Subscribe
Follow Us
The Los Angeles Chargers have had a great start to the Jim Harbaugh era. Los Angeles is 2-1 through three weeks, despite having a rebuilding roster and dealing with injuries to QB Justin Herbert. However, the Chargers will be without safety Derwin James in Week 4 for a crucial divisional game.
The NFL suspended Derwin James for one game after an unnecessary roughness penalty after a hit on Pat Freiermuth from LA's Week 3 game against Pittsburgh. Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh is not happy with the call, as he believes Pat Freiermuth's positioning on the play caused the illegal hit.
“There was not a defenseless player; [he] changed his course, and I thought that Derwin's helmet was stiff-armed by Mr. Freiermuth,” Harbaugh said. per ESPN's Kris Rhim. “I thought [the stiff-arm] caused his head to make the contact and I thought the contact was first with the forearm, then the shoulder, then the head.”
Harbaugh went on to say that James' tackle appeared to be exactly what the NFL wants when they say “take your head out of the game.”
“You can never really take the head out of the game because it's in between the two shoulders,” Harbaugh continued. “Trying to tackle with the shoulder, now the head, and the helmets coming with it. It's in between the two shoulders. So, to the best of his human ability, he is trying to do that.”
The Chargers will have to turn to Elijah Molden and AJ Finley in the absence of Derwin James.
Los Angeles will play Kansas City in Week 4, which is a tough week to draw a suspension for Derwin James. This game could have major implications within the AFC West, with the Chargers and Chiefs sitting atop the division.
Chargers' Derwin James reached out to NFL about unnecessary roughness penalties this summer
Harbaugh went on to explain that Derwin James sought council from the NFL this summer related to unnecessary roughness penalties. However, the guidance from the league was not enough to prevent this suspension from happening.
“He has reached out on his own to officials this past summer to gain a better grasp of how they want it done,” Harbaugh said. “And the evidence is right there in the tape. I mean, look at all his 20-some tackles on the season and he's going out his way … so that he can not injure another player or hit him with the head. So yeah, I'm disappointed.”
In the NFL's announcement of the suspension, vice president of football operations Jon Runyan wrote that James lowered his head on the hit, making it illegal, forcible contact with his helmet that James could have avoided.
“Your continued disregard for NFL playing rules will not be tolerated,” Runyan wrote, via ESPN. “Substantial penalties are warranted when players violate the rules intended to protect player safety on a repeated basis, particularly when the violations carry with them a significant risk of injury to an opposing player.”
James did appeal the suspension, but it was upheld.
