D’Qwell Jackson put a heck of a pop on Bengals receiver Armon Binns during the second quarter of Sunday’s loss. Binns was attempting to make a catch and Jackson came in and stunned him badly with a shot into the chest. Instant reaction was that Jackson (despite not being penalized) could very well receive a fine for that hit.

Former NFL official and FOX TV employee Mike Pereira disagreed with this assessment via Twitter.

I’ll be the first one to take an expert’s word on things and I do recognize Pereira as an authority to be sure. Even still, I’m not so sure that I totally agree with his conclusion.

The reason that I thought Jackson was going to be under a microscope for the hit is because the player was seemingly defenseless, and it appeared to me that Jackson effectively launched himself in an upward manner into the receiver. Whether or not he led with his helmet is up for debate and I think it might be subject to discipline.

I might be wrong, but I’m trying my best to keep up with the new NFL. We’ll all be better off when we all (players and commentators included) understand the rules completely and totally. And no, I’m not rooting for Jackson to lose money. I’m just looking to understand all the rules as they continue to morph and change.

The NFL used this language to “clarify” the defenseless player rules a year ago.

(b) Prohibited contact against a player who is in a defenseless posture is:
(1) Forcibly hitting the defenseless player’s head or neck area with the helmet, facemask, forearm, or shoulder, regardless of whether the defensive player also uses his arms to tackle the defenseless player by encircling or grasping him; and
(2) Lowering the head and making forcible contact with the top/crown or forehead/”hairline” parts of the helmet against any part of the defenseless player’s body.

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