Was Briean Boddy-Calhoun's Hit On Odell Beckham Jr. A Dirty Cheap Shot?

By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) -- Based on the fact that the city of Cleveland was hosting a game on Monday Night Football, it was quite evident that the meeting between the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns was taking place in the preseason. And for veteran NFL players, the preseason presents an opportunity to get in some live reps so that the regular season is less of a shock to the system. The ultimate goal, above all else, is to escape the game unharmed.

Yet Giants Pro Bowl receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was not so lucky in that regard on Monday, as he was the recipient of a diving, low hit by Browns cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun.

Immediately, the hit sparked debate as to whether or not it was dirty. Take a look for yourself:

(Given the team involved, the image of the hit was sure to call to mind T.J. Ward's season-ending hit on Rob Gronkowski from 2013.)

Once tests shows that Beckham only suffered an ankle sprain, the receiver was rather relieved.

For his part, Beckham didn't condemn the hit or try to vilify Boddy-Calhoun for going low.

"I don't know. I'm not really the judge," Beckham said. "It's just football in my opinion."

Yet while Beckham didn't say the hit was dirty, plenty of other current and former NFL players did.

(Some folks who were concerned with the potential implications for their fantasy football teams were likely bothered, too. But we won't be hearing from them.)

Giants safety Landon Collins presented the harshest criticism of the man who injured his teammate.

"I cannot have a teammate next to me playing that way. I cannot condone it. It's not something I seek," Collins said. "The play wasn't a penalty, but it's something everyone knows that is something you don't do. He had about 30 seconds to make a play on the ball in the air. He could've made a play on the ball, could've hit him high, but he chose a different route. I can't respect him."

Clearly, those in the game didn't like what they saw. The most valid complaint is that while the hit was obviously legal, it was unnecessary, given the nonexistent stakes of the mid-August game.

But, again, the hit itself was legal. Yet even if it was delivered during a game in mid-October, many of those same complaints would be made.

The issue is really less about the players involved or the timing of the hit, but more about how the adjusted rules on "defenseless receivers" has forced defensive backs to go low. Receivers and tight ends have almost universally made it clear that they'd prefer to get hit in the head than in the ankles and knees, because torn ligaments and broken bones are a lot more difficult to play through.

But then, of course, there is the matter of protecting players from sustaining repeated blows to the head. Even if those players feel as though they can still play after sustaining a concussion, the NFL has taken steps to help prevent that scenario from even arising. Unfortunately, dangerous hits on legs that are planted in the ground have become a byproduct.

On this particular hit, there's probably some more room for uproar because of how high Beckham was when he went up to make the catch. Boddy-Calhoun undoubtedly could have delivered a shoulder or helmet to the ribs of Beckham in an attempt to force a drop, and there would be no morning-after debate in the football world.

However, we're talking about a split-second decision on a football field, where plays aren't made in the slow motion that we see on the replays. And we're also looking at a defensive back who's been coached to go low in order to avoid getting penalized.

"I'm just thinking hit him low, make sure I don't get no fine or nothing," Boddy-Calhoun explained. "I was just trying to hit him low, hit him in the target area, which is from the neck to the knee, just anywhere in there, but I wasn't aiming at anything specific or anything like that."

Boddy-Calhoun is trying to make it in the NFL, and taking an unnecessary 15-yard penalty is not the way to cement a roster spot. If he's trying to earn an NFL pay check, he'd much rather be the subject of criticism from outside the organization than the subject of criticism from his coaching staff. Though, granted, it doesn't help matters that Boddy-Calhoun's defensive coordinator is Gregg Williams, whose history on having players inflict injuries is a bit checkered.

So while it's hard to rule firmly for or against the dirtiness of this particular hit, one thing is guaranteed: Given the changed rules and shifting nature of the NFL, we are sure to find ourselves having this debate many more times in the coming months and years.

You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.

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