"Maybe I am not up on the current rules, but I didn't see anything wrong with that tackle."
Summary of NFL rules:
"Quarterbacks, punters and placekickers are protected from being hit once the ball has left their possession or while they are in the process of kicking. Tackles or hits made on a quarterback after he has thrown a pass or handed the ball off are deemed late hits and are punished with a 15-yard penalty."
The concept here is that Garrett tackled Rudolph WELL after the quarterback no longer had possession of the ball. Yes, he initiated the contact AS Rudolph was getting rid of the ball -- that's legal. What wasn't legal is continuing the tackle and spinning Rudolph into the ground afterwards. I disagree that Garrett didn't know that Rudolph no longer had the ball. The pass happened literally in front of his face.
Rudolph did not try to "rip Garrett's helmet off," nothing in any of the videos of the incident I've seen show Rudolph grabbing the face mask, edges of the helmet or any of its strapping. They show him pushing against Garrett's helmet (in my mind it looks like Rudolph is slapping Garrett's helmet as if to say WTF, Dude?)
The angle at 1:45 also shows that Rudolph NEVER grasped the face mask, edges of the helmet or the straps.
What's also very clear is that one of the refs was literally on top of this play and did not flag Rudolph. He also didn't flag Garrett for the initial tackle -- judgement call on the ref's part.
But when one player lifts another off the turf by his facemask and then tosses him around like a rag doll? Yeah, that's going to draw a flag.
And when one player rips another player's helmet off and then bashes him in the head with it? Somehow that's justified because the guy getting bashed touched the basher's helmet?
No. Just no.
So again, no, I disagree. All initiation