As a high school football player, I was absolutely giddy about finally getting a chance to wear the "Mighty Purple and Gold".  Part of my football education included everything from how to put on a uniform to how to tackle properly.  But one of the most important lessons every football player learns is "how to respond to a big hit".  If you play long enough you will eventually get your bell rung and when it happens, you have to be prepared or it could be a moment you may never live down.  The veteran players taught me the following "football etiquette" that I would eventually pass along.  In Virginia, football is more of a "coming of age" sport ... almost a rite of passage prior to becoming a man, and I have repeated the following steps after getting chin checked on or off the field.  As you can see from the above video Kevin Faulk, after getting T'eed off on by Darren Sharper, follows this etiquette ver batim.  To the "untrained eye" it may appears that Faulk got smacked in the mouth, but below I illustrate "the game" within the game.

Bounce Up Immediately

Notice how Faulk bounced off of the turf immediately ... letting Sharper know "the hit didn't even phase me son".

Walk to the Sidelines

Faulk then walks towards the sidelines and signals for a replacement.  Now this may be hard to do since every bone in your body aches right now.  You may want to hum Maria Carey under your breath - "Shhhh Shhhh Shake if Offfff".  If that doesn't work then sing this - "You put your left foot here ... you put your right foot there". 

Fall Out

Once Faulk makes it to the sidelines, he falls to one knee.  His boys shield him so that noone on the field can see.  That way Sharper doesn't know that Faulk is hurt.  You typically don't have to focus on falling out because trust me, it will happen naturally.

"PLEASE DON'T LET MY MAMA COME OUT HERE"

Under no circumstances is your mama allowed to come out onto the field.  Your job is to educate your mother weeks, months in advance that she is to keep her rear end in the stands, no matter what.  As a back up plan, you tell your boys that when you mother ignores you and leaves the stands, to cut her off before she reaches the field.  If not, you will always be remembered as "the boy whose mama came onto the field the night you got lit up" ... TRUST.

Find #42 Because now he's in Your Back Pocket

Notice that around the 1:05 juncture of the video how Darren Sharper looks over to the sidelines and then looks back at his teammates in amazement, as if to ask "You mean to tell me he got up from that?"  Now Faulk is in Sharper's head.  Sharper is now thinking "how will I react when or if I have to take Faulk's best shot?"  Faulk now has Sharper shook and instead of focusing on the defensive game plan, Sharper now has to keep his head on a swivel for when Faulk attempts to retaliate.

How not to Take a Hit - Compliments of Sammy White 

In the Following Video Sammy White demonstrates "how not to take a hit" in Super Bowl XI between the Vikings and Raiders.  This could have all been avoided.  He should have never gone across the middle against Jack Tatum from jumpstreet.  First of all, the man's nickname was ASSASSIN and secondly, DUDE CRACKED 16 HELMETS AT OHIO ST., WHAT DID YOU THINK WAS GONNA HAPPEN?