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National Football League
Draft King Analysis
November 8, 2009
Lou Pickney, DraftKing.com
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Last night I was playing a game of Texas Hold 'Em with my girlfriend and some of her college basketball friends in Cleveland, TN. Suddenly we heard shouts from the next room, where the people not playing cards were watching some of the unusually sub-par Saturday night college football lineup (their choice was Clemson vs. Florida State). They yelled for us to come in there and see what happened. We paused our card game and scurried into the room while the video was rewound for us.
 | Jahvid Best is a skilled running back. (Icon SMI)
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Their reaction came from a highlight that ABC cut to from the Oregon State/Cal game. With the Beavers leading 14-0, Cal looked to cut the lead deep in Oregon State territory. From 1st and goal on the 7 yard line with 6:15 to go in the second quarter, Cal standout junior RB Jahvid Best took a direct snap out of the Wildcat formation. Best waited a beat to let his blockers get into position and then began scampering toward the end zone.
Two good blocks set the stage, with Cal sophomore offensive guard Justin Cheadle pulling quickly (from the right side) to block Oregon State defensive end Matt LaGrone and Cal senior FB Brian Holley getting enough of Beaver LB Dwight Roberson to give Best a seam on the outside.
Best, accelerating quickly, sped toward the end zone. Cal junior QB Kevin Riley, lined up at wide receiver in the Wildcat, managed to slow up Oregon State senior CB Tim Clark with a dive toward Clark's legs. That sent Clark back, but he recovered quickly and moved to tackle Best. Meanwhile, Cal safety Cameron Collins read the play and raced toward the corner pylon.
As Clark approached Best at the 2-yard-line, Clark lowered his shoulder to make the tackle. But Best reacted quickly, and he made a sudden leap for the end zone and managed to almost entirely avoid Clark. Almost immediately after that, a sprinting Collins arrived with a hit from the right side that struck Best's upper legs. The hit, combined with the leap, put Best in an unprotected position as he fell toward the ground.
About five yards into the end zone, Best landed in a free-fall from approximately five feet up in the air. The collision with the artificial "momentum turf" by Best was severe. His upper back slammed into the ground, with the impact knocking Best's helmet off and leaving him frozen in a horrific pose on the ground with his body crumbled and his arms sticking out in a disturbing zombie-like pose.
The image looked like something out of the cult classic pro wrestling video game series Fire Pro Wrestling when a wrestler is hit by a knockout move. Since I imagine that 99%+ of my readers won't have any idea what I'm talking about, I've included a screencap to show you what I mean.
 | Best looked like he had just sustained a "CRITICAL" injury from the Fire Pro Wrestling video game series.
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Luckily Best didn't suffer any spinal damage, but he did sustain a concussion -- his second concussion in eight days. The medical risks of multiple concussions are frightening, and hopefully Best will be able to make a full recovery. There are plenty of sports sites that have covered the story, but as usual, I recommend The Big Lead's story about what happened. The video of the play is a sobering reminder of how violent the game of football can be at times.
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