The Seahawks Own Your Face

[Crowe Diddly]

There seems to be some misunderstanding as to just what launching is, so here's the NFL's version. Clearly, Kam did not launch.

(j)  if a player illegally launches into a defenseless opponent. It is an illegal launch if a player (1) leaves 
both feet prior to contact to spring forward and upward into his opponent, and (2) uses any part of his 
helmet (including the top/crown and forehead/”hairline” parts) to initiate forcible contact against   any 
part of his opponent’s body.

Note: This does not apply to contact against a runner, unless the runner is still considered to be a defenseless 
player, as defined in Rule 12, Section 2, Article 9.

If the hitter's head does not make first contact, it cannot possibly be called launching by rule.

He was clearly leading with his shoulder but his head still makes contact right before his shoulder.

YEah, you're right.

The helmet contact was incidental, not forcible, as the rule demands. I shouldn't have wrote that last line above, as yeah, the helmet did hit first. The helmet "didn't initiate forcible contact" is what I shoulda wrote.

I get all confused when I start using rules-sound words like incidental and forcible contact.