Abandon All Hope, Part Two: Kill The Head, The Body Dies?

Well, scratch Carolina from The List and it sounds like the AFC has another possibility.

Talking about the preview you will see posted soon (probably tomorrow), one of my friends told me, "When in doubt, go with the Legion of Boom."

As of my preview, I went another direction.  But last night's first NFL game went, largely, the route of the first college weekend:  The old Bounty-gate line of "Kill the Head, the Body Dies".

This could be a year that quarterbacks get targeted (and in the NCAA-rule definition of the word as well!), and the refs will look the other way if the defense doing it is of a preferred team.

Ask Cam Newton, if he can remember a lot of last night (and that's apparently not funny -- Deadspin is reporting he actually does not remember the game's end!)  cording to media sources, was "highly disturbed".

Oh, by the way, before I get to all of that:

One point game?  Check.
Fourth quarter lead change??  Check.
Big Comeback For The Pushed Team (at least for the night)???  Check.
Field Goal Attempt (basically) At The Gun To Win????  Check.

(Not a Cliffhanger by my read of Brian Tuohy's definition -- I should probably begin to check the other kind of Cliffhanger as well.)

Now, back to the headshots...

Deadspin had SEVERAL articles today on them:

On top of the post-game press conference referenced in the linked article above:

• This headbutt/spear from Darian Stewart:

The hit was apparently flagged, but the penalty offset by an intentional grounding call on Newton as he threw the ball.  (BULLSHIT RULE!!  You should not be flagged for intentionally grounding such a blatant personal foul.  That should only apply as "avoiding the sack" - the intention of the rule.)

But that's right:  DENVER WAS SUPPOSED TO WIN -- and injure Cam Newton in the process to set the tone for the football season.

• Deadspin basically states this apparently became the strategy to neutralize Newton at the top of the third quarter, when Von Miller apparently went face-to-face in the third quarter, duplicating this other hit and getting no flag for it!
• And, thanks to a commenter, how about THIS GEM???

Brendan Marshall, that's a major, a game misconduct, and a three-game suspension for charging in the NHL!!!  Leaving your feet, principal point of contact was the head.

I accept the criticism that some readers of this blog give me as to the believed over-emphasis on rigging of games in the light of the head injuries and the after-effects of them with respect to CTE and the like.

I never, though, thought I would see such a blatant attempt by the National Football League to eliminate a star quarterback to set the agenda and narrative in motion as I have seen in some of these clips.

The National Football League and the Denver Broncos participated, in rigging the game last night, in an artifice to injure Cam Newton to the head.  REPEATEDLY!!

It is now clear Carolina is NOT on The List.

Is Denver?  Unclear.

But if this is the narrative the NFL is going to set this year, we're going to have trouble.  Lots of it.