Tag: late hit

Cam Heyward calls out NFL over Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair suspension

Cam Heyward shares his thoughts on Azeez Al-Shaair’s suspension, questioning the NFL’s consistency in enforcing suspensions and fines.

One of the biggest stories in the NFL right now is Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair being suspended for three games following a late hit on Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence, a hit that forced Jacksonville to place their quarterback on IR. Steelers DT Cam Heyward, one of the NFL’s most respected veteran defenders, shared his thoughts on the matter on the most recent episode of his podcast, Not Just Football with Cam Heyward.

Heyward acknowledged the hit on Lawrence was dirty but described it as a “bang-bang call”, arguing defenders must be cautious of fake slides and whether a QB is truly giving themselves up.

Another interesting argument that Heyward made, one that no one seems to be mentioning, is that the NFL’s Vice President of the Policy and Rules administration, John Runyan, has more than his fair share of ‘dirty’ plays.  The Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle argued that Runyan and the NFL suspending Azeez was like “the pot calling the kettle black.”

While Azeez’s appeal was denied, Heyward raises important questions about whether the NFL is consistent in enforcing suspensions and fines.

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Ravens LB Roquan Smith to Chiefs TE: ‘He’d better watch himself’

#Ravens LB Roquan Smith had some feelings about Chiefs TE Peyton Hendershot’s conduct in Baltimore’s loss to the #Chiefs on Thursday night.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 1 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens was a chippy affair, especially after linebacker Roquan Smith got away with a late hit on Patrick Mahomes in the second half.

During the Ravens’ postgame press conference, Smith had some words for Mahomes’ teammates who retaliated to his late hit on the sideline and referenced Kansas City’s newly acquired tight end Peyton Hendershot in his comments.

“He [Mahomes] flopped,” Smith told reporters. “He flopped. That’s why the referees didn’t call [it]… That was a great no-call by the ref, but whoever 88 [Chiefs TE Peyton Hendershot] is, I don’t know who he is, but he’d better watch himself.”

When asked what happened, Smith gave his account of the post-play scrum that ensued after his hit on Mahomes.

“He did a little slick push,” the linebacker said of Hendershot. “Whoever number 88 is, I have no idea who he is, but I’ll see him when I see him.”

Though Smith had every right to lodge his complaint after the game, his protests and tough talk won’t change the outcome of the matchup, which saw Mahomes and the Chiefs emerge as victors.

WATCH: Big brawl ignites after former Wisconsin QB takes a late hit

A former Wisconsin QB had quite the night in Gainesville…

Former Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz had quite the night against No. 11 Tennessee. His Florida Gators won 29-16, while his final stat line read 19/24 passing, 166 yards and one touchdown.

Florida did not complete a single pass longer than 20 yards all day, but it didn’t need to. Mertz and the offense ground Tennessee down while star running back Trevor Etienne went off for 172 yards and a touchdown.

There were a few Mertz-related highlights to note. The first, him hitting a Tennessee defender with a hilarious pump fake while rushing for a first down.

Then the second, when the Volunteers hit Mertz after he took a knee, which ignited quite the brawl at the end of the game.

Mertz has had a solid start to the year, completing 75% of his passes for 692 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. As you can see in the clip above, he’s playing with more flair than he did in his final few years at Wisconsin.

49ers LB fined for out-of-bounds playoff hit on Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott

Dre Greenlaw leveled Elliott on the San Francisco sideline and drew a penalty; the late hit will cost him over $10,000 in fines. | From @ToddBrock24f7

San Francisco safety Jimmie Ward will have last Sunday’s so-called “hip-drop” tackle of Cowboys running back Tony Pollard examined by the NFL’s Competition Committee sometime during the offseason, a move that may result in a new penalty in the league’s rulebook.

49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw didn’t have to wait nearly that long to learn the repercussions of his hit in the same game on Ezekiel Elliott.

According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Greenlaw has been fined $10,609 for a late out-of-bounds blow delivered to Elliott late in the second quarter of last weekend’s divisional-round playoff game.

The late hit drew a 15-yard flag for unnecessary roughness at the time. While the foul put the Cowboys offense into 49ers territory with a fresh set of downs, the drive ultimately turned into a nightmare for the Cowboys.

Just five plays after Greenlaw’s penalty came the Pollard tackle, sending him out of the game for good with a high ankle sprain and a fractured fibula. Literally adding insult to injury, Dallas then turned the ball over on the very next snap; Dak Prescott threw an interception in the red zone just as it seemed that a go-ahead touchdown was imminent.

Niners Wire reports that it’s the second time this year Greenlaw has been fined for an illegal hit; he was docked the same amount of money (and was even ejected) for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert in Week 10.

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