A play in this weekend's NFL preseason contest between the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles stood out but for all the wrong reasons.
Gifted, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs hit the very injury prone Sam Bradford low which caused an uproar amongst Eagles fans. Suggs was flagged for roughing the passer but he insists that the hit was clean. Officially let the Eagles paranoia begin, starting left tackle Jason Peters stated he believed the hit was intentional by stating
"I think so....I think he planned it."
Suggs quickly responded with this gem of a quote...
"When you run the read option you have to know the rules. If you want to run the read option with your starting quarterback that's had two knee surgeries, that's on you. That's not my responsibility to update you on the rule."
Suggs added...
"I could've hit him harder on that. I didn't. I eased up"
On the play Bradford handed off the football but still got taken down by his legs anyway. As the play happens in full speed you can clearly see Suggs head down as he rushes the quarterback, he never adjusts to hit him specifically in any other part of the body.
Suggs was just looking to wrap up Bradford but because of the injury history Bradford has the Eagles freaked out because truly if Suggs wanted to hurt Sam Bradford he would have. Bradford got to his feet right after and did not show any ill effects from the hit. In a game in which as a defender you can get fined for hitting anywhere high these days, defenders have been taught to hit lower, wrap up the legs. Also, as Pro Football Talk points out, the hit was technically legal because it was a run-option play for Bradford.
Having a reactionary call to a quarterback because everyone knows he is an injury risk is not how to play the game however if it were the regular season a penalty that big might have not been called.
