Houston Texans captain Azeez Al-Shaair getting a three-game suspension has been an enormous storyline popping out of the NFL’s Week 13 slate following his hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who was trying to slip.
Legendary quarterback and present Fox broadcaster Tom Brady gave his tackle the matter throughout an look on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” throughout which he admitted having “combined feelings” concerning the hit that led to an enormous skirmish and Al-Shaair’s quick ejection.
Lawrence was dominated out the rest of the sport for a concussion after his head whipped onto the grass.
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Tom Brady walks throughout the sphere earlier than the sport between the San Francisco 49ers and the Inexperienced Bay Packers at Lambeau Area on November 24, 2024 in Inexperienced Bay, Wisconsin. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Pictures)
“I’ll begin by saying there’s combined feelings I’ve about it as nicely,” Brady mentioned. “I keep in mind in 2001, I believe we performed at Buffalo and I slid late. Nate Clements was the nook for the Payments, and he got here up out of the secondary and completely crushed me. My helmet went flying off. I acquired again and bumped into the huddle, and I had loads of teammates that got here as much as me the subsequent day and mentioned, ‘Dude, these guys are coming. You bought to do away with that soccer. And in the event you’re gonna slide, you higher get down. These guys are coming to get you.’
“It was an amazing sort of studying expertise for me as a result of I spotted, once I’m out of that pocket, issues are shifting so much sooner for me. The protection is making an attempt to be aggressive, and over time, the NFL has clearly finished loads of issues to guard gamers — gamers’ well being and security and on, and on, and on.”
One of many primary guidelines is hits to the pinnacle and neck space, which the NFL has cracked down on in latest seasons. Additionally, hitting the quarterback whereas he slides is one thing defenses should be cautious of every week.
TEXANS’ NICK CASERIO RIPS NFL OVER ‘UNFAIR’ TREATMENT OF AZEEZ AL-SHAAIR AFTER CONTROVERSIAL HIT, SUSPENION
Within the case of Al-Shaair, the NFL deemed him within the flawed for making his hit on Lawrence, saying in his suspension reasoning that he might’ve altered his hit within the second.
Although Brady has been on the receiving finish of such hits, he questioned if the way in which the NFL has advanced, on this case with quarterbacks operating extra typically than ever within the historical past of the sport, that the offense cannot go with out blame right here.
“The one facet that I believe may be very difficult, and definitely for Trevor Lawrence, no person needs to see any person get harm,” Brady mentioned. “However it is usually the fact of a really bodily sport that we play. Defensive gamers need to be aggressive — that’s their nature. I attempt to be aggressive on offense, we attempt to block aggressively. And on the similar time, the protection tries to deal with aggressively.
Dec 1, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA;Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (0) is held again by Houston Texans linebacker Henry To’oTo’o (39) after being ejected towards the Jacksonville Jaguars within the second quarter at EverBank Stadium. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Pictures)
“There’s a side for me that I believe the quarterbacks have to take higher care of themselves. I see Josh Allen run it so much, I see Lamar Jackson run it so much, and it’s an amazing talent set to have. Numerous instances, I want I had that talent set. Once you run, you place your self in loads of hazard. Once you try this, I don’t assume the onus of defending an offensive quarterback who’s operating must be on a defensive participant. I don’t assume that’s actually honest to a protection.”
Brady mentioned he does not just like the label “soiled participant,” which has been utilized by followers towards Al-Shaair, particularly contemplating the league pointed to his previous transgressions on the soccer discipline as cause for the three-game dock.
“I don’t like that one bit,” Brady mentioned concerning the soiled participant label. “Possibly they effective or penalize a quarterback for sliding late. They are saying, ‘Look, if we don’t need these hits to happen, we’ve gotta penalize the offense and the protection reasonably than simply penalize the defensive participant for each single play for a success that occurs on a quarterback.’”
Brady is aware of that sport velocity within the NFL might be lightning fast with decision-making needing to be made quick as a way to execute performs on each side of the ball.
Tom Brady gave his tackle the Azeez Al-Shaair hit on Trevor Lawrence and the next suspension. (IMAGN)
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However typically these selections do not match up nicely, leading to what transpired in Duval County on Sunday afternoon the place Al-Shaair’s choice to go full velocity into the sliding Lawrence can have him sidelined till Week 17.
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