Things that don’t factor into the decision to call a targeting foul, according to the rulebook, include: how superhumanly tough the television viewer thinks football players should aspire to be, how much the fan in the stands enjoyed football’s previously higher levels of violence, the TV commentator's worries that this is all becoming flag football, the coach's conclusion that avoiding a targeting hit would require a player to approach a play awkwardly, or the reader's assumption that the writer of this article never Played The Game.

"When in question, it is a foul," the rule says. We have to err on the side of player safety, and if that requires rules even more game-changing than targeting (it surely does), then so be it.

A player in the act of or just after throwing a pass. A receiver attempting to catch a forward pass or in position to receive a backward pass, or one who has completed a catch and has not had time to protect himself or has not clearly become a ball carrier. A kicker in the act of or just after kicking a ball, or during the kick or the return. A kick returner attempting to catch or recover a kick, or one who has completed a catch or recovery and has not had time to protect himself or has not clearly become a ball carrier. A player on the ground. A player obviously out of the play. A player who receives a blind-side block. A ball carrier already in the grasp of an opponent and whose forward progress has been stopped. A quarterback any time after a change of possession. A ball carrier who has obviously given himself up and is sliding feet-first

rulebook

No player shall target and make forcible contact against an opponent with the crown (top) of his helmet. This foul requires that there be at least one indicator of targeting (See Note 1 below). When in question, it is a foul.