When he played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Mitchell was one of the hardest-hitting safeties in the NFL. Mitchell was an enforcer and one of the most physical guys on the field any given week.
Mitchell spent four of his 10 NFL seasons with the Steelers and developed a reputation as one of the biggest hitters in the secondary. In 2022, Mitchell joined the Colts as a defensive assistant and he took to Twitter on Monday after the suspension of Damontae Kazee was announced and he was frank about his concerns with it.
“I don’t know what to tell my safeties anymore,” Mitchell wrote. “I guess just let them [receivers] catch it. If I were a WR I would dive for every catch. That would ensure no contact and a completed pass. Playing deep safety in today’s NFL where rules are made mostly by people who’ve never played is tough.”
After going back and watching the play that Kazee was ejected for far too many times, there’s zero doubt he had no ill intent. If Colts quarterback Garner Minshew puts that football on target, we aren’t having this conversation today. The hit was big but I’m not even sure if it qualifies as an illegal hit, much less a dirty hit.
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