San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis has called upon the league authorities to rethink their stance on cut blocks.
Willis' 49ers teammate Ian Williams suffered a suspected broken ankle when he was cut blocked by Seattle Seahawks offensive guard JR Sweezy during Sunday's match between the two sides, a play that 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh thought was perfectly legal.
However, Willis believes that there should be a ban on low hits in such circumstances due to the potential of a serious injury being suffered.
"I feel like as a linebacker or a D-lineman, any cut, it's a man sport - be a man, hit me up high. Hit like rams. You don't see a ram going and cutting another ram's legs. They hit head to head, pad to pad," Willis told CSNBayArea.com.
"I feel like that's something the league should look into more. You see some of that stuff, and it's uncalled for. You have a guy who's 300 pounds cutting a guy who's 250 pounds. Do physics to that. Hit the man up high. It should be a good collision.
"You're not talking about a concussion and being out for two weeks. You're talking about being down for the rest of the season if you get hit good like that."
Seattle went on to win the match against their NFC West rivals 29-3.
Barney Corkhill
