Troy Aikman said Hargrove’s hit was clean.

You’re whining is pathetic, but considering the source, hardly surprising. The game plan for at least half the games in any given week is to hit the QB hard and often, yet you seem to think that the Saints did something unusual or wrong last week, most likely because the Saints treated Favre like an opposing player, instead of the God you seem to think he is…

I know it’s tough. When I was living in Minnesota, I was the Vikings fan. In fact, I am not really attached to any team unless some exceptions mandate that. I love Favre a lot and I I root for the Vikings sometimes. I hope that this loss by the Vikings will be healed soon. I know it hurts. Who knows—it can be Vikings Super Bowl within the next one or two years.

I just don’t know how I could have said it better.

Before I make my comment I’d like to say that I’m not complaining about the officiating, nor am I complaining about how the Saints played. The game is over and that is that.

Now back to my comment. What I find interesing is that if JA would have hit Brees in the same manner as McCray did on the play that Brett was injured (and threw the first interception) the NFL would have fined him and every visiting poster would be calling for his head.

On the play in question, McCray dove for Brett’s legs and hit him below the knees…much like what everyone said happened when JA hit Matt Schaub two seasons ago.

I’m just sayin…

it was a makeup non call because a ref should not call a bad hit on a running play vs. a QB unless the defender goes out of his way to hunt the QB down and that didn’t happen. Mc Cray had an opportunity handed to him right 2 feet in front of him and he “blew him up.” It was just a amatter of a small contact or a huge one. There was no way to actually avoid contact, but he maximized it. No penalty. But the payback, in the form of a non-call, unfortunately for Vikings fans, was huge.

Sort of, anyway. I wrote in the OP:

I don’t think Goddell will allow that, hence … I think the NFL front office will (quietly, not publicly) be sending a memo to the Saints today or tomorrow to not make it an explicit goal to hurt the other quarterback — “or else.”

Vikings quarterback Brett Favre and Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez both took hits during Sunday’s conference championship games that should have resulted in penalties but were not flagged, NFL V.P. of officiating Mike Pereira says.

“They’re missed calls,” Pereira said during his “Official Review” segment on NFL Total Access.

On a Favre interception against the Saints, Remi Ayodele hit Favre high while Bobby McCray hit him low, and Pereira said McCary should have been flagged for getting Favre in the lower leg.

“It is the kind of hit that we want called because, clearly, we’re trying to protect the knees,” Pereira said.

The only thing I got wrong, was that I thought the “line would be drawn in the sand” for the Saints and Colts privately. It turns out they did it very publicly. As I think on it, it makes sense … if they are going to change how strictly they enforce penalties between championship weekend and Superbowl, they want ot be clear about it up front, rather than have fans howl when the calls are suddenly being made again in Miami.

I’m not sure what the impact of the non-calls on fouls against Sanchez might have been, as it was not a close game. But because the now-officially admitted “missed call” on the Favre Brady rule hit would have nullified Favre’s interception … well, it may have changed the final outcome of the game. Hard to say, since so much would have changed after that too, but it at least seems highly likely. That first INT was a killer, and if we get 15 yards on top of keeping the ball … that’s a big swing for the Vikings.

What’s done is done, as far as the game Sunday. But for the integrity of the game, I’m glad to see Pereia throwing this “brushback pitch.” NFL defense are now on notice that they probably won’t get away with this stuff in future playoff games.

I hope he would shove it up sharper ass. Had they call the low hit on Favre the Int would be null. That was an important call. Now they admit it. WOW HOW SMART.

Darren Sharper sucked a$$ last year. The only reason he is all pro this year is because he they switch him back to FS where he can pad his interception stats. He sucks balls at coverage.