Cheap Shot

The only bad thing about football Saturday in Ann Arbor is that when you go to the actual game you will be missing the other games going on around the country. Some might say it’s no big deal but for college football crazies like me and many others, we would like to know every part of what has been going on in the college football world.  The moment I got home after the game I instantly clicked over to ESPN to see what I have missed during the 3.5 hours while watching Michigan’s win.  The first thing I saw was the analysts at ESPN talking about Arkansas wide receiver Marquel Wade and his hit against a Vanderbilt punt returner.

At first glance one would see it and be appalled at what they saw and immediately think it was a dirty hit or cheap shot. Kirk Herbstreit, one ESPN Analyst thought the same thing then believed his exiting style was just as punishable as the hit itself.  Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith, though, believed that he was just in the heat of the moment and made a fast-paced mistake. I thought the same thing; it was hard to tell if the punt returner was actually calling for a fair catch or just shading from the sun.  I was just watching it from the video in my living room, safe on the couch, and had a hard time deciding what he was doing.  Marquel Wade had to make the decision while running 19 mph (4.3 sec/ 40 yard dash) in a close SEC game.  My decision: Marquel Wade should be playing this coming weekend vs. South Carolina and not serving his suspension.

By: Chris Swift