Unfortunately, the play was called back on offsetting penalties, and the Chiefs ultimately lost the game 17-10, but regardless, this is one of the most incredible grabs you’ll ever see:

[via CosbySweaters]

Jack Lambert is the NFL's archetypal linebacker ... does this look like a "clean" hit to you? (Photo: Walter Iooss Jr./SI.com)

(This is the second in our unintentional series of reminders to our loyal audience that the NFL is, in fact, a violent sport. Check out the 1st installment from last season, featuring even more highlights of now illegal hits!)

The sports world has been in a general state of hysteria this week over the shocking fact that violent collisions take place in football. All of the sudden, everyone is horrified over the notion that vicious hits and injuries are an inherent part of the game … as though this was anything new.

NEWS FLASH: Football has always been a violent sport. The NFL has not-so-subtly branded itself for decades around its hard-hitting, violent image. From the time we were very young, we were regaled with stories and NFL Films footage of old-school players like Dick Butkus, Jack Lambert, Deacon Jones and Jack “The Assassin” Tatum. We saw the black & white images of players standing over lifeless bodies, and listened to these men tell of the pure joy & satisfaction of driving an opponent into the ground and hearing the breath exit their bodies. It’s one of the most highly revered traditions of the game.

“I believe the game is designed to reward the ones who hit the hardest. If you can’t take it, you shouldn’t play”
– Jack Lambert

In our youth, we watched guys like Ronnie Lott, Lawrence Taylor and Mike Singletary, and found ourselves appreciating a bone-crushing hit by a defender more than an offensive touchdown. We learned the power of intimidation on the field, and when we played football from Pop Warner through High School, we aspired to play like those guys. To this day, some of my most vivid football memories as a fan involve a devastating tackle. Go ahead, stop and think about it for a minute …

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Jack Tatum's hit on Darryl Stingley is widely considered to be the most violent hit of all time (Photo: Riesterer/AP via NYDailyNews.com)

Over the years as fans, we’ve been taught to value the big hit as a defensive weapon, and have come to understand that injuries are just a job hazard for those who choose to come across the middle. In recent days, guys like Ray Lewis, Brian Dawkins and Patrick Willis have nobly carried that tradition forward. But now, they’re being asked to change the way they play the game? Veteran Seahawks S Lawyer Malloy invoked the memory of Lott when discussing the challenges defenders could face in light of the league’s heightened stance:

“When I came into the league you really didn’t have to worry about how you hit, and I’m proud I came in in that era because it’s definitely getting harder and harder for myself and some of these young guys on defense.”

Can I have the ‘Wooo!’ hits like Ronnie Lott use to talk about? They’re really taking that out of the game and it’s really a shame.”

At least it seems like the players are keeping some perspective through all this. Browns WR Josh Cribbs, who was the victim of one of James Harrison’s brutal hits over the weekend, was a notable voice of reason on his Twitter account this morning:

I have no bad will towards LB James Harrison. That’s what he’s suppose to do knock people out, it’s what makes him one of the best….

Will Patrick Willis be able to continue to deliver these types of "Wooo" hits in the new NFL? (Photo: Kurt Rogers/The Chronicle)

For all the sanctimonious player safety chatter of the past few days, we all know that in this culture, violence sells, and it’s a large part of what attracts viewers to the game. After all, there’s a reason those first-person shooter games and mixed martial arts events are so freaking popular these days. Though most don’t like to admit it, there’s a dark side to us all. And while nobody would outwardly wish permanent injury on anyone, everyone – players included – understand that there’s a very real chance of getting hurt when you step on the field on Sunday. Consciously or not, violence is one of the main reasons people tune in, and it’s an even bigger reason that these players make so much money. People bitch and moan about the enormous contracts NFL athletes sign, but they get such ridiculous deals because their careers could end on any given Sunday. Everyone understands the inherent risks involved in playing the sport … and if they don’t, they haven’t been paying attention.

The other fact of the matter is that, as players have gotten bigger, faster & stronger, the impact of on-field collisions has inevitably increased as well. It’s a simple matter of physics. You can hand out all the fines and suspensions you want, but the the only way to mitigate that would be to expand the size of the field, which I don’t see happening any time soon.

Ultimately, all of this hubbub feels like much ado about nothing … combined with the stench of hypocrisy from a league that built an empire by glorifying violence and has fostered a new generation of athletes bred to be hitting machines. If they really cared, the NFL would improve its health care benefits for retired players, so they can better deal with the lifelong aftereffects of putting their bodies on the line for the game. But that sort of thing doesn’t show up on a highlight reel, and might require some actual financial sacrifice on the league’s part, so it must not be as high up on their priority list.

And with that, we leave you with this incredible, 15-minute highlight compilation of the NFL’s hardest hits of all time … as a wonderful reminder of why we all love this game in the first place. Enjoy:

I immediately put out feelers for game tickets, and invited my parents to spend Thanksgiving at my new home in Colorado.  It seemed like a perfect holiday plan.  And up until Thursday night at about 6:20pm MT, it was.  It was at that point that my beloved Giants decided to crap all over our Thanksgiving celebration, by not even showing up for the game and putting on one of the more miserable displays I’ve ever had the misfortune of seeing in person. If you watched the game, you already know, and I’m not going to get into a breakdown of what went wrong (hint: everything. lowlights here).  For me, it was just brutal, while for the Broncos fans in the house, it was a full-on party.

But the holiday wasn’t a total loss, and I still have much to be thankful for. We were blessed with box seats and pre-game field passes by the Denver Post – clearly a signal of our growing influence in the sports blogosphere.  Or maybe my girlfriend got them for us.  Whatever.  In addition to free food and booze throughout the game, we were able to snap some decent photos from field level during warm-ups. Here are the best of those shots, with some commentary as to what you’re seeing. I hope you enjoy it more than I enjoyed the game.

All photos by ArtieFufkin.

Pre-game field passes = extra special surprise. Much thanks to the Denver Post team for taking such good care of us!

Aaron Ross fielding punts. Moments after this pic was taken, an errant punt bounced out of bounds and into my hands. As I handed it back to Aaron, I looked him square in the eye and said "Go get 'em Aaron!" He said nothing ... there was a general sense of lethargy from the Giants the entire night

Plenty of Giants fans in attendance for this game ... a short time later, they would all be miserable

And the Broncos take the field ... for warm-ups

CONTINUE AFTER THE JUMP FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THE BRONCOS/GIANTS

The Broncos front 7 gets ready ... you could sense an intensity from this bunch even before the game.

This defense would have their way with the Giants O-line all night

The Giants were apparently talking about pie recipes pre-game

The Broncos DBs - including newest addition Ty Law - warmed up right in front of us

Champ Bailey getting ready to shut down Eli Manning and the Giants offense

Brian Dawkins seems to be reborn in Denver. I still hate him, though

Mixing it up in DB tackling drills

Undeniably, one of the best in the game

Miles Bronco (and mini-Bronco) take on a Steve Smith fan

Brandon Marshall talks smack for the cameras. His one-handed grab later in the game was simply incredible.

Kyle Orton to Eddie Royal

Orton to Brandon Stokley. These two hooked up for a TD later in the game.

Stokley & Royal prepare to run free in the Giants secondary

The Broncos run a few plays to get loose

... and it's game time!

From here, things start to get fuzzy ... must have been all the tryptophan

I'm pretty sure this one fell incomplete (side note: that IN-COM-PLETE chant they do at Mile High is probably the worst in sports. Just sayin')

If you didn’t play, you’re never going to see things the way an ex-player would. I played Pop Warner, and a little bit of high school football (the former was instructive and unforgettable; the latter was the end of the road). I’ll never forget being 10 years old and sitting with my dad in the kitchen, going over my first football playbook, a 20-page Xerox’d-and-stapled handout with plays like “32-power” and “28-sweep.” I started to comprehend–with sheer wonder–that the game of football was methodical, mindful, dissembling, and bizarre. There were systems, matchups, strengths, weaknesses, and a leaning toward deception.

There was a better time

I’ve been watching football for 25 years. It’s amazing to me how much *more* there is to learn. These days, I don’t have time like I used to. Work, family, friends, life… I don’t sit around studying football strategy like I did in 10th grade, pouring over NFL recordbooks and histories… trying to impress girls at parties with some scattered and arcane statistical rundown of the 0-7 1928 Dayton Triangles. You forget about things. These days, simply by having watched 43,000 games (the vast majority of them life-crushing losses for my team), I can chat casually–on auto pilot–about the prevent defense, the Cover 2, the 3-4, the West Coast offense, and the 46/Bear—–but if I were thrown into the fray, would I know, in detail, how these attack modules truly function from play-to-play? NEGATIVE.

I’ll never forget the 300-page book I read at school about the I-formation–much to the chagrin of my report card. It read like a war document built on deep secrets. It was titled something powerful like: “Successfull Installation of the I-Formation Attack at the Intercollegiate Level.” Oooooo…. I was in heaven. I disappeared for weeks. I broke up with my university girlfriend on a napkin sent via inter-campus mail and vanished into the deepest corners of the pin-drop silent library to study GRIDIRON TACTICS.

Basketball always bothered me on this level. In the NBA, you know both teams will knock down 80 points a night. There might be some excitement at the end, but you know where it’s going, in general. In FOOTBALL, a field goal on the opening drive might be the ONLY score all game, but it can still be a fascinating game, if you care about the matchups and the strategy. (NBA fans can say the same thing… but it just doesn’t seem the same to me, sorry. PLUS, basketball is played inside, under boring flourescant lights–football is played amidst nature.)

* * *

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW is a series about getting back to the basics–and the far reaches–of football. Comprehending the core, but also digging down into newer trends on offense and defense. Studying matchups, tendencies, history and the evolution of the game.

It’s just a discussion starter. My on-field career ended during the first Bush White House, so, naturally, I am simply throwing out subjects for the wiser of you to comment on.

CHAPTER 1 (of 209): WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A STRONG SAFETY AND A FREE SAFETY?

Pittsburgh Strong Safety Troy Polamalu is a game changer

In a nutshell, in terms of formation, the strong safety (SS) plays on the “strong side,” normally dictated by which side the tight end lines up on. Strong safeties are usually asked to cover the tight end, play closer to the line of scrimmage, and guard against the run. The SS is like a last-chance linebacker, positioned down field.

On the flip side, the free safety (FS) is not typically a run defender by trade. He’s the last line of defense, typically launched into zone coverage, charged with letting no eligible receiver pass beyond him (unless he’s on the Browns, in which case opponents float by unscathed).

Both safeties offer a wildcard in more aggressive defensive schemes, as they may be asked, on occassion, to blitz the passer. When executed well, they can blow up an offense with their speed and elusiveness, subduing a quarterback into the unforgiving turf.

Former Eagles Free Safety Brian Dawkins (now with Denver) does things we can't do

Coaches like Bill Belichick (and those blooming from his tree) value  building a team up the middle. This means drafting or obtaining a powerful center on offense and a hard-hitting safety on defense. In his first draft as a head coach, Belichick’s selected UCLA safety Eric Turner with the second overall pick–the highest ever for a defensive back in league history. Turner was an instant hit at free safety, and evolved into one of the most devastating defensive backs in NFL history (before dying rather suddenly of intestinal cancer at age 31). “ET,” as he was called, was a nightmare for running backs and fancy-footed receivers.

Here’s a few clips from his NFL career (witness how he absolutely SCREWS UP Troy Aikman in this reel):

Truly great safeties may be the defensive equivalent of a game-changing tight end. Only about three teams in the league have one at any given time, and they are prized–for they add immediate value, and equal danger for the opposition.