It’s unfortunate, but as NFL safety evolved suspended linebacker Vontaze Burfict did not

For the Raiders and their fans, it has to be frustrating. Obviously, they want Vontaze Burfict to be out there on the football field. He’s an intelligent football player, diagnoses plays well. He’s really a very good all-around linebacker.

But the suspension following that helmet-to-helmet hit on the Colts’ Jack Doyle was far from his first and there are too many guys doing it the right way to just let that go. The guys on defense really have adjusted their aiming points on tackles, there are fewer hits on defenseless players and with the rule change last year on roughing the passer penalties we’ve all seen guys make a conscious effort not to land on quarterbacks, not to drive them into the ground.

This game is played so fast, but they’ve proven it’s possible.

The only issue I have with the suspension is we need to be more consistent, because there was the same type of hit Sunday on the Bills’ Josh Allen when he was scrambling for a first down against New England, the same type of hit on the Rams’ Marcus Peters when he was returning an interception for a touchdown against Tampa Bay.

There was an unnecessary roughness penalty, but not ejection, on the hit on Allen. On the hit on Peters, there wasn’t even a penalty called.

When the league first started taking these steps as far as aiming points on hits and restrictions on hitting quarterbacks, I thought it was going to be very difficult. These guys have done this their entire lives, from the time they started playing football, and now the league is saying, “Don’t do anything that you’ve done in the past.”

But we’ve seen guys do it. Then there are guys like Burfict who hasn’t, really. He has been suspended or fined 12 times in his career for helmet-to-helmet hits, spearing, unsportsmanlike conduct – at least once every season since 2013. That’s unfortunate. He’s going to get a guy hurt, maybe even hurt himself.

Doyle said afterward, “Oh, it’s fine,” but it’s hard to defend that play after watching it on video, especially when you slow it down. At the network we probably watched it 50 times in slow motion and it looks bad every time.

The game is not going to go back in the other direction. It needs to become safer – it has become safer with the concussion protocols and the way they’re watching and officiating the games.

The league is moving forward and if a player is not advancing along with the rules, then that player is going to be left like Burfict is right now – sitting at home and watching.

Minshew more than a mustache

Not sure why anyone would want to or if anyone even can, but once you get past the mustache and the bandana and Uncle Rico, the pre-game stretching in nothing but a jockstrap, it’s obvious Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew is a smart player.

His Wonderlic score was way up there, which is interesting to me, and he wanted to be a coach. He bounced around a couple of colleges, thought about going to Alabama just to learn from Nick Saban. But then Mike Leach at Washington State called and said, “Why don’t you come here and lead the nation in passing?” and sure enough Minshew did.

He doesn’t play like a rookie. He plays like a guy that has seen a lot of football and understands what he’s looking at.

But he also makes plays that are above and beyond the X’s and O’s – that touchdown pass he threw to Ryquell Armstead in the Jaguars’ victory at Denver last week, he made about five guys miss in the pocket and he still was able to keep his eyes up and make a play that ultimately was the difference in the game.

With all that nonsense going on with Jalen Ramsey and his trade demand, it’s not often a team will go on the road and not be distracted. But they played good football and found a way to get a win. I give a ton of credit to Minshew, just for keeping that team together.

How many other teams would be able to survive their best player just not participating and still find a way to win on the road? That’s rare. I think he has done a fantastic job.

Defense wins championships, and fantasy leagues …

Carr was talked into joining a fantasy football league a few years ago by his brother, Darren. He won it. His strategy - picking a defense off the waiver wire each week that had a chance to score points based on their match up.

Miami is on a bye this week, but as it turns out picking a defense is just as easy as it has been the past month just taking the team that is playing the Dolphins.

If New England is available, that’s an easy call. They get Washington and the Redskins have been giving away the football like Oprah gives away prizes to a studio audience. Case Keenum and Dwayne Haskins have thrown a combined seven interceptions in just the past two games and have been sacked nine times this season.

The Redskins also have lost two fumbles.

The Patriots not only are leading the NFL in total defense, they are tied for the league lead in sacks and with 10 interceptions they have five more than any other team.

David Carr answers your questions

David Carr will answer a reader’s question in his column. Submit your questions by email to sports@fresnobee.com (please put “David Carr” in the subject line)

This story was originally published October 2, 2019 at 12:37 PM.