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 making an attempt 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 speedy 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 Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on November 24, 2024 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
“I’ll begin by saying there’s combined feelings I’ve about it as nicely,” Brady mentioned. “I bear in mind in 2001, I feel we performed at Buffalo and I slid late. Nate Clements was the nook for the Bills, and he got here up out of the secondary and completely crushed me. My helmet went flying off. I obtained again and bumped into the huddle, and I had a whole lot of teammates that got here as much as me the subsequent day and mentioned, ‘Dude, these guys are coming. You obtained to eliminate that soccer. And in case you’re gonna slide, you higher get down. These guys are coming to get you.’
“It was an awesome form of studying expertise for me as a result of I spotted, once I’m out of that pocket, issues are transferring rather a lot sooner for me. The protection is attempting to be aggressive, and over time, the NFL has clearly completed a whole lot of issues to guard gamers — gamers’ well being and security and on, and on, and on.”
One of the principle guidelines is hits to the pinnacle and neck space, which the NFL has cracked down on in current seasons. Also, hitting the quarterback whereas he slides is one thing defenses should be cautious of every week.
In the case of Al-Shaair, the NFL deemed him within the unsuitable for making his hit on Lawrence, saying in his suspension reasoning that he might’ve altered his hit within the second.
Though 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 working extra usually than ever within the historical past of the sport, that the offense cannot go with out blame right here.
“The solely facet that I feel may be very difficult, and positively for Trevor Lawrence, no person desires to see any individual get damage,” Brady mentioned. “But it is usually the truth of a really bodily sport that we play. Defensive gamers must 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 sort out 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 in opposition to the Jacksonville Jaguars within the second quarter at EverBank Stadium. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)
“There’s a side for me that I feel the quarterbacks have to take higher care of themselves. I see Josh Allen run it rather a lot, I see Lamar Jackson run it rather a lot, and it’s an awesome talent set to have. Lots of occasions, I want I had that talent set. When you run, you place your self in a whole lot of hazard. When you try this, I don’t assume the onus of defending an offensive quarterback who’s working ought to be on a defensive participant. I don’t assume that’s actually honest to a protection.”
Brady mentioned he would not just like the label “soiled participant,” which has been utilized by followers in opposition to Al-Shaair, particularly contemplating the league pointed to his previous transgressions on the soccer discipline as purpose for the three-game dock.
“I don’t like that one bit,” Brady mentioned concerning the soiled participant label. “Maybe they fantastic or penalize a quarterback for sliding late. They say, ‘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 pace within the NFL might be lightning fast with decision-making needing to be made quick to be able 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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But generally these choices do not match up nicely, leading to what transpired in Duval County on Sunday afternoon the place Al-Shaair’s determination to go full pace into the sliding Lawrence could have him sidelined till Week 17.
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