T.J. Ward

[ClevelandFanForLife]

i don't get what the big deal is. yes, it was helmet to helmet... accidentally. look at the video again. you can clearly see that not only did he lead with his shoulder, but shipley had the ball in his hands. why don't we just put dresses on them and have them kiss too.

[ClevelandFanForLife]

You were doing so good.....and then you had to go and whine like a little girl bringing up stuff that simply isn't true. Hines doesn't make cheap shots, just nasty ones.

actually, he was voted the dirtiest player in the nfl. not by the fans, but by the players. he does play hard and i like it. however he can also play cheap. not big cheap shots, just little ones that the camera may not always pick up.

[hoorta]

You were doing so good.....and then you had to go and whine like a little girl bringing up stuff that simply isn't true. Hines doesn't make cheap shots, just nasty ones.

 

Then you're in the minority opinion. I guarantee you someone's eventually gonna take Hine's head off when he's not looking- Lord knows he's done it enough times to other players.

 

[hoorta]

Well, I'm not very good at imbedding videos, but take a look at some of these hits and tell me the NFL is turning into the National Flagfootball League.

 

 

[dawgpound3]

TJ Ward's hit was not illegal. It was legal, it was shoulder to chest, but Shipley ducked causing the head to get hit also.

[The Gipper]

I disagree. He may push the limit and issue devastating hits even when they aren't instrumental in the play but that simply tells me that he is aggressive 100% of the time and I love it!

 

Then by that same measure you therefore have to believe that TJ Wards play was simply being aggressive....except that in fact his hit was instrumental in the play.

Fair to say?

[The Gipper]

Bottom line on TJ Ward's hit on Shipley:

 

It was an illegal hit to the head.

It could have been a dangerous devastating blow that could have seriously injured the WR ala Daryl Stingley.

TJ will get fined for it, as he certainly, probably should.

Nevertheless, bottom line, however is that it brings a message.

That message is, courtesy of Austin Carr:

 

" Don't bring that weak stuff in here. You want to go over the middle on the Browns then you may just want to get yourself slobberknockered. You want to grow alligator arms and you don't want to catch those passes sent in there like that. QBs, don't set you receivers up for devastation. Hold on to the ball and accept a sack rather than get your WR smashmouthed. WRs: don't catch the ball. Don't jump for the ball. Let the ball hit the ground. If you don't the next THUD that you hear may be you. If you like the aroma of smelling salts, just keep doing what you are doing. The next time it will be a legal hit to your breadbasket and then you may have some cracked ribs to deal with. Have a nice day."

[mopaji]

The hit was AWESOME!! Yeah he got flagged but what's he supposed to do, let him catch it? He went in with his shoulder and 2 years ago that was a legal hit. I'm willing to bet his teamates pick up that fine for him. What I love about him is that he laid out TO and left TO wincing on his way back to the huddle. And keep watching him, you'll notice that when ball carriers see him, they avoid him at all costs. And the guy is violent. I cannot express how much i love this kid!

 

And Hillis! This is Cleveland Browns football. You have Vickers and Hillis lighting defensive players up and TJ scaring the hell out of the offense, this is Cleveland Browns football!

[BrownsBacker]

TJ Ward shows no remorse for the hit he put on Shipley, the Browns NEED a player like this on defense and the fact hes producing and turning so many heads as a rookie is a great sign in my eyes. The media and Bengals are trying to scare him out of hitting hard but its simply not going to happen!

 

 

Borrowed from a news site

 

Early in the fourth quarter in Cincinnati's game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer threw a pass to rookie receiver Jordan Shipley in the end zone.

 

Shipley couldn't bring it in for the catch and was viciously hit by Browns rookie safety T.J. Ward. The hit drew a personal foul and Shipley was helped off of the field. It was later determined he suffered a concussion.

 

Bengals receiver Terrell Owens immediately began yelling at the Cleveland defensive players after the play.

 

"A ridiculous play. The guy's defenseless. I just hate to see a guy get hit like that in the head. For him to take a cheap shot like that, that's uncalled for," Owens told the Cincinnati Enquirer after the game. "At one point, I thought he was out cold. His eyes were rolling in the back of his head. You never want to see a teammate in that situation."

 

Palmer called it a "cheap shot" and said hits like that remind him how violent the game is.

 

Ward thought differently.

 

"I hit him with my shoulder," Ward said. "They [bengals] tried to yap at me, but I ignored them. I would do it again."

 

 

TJ Ward is a real football player and even vets like TO are afraid of him (don't try to tell me you aren't afraid you showboater!)

[next2nothing]

TJ Ward shows no remorse for the hit he put on Shipley, the Browns NEED a player like this on defense and the fact hes producing and turning so many heads as a rookie is a great sign in my eyes. The media and Bengals are trying to scare him out of hitting hard but its simply not going to happen!

 

 

Borrowed from a news site

 

Early in the fourth quarter in Cincinnati's game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer threw a pass to rookie receiver Jordan Shipley in the end zone.

 

Shipley couldn't bring it in for the catch and was viciously hit by Browns rookie safety T.J. Ward. The hit drew a personal foul and Shipley was helped off of the field. It was later determined he suffered a concussion.

 

Bengals receiver Terrell Owens immediately began yelling at the Cleveland defensive players after the play.

 

"A ridiculous play. The guy's defenseless. I just hate to see a guy get hit like that in the head. For him to take a cheap shot like that, that's uncalled for," Owens told the Cincinnati Enquirer after the game. "At one point, I thought he was out cold. His eyes were rolling in the back of his head. You never want to see a teammate in that situation."

 

Palmer called it a "cheap shot" and said hits like that remind him how violent the game is.

 

Ward thought differently.

 

"I hit him with my shoulder," Ward said. "They [bengals] tried to yap at me, but I ignored them. I would do it again."

 

 

TJ Ward is a real football player and even vets like TO are afraid of him (don't try to tell me you aren't afraid you showboater!)

I agree that he shouldn't show remorse because it wasn't an illegal hit or a cheap shot. The penalty was only called because the refs deemed Shipley "defenseless", which IMO is another stupid rule to go along with the "no hitting the QB below the waist" rule. Injuries are a part of the game, if you don't want the QB taking shots then just rule out any blitzes what so ever and make it all about who can score the most points...

 

I understand they're trying to protect players from life altering injuries but what do you want Ward to do? Let Shipley just catch the ball because he doesn't want to get fined or called for a penalty? The rare times that I was able watch Texas on TV I really liked Shipley but I'm not going to feel sorry for the guy. It was a clean hit.

[hoorta]

I disagree. He may push the limit and issue devastating hits even when they aren't instrumental in the play but that simply tells me that he is aggressive 100% of the time and I love it!

 

What part of the definition of a cheap shot aren't you getting? You put it right in print. Remember the "not part of the play" shot that ended Dwight Stephenson's career? Oh, and you wouldn't love it if Hiney was playing for some other team- and it seems that the rest of the NFL agrees- not just us Browns fans- it's just that we get to see his antics twice a year.

 

 

[The Gipper]

Kids say the damndest things!

 

 

Yes, per Arthur Godfrey: "Out of the mouth of babes you get....the truth"

[ClevelandFanForLife]

guys,w e are getting off topic here. let's get back to the point that was made with this whole "cheap shot" business. the bottom line is this: we now have a guy in our defensive backfield who isn't afraid to knock someone's head off. i love it. he is just what we needed. we've seen guys hearing footsteps when they hear troy polamalu and brian dawkins zero in on them. we have a guy like that now too. when was the last time a receiver heard footsteps against the browns? i can't recall any. what makes this even better is that it got national coverage. everyone in football now knows that ward is a hitter and he's lurking back there. receivers are going to start getting alligator arms now when we play them. all this "bad" publicity for ward is the best thing for him. people will be afraid now.

[Kosar_For_President]

He led with his shoulder, period.

[1 more season]

He led with his shoulder, period.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5655099

 

$15k fine

[hoorta]

You ever play football? Ever play wide receiver? When the play calls for you to block do you just nudge the guy because you know the play is going the other way? You might.....a solid player wouldn't....a guy who gives 100% on every play sure as hell wouldn't!

 

face it, you're all just pissed because Hines doesn't play for you! You get one player who makes one hit and you're all creamin in your drawers....but if it's on the hated Steelers it's dirty.......wake up my friend.

 

I wouldn't want cheapshotter Hiney on the Browns if you gave him to us. IMHO, he's the dirtiest player in the league since Conrad Dobler.

 

Get real- we're not talking nudging the guy- we're talking full bore blindside hits on a guy who's 20 yards out of the play- inexcusable.

 

Ask the Bengals fans how much they love Hiney after he busted their guy's jaw.

 

Yeah- and if TJ can put a hit like that Hiney Cheapshotter, I'll personally write him a $100 check to help pay his fine.

 

[djdawg2010]

I wouldn't want cheapshotter Hiney on the Browns if you gave him to us. IMHO, he's the dirtiest player in the league since Conrad Dobler.

 

Get real- we're not talking nudging the guy- we're talking full bore blindside hits on a guy who's 20 yards out of the play- inexcusable.

 

Ask the Bengals fans how much they love Hiney after he busted their guy's jaw.

 

Yeah- and if TJ can put a hit like that Hiney Cheapshotter, I'll personally write him a $100 check to help pay his fine.

 

 

 

Say what you want about Hines Ward, and trust me I hate that constant shit eating f***n' grin that he always has on his mug, but he is a baller! That being said, would love to see TJ tatoo his ass! Not wishing any sort of permanent injury on the guy, but definitely ring his bell enough to say "Yeah, that's right... I'm right here biaaatch!"

[bjh2130]

It was a hit deemed worthy of a fine by the league. A 15 k fine at that. I personally think Suh's hit was much more unnecessary and he got fine what 2,500? I guess being a more well known name gets you lesser fines. Anyone listening to Spielman in Columbus go off on the hit by TJ ward today?

[djdawg2010]

That's bit of an exaggeration dontchya think?

 

Bengals fans? Ask a whining wussy if they thought an injury was cheap or dirty? No thanks, I'd rather ask an infant about rocket science.....probably get a more rational answer.

 

 

You mean there is actually a such thing as a Bengals fan? LOL!

[The Gipper]

It was a hit deemed worthy of a fine by the league. A 15 k fine at that. I personally think Suh's hit was much more unnecessary and he got fine what 2,500? I guess being a more well known name gets you lesser fines. Anyone listening to Spielman in Columbus go off on the hit by TJ ward today?

 

No, what did he say?

[Knatty Dreadnok]

Ward led with his shoulder but there was helmet to helmet contact after the initial hit. Didn't look intentional... guy should not have been fined like that. Even during the replay I had a hard time pinpointing the ball until after the hit had already taken place. I can't imagine throwing the book at this guy, I'm biased ofcourse, but what the hell, might as well have fined Ward for having a head too big for his shoulders. On another note considering Palmer put the freaking ball over the middle he should be the last guy getting in Ward's face.

 

Check the link. Scroll down the page and watch the clip at about 9 or 10 seconds. Replay a few times.

 

TJ Ward Hit!

 

[Canton Mike]

It was a hit deemed worthy of a fine by the league. A 15 k fine at that. I personally think Suh's hit was much more unnecessary and he got fine what 2,500? I guess being a more well known name gets you lesser fines. Anyone listening to Spielman in Columbus go off on the hit by TJ ward today?

 

I haven't heard about the Spielman statement, but I'm madder than HELL that Ward's fine is SIX TIMES what Suh's was!!! Suh picked the man up & THREW him to the ground! How the hell can Ward's single hit that could well be deemed "continuation" compare in vicious intention to Suh's hit on DelHomme? If I were the Browns & Ward, I would be appealing my ass off. I don't care about preseason & regular season either. The "fine" is unfair when you compare the 2 hits.

Mike

 

[Pavo Joe]

I haven't heard about the Spielman statement, but I'm madder than HELL that Ward's fine is SIX TIMES what Suh's was!!! Suh picked the man up & THREW him to the ground! How the hell can Ward's single hit that could well be deemed "continuation" compare in vicious intention to Suh's hit on DelHomme? If I were the Browns & Ward, I would be appealing my ass off. I don't care about preseason & regular season either. The "fine" is unfair when you compare the 2 hits.

Mike

Suh's hit was a continuation play. He could have let go and stopped at any time, insteed he tried to twist his hear off as he tossed him to the ground. Ward's hit was dam near unavoidable and he clearly did not lead with his head there was however helmet to helmet contact as Shipley has coming down. I guess it could be Shipleys fault for not defying gravity and levitating in the air so he only got busted ribs instead of a concussion.

[Canton Mike]

Suh's hit was a continuation play. He could have let go and stopped at any time, insteed he tried to twist his hear off as he tossed him to the ground. Ward's hit was dam near unavoidable and he clearly did not lead with his head there was however helmet to helmet contact as Shipley has coming down. I guess it could be Shipleys fault for not defying gravity and levitating in the air so he only got busted ribs instead of a concussion.

 

I may be wrong but My view of "continuation" (Ward's hit) is a movement already started that couldn't be stopped. Suh's throwing DelHomme as he did was a deliberate & additional action &, at least IMHO, should have been been a MUCH higher fine. I don't say this as a biased Brown's fan, but simply as an observation. Suh's hit was simply malicious & the difference in fines was completely out of line.

Mike

 

[CLEVELandMILIDH]

Quick video I put together, Im gonna do a complete one once I get some more video of him.

 

"The Warden" is his new handle, copyrighted by me....

 

[cambridgeho]

"The Warden" that is a badass name.

[TheClevelandSound]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d81b1...le=HP_headlines

 

BEREA, Ohio -- T.J. Ward's "cheap shot" was costly.

 

For delivering a nasty blow to an opponent's head, the NFL belted the Cleveland Browns' rookie safety in the wallet.

 

Ward, who in just four games as a pro has developed a reputation as a ferocious tackler and fearless talker, was fined $15,000 Wednesday for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jordan Shipley during the fourth quarter of the Browns' win on Sunday.

 

Ward confirmed he was fined, but he wouldn't divulge the amount. However, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that the league assessed Ward the $15,000 penalty for ramming Shipley, who was knocked out briefly and sustained a concussion.

 

The league will not announce its discipline on Ward until Friday.

 

A split-second after Shipley failed to catch a pass from Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer in the end zone, Ward unloaded on the rookie wideout, sending him sprawling to the turf. Ward claims he led with his right shoulder, but television replays clearly show him making contact with Shipley's helmet.

 

"I just tried to make a play, and unfortunately, he got hurt," Ward said before practice Wednesday. "It's part of the violent game we play. If you play that position, it kind of comes with the territory."

 

The Bengals weren't pleased, and following the game, both Palmer and wide receiver Terrell Owens accused Ward of a dirty play.

 

"I just hate to see a guy get hit like that in the head," Owens said. "For him to take a cheap shot like that, that's uncalled for."

 

Browns coach Eric Mangini defended Ward, saying it was an aggressive play -- nothing more.

 

Owens countered with a personal shot at Mangini.

 

"Look who it's coming from," Owens told Bengals teammate Chad Ochocinco in an interview on VERSUS in advance of the premiere of the "The T.Ocho Show." "Probably 90 percent of his players don't like him (Mangini) anyway. "I don't like him. We got to see him again anyway, so we'll see who's going to do some cheap shots next game.

 

"Hit me like that."

 

The Browns visit the Bengals on Dec. 19.

 

Ward insists he didn't intentionally try to injure Shipley. As he came across the end zone, Ward said he saw the ball and Shipley and acted instinctively.

 

"It wasn't malicious intent to knock him out or get him hurt," Ward said. "It's part of the game. I reacted to what I saw and tried to make a play. I didn't really try to hit him with everything I had, but still it was a pretty violent hit. I wasn't trying to aim for his helmet in any way.

 

"I just hit what I saw, it all happened so fast."

 

It might have been a blur, but with the league determined to clean up unnecessary contact to player's head in the wake of new studies on concussions, Ward might need to closely monitor his future on-field conduct. He might not deserve a head hunter's label or to be cast as a dirty player, but it's likely officials will be aware of Ward's actions as the season progresses.

 

Undersized at 5-foot-10, Ward made Oregon's team as a walk-on. He wound up playing 37 games for the Ducks, catching the eye of pro scouts because of his ability to punish running backs, wide receivers and quarterbacks. He never backed off, and he has no plans to stop playing the only way he knows.

 

Ward was aware that Mike Pereira, former NFL vice president of officiating, said in an interview with the Cleveland Plain Dealer that the league should fine the 23-year-old a minimum of $25,000 for a hit he described as "one of the worst I've seen in a while."

 

The Browns haven't had a defensive back who could hit like Ward since safety Eric Turner in the 1990s. Mangini wants his team to be physical, and from experience, he knows that having a safety who can deliver knee-buckling hits can make receivers wary of coming over the middle.

 

"Legally, you want guys to think, 'OK, if I catch this in cut, there's going to be a price to pay for catching this,'" Mangini said. "If you can establish that, then sometimes guys will get alligator arms or they won't run those angles quite as deep or as tight.

 

"No one would ever admit, 'Man, I don't really want to go in there.' If you can get an understanding with receivers, it helps."

 

Not surprisingly, the Browns didn't have any issues with Ward's big hit. If anyone of them had a right to be upset, it's rookie quarterback Colt McCoy. Shipley was McCoy's teammate at Texas and the best man at his wedding. But even he didn't believe Ward's hit was beyond reason.

 

"It's a violent sport," McCoy said. "We all know that there's gonna be contact. Nobody ever wants to get hurt, and nobody ever wants to hurt anybody. It was a good hit. Jordan knows. He's played receiver his whole life. There's a chance that when you go across the middle, that you're gonna have to take a big shot, a big lick, and he got one."

[jrb12711]

looking at this hit objectively, it's extremely clear that although it was a late hit on a "defenseless" player, he is clearly leading with his shoulder on that play. It just so happened that the two helmets hit too. Like jesus, why would anyone lead with their helmet to hit another person in the helmet? That would clearly hurt the guy doing it about as much as the guy getting the hit. I 100% agree it was a late hit, and I'm in no way surprised he got fined, but clearly wasn't a cheap shot. Stop crying T.O. you premadona bitch.

 

Also LOVE the way this kid reacted to it. As everyone said, this is the type of guys we need on our defense.

[Zombo]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d81b1...le=HP_headlines

 

Owens countered with a personal shot at Mangini.

 

"Look who it's coming from," Owens told Bengals teammate Chad Ochocinco in an interview on VERSUS in advance of the premiere of the "The T.Ocho Show." "Probably 90 percent of his players don't like him (Mangini) anyway. "I don't like him. We got to see him again anyway, so we'll see who's going to do some cheap shots next game.

 

"Hit me like that."

 

The Browns visit the Bengals on Dec. 19.

So he's saying that no wonder it happened because Mangini's players play dirty. But that 90% of his plyers don't like him. If they don't like him then why are they playing dirty for him?

 

Makes no sense at all. Maybe T.J. Ward just drilled someone.

 

Zombo

--bout time one of our safeties did

[Earl34]

Owens countered with a personal shot at Mangini.

 

"Look who it's coming from," Owens told Bengals teammate Chad Ochocinco in an interview on VERSUS in advance of the premiere of the "The T.Ocho Show." "Probably 90 percent of his players don't like him (Mangini) anyway.

 

Oh my. Coming from that paragon of positive lockerroom dynamics known as TO. All I can say is "Oh my". This is why teams were beating down the door for you this season T.O..

 

Personally, I'm kind of tired of hearing everyone's opinion on what TJ Ward's intent was. So, if you believe the talking heads, he deliberately intended to hurt Shipley. He took a cheap shot. I don't think that anything you see on film is going to tell you that. It was a good hit that was a little too high and therefore illegal.

 

When Erik Smith knocked the snot out of Anquan Boldin in 2008, he was running full speed and initiated the hit. The other DB hit Boldin from behind and Boldin then rotated to a position where Smith struck him helmet to helmet. The game moves fast and sometimes the aggressor can't change his vector to avoid an illegal hit.

 

I said it before and I'll say it again. Welcome to the NFL Jordan.