Myles Garrett Feels Phil Collins In The Air
Well that game was a total disaster! Only the damn Browns could earn their best divisional win in years and still somehow come out of it as losers. Way to blow it for everyone with 8 seconds left, Myles Garrett.
It feels a bit old news now since it happened last Thursday night but seriously let’s pull it back for a bit because there’s no way this doesn’t deserve more discussion. It might have been the outright worst dirty play I’ve seen on a football field. I think it’s worse than Suh’s stomp. I think it’s worse than Vontaze Burfict’s AB hit (At least the play wasn’t over yet for that hit). Worse than the Andre Johnson/Finnegan fight where helmets were ripped off and punches thrown, but no weapons used. This was simply outrageous. Myles Garrett ripped off Mason’s helmet and bludgeoned him with it. He used the damn helmet as a blunt weapon. That’s not just against football rules, that’s legitimately assault. Mason is lucky it just bounced off his numbskull of a noggin because the right angle could have potentially killed him.
I want to be clear on this: Mason started the fight, but using that fact to try and rationalize and lessen what Garrett did is messed up. Garrett’s swing is the centerpiece of this mess, and it is far above all other things that occurred. This feels like the equivalent of a pitcher going and intentionally hitting a batter in the leg, and the batter reacts by charging the mound with the bat and smashing the bat on the pitcher’s head. That batter might have legitimate reasons to be pissed, but there’s no valid reason to escalate that sharply. Garrett has had a few incidents this season and the entire Browns roster is woefully undisciplined because Freddie Kitchens sucks. Now Garrett is going to have the label of dirty player applied to him for the rest of his career. I have no problem with that. He deserves it. He has to earn any trust back now. The only people he hurt in this mess (thankfully) was himself, his teammates, and his organization. 8 seconds left. You couldn’t hold your damn temper for 8 fucking seconds? One more play? Way to ruin your season and ruin what should have been a banner night for the team.
Now that is out of the way, we can look at the other parts. Watching the replays my guess is that Garrett hit Mason right after Mason threw the ball. Garrett was in close enough that he either might not have known that Rudolph got rid of it and thought he was getting a sack, or he did know, and still decided to tackle him to the ground a little harder than necessary. Either way, Mason took offense to it (and Mason seems like a douche anyway) and appears to grab Garrett’s helmet and may have tried to rip it off himself. Garrett, understandably, was kinda pissed about that, and retaliated. While both get back up to continue the struggle Mason also appears to kick Garrett in the balls. Garrett rips the helmet off and DeCastro is doing his best to push Garrett away, but Mason comes back in for more and that’s when Garrett hits the drum break.
I actually do think this fight was largely Mason’s fault. Maybe Garrett’s tackle was unnecessary but it’s on a grey line since I’m not sure if Garrett thought he was getting a sack. He started it by taking offense to Garrett’s tackle and escalated it, and Garrett seemed willing to back off after he ripped the helmet off in retaliation. Then Mason charged back in and provoked him. I think it’s bad that Rudolph isn’t getting suspended over this. He deserves at least one game. He ended up the ultimate victim here because nobody deserved to be bashed with their own helmet and maybe that’s why he’s likely escaping with a fine. Rudolph acted like an asshole and made the situation worse. He deserves a suspension.
After the helmet bash I’m not surprised to see Maurkice Pouncey throwing haymakers and kicking Garrett in the head. At that point, after an act like that, the struggle has gone beyond argument and has escalated into a street fight. Pouncey was defending his QB. He shouldn’t be throwing punches and kicking a downed player in the head but like, at that point in the mess, I get it. He got suspended 3 games and I think everyone, himself included, agrees that was the correct decision.
Larry Ogunjobi rushed in while Maurkice Pouncey was being Maurkice Punchey and gave Rudolph a shove and that’s another case of “I get it”. Mason acted like a dick and I enjoyed watching him take one more shove. Obunjobi deserved the single game suspension because the shove wasn’t necessary.
I’m glad Garrett is likely out for the rest of the season (well deserved) and if he is still suspended for a few games next year I won’t be mad about it. I feel the other punishments to Pouncey and Ogunjobi are fair. I believe whatever fines the NFL hands out to tertiary rumblers who came in late is fair. I fear the NFL is making a mistake not suspending Rudolph at least one game. He was more than just a victim, he was an active participant, and his actions should not be ignored just because what other people did was far worse.
Mason Rudolph also looks like a dillweed but that’s not really related to anything.
Best divisional round in years? They beat the Ravens this year who are arguably the best in the NFL right now
Swear to god Dave I’m gonna need you to stop with these mature and correct takes. You’re making internet discourse look bad*
*Not that it needs help…
Myles Garrett deserves his suspension but my favorite part of this event is still that Mason Rudolph tried to rip the helmet off first and just failed at it
Didn’t you hear? If you fail at doing something, you’re not guilty!
It’s 2019 and we live in a world where a team could have used Gregg Williams to make them more disciplined and less dirty.
Yeah everyone should let that sink in for a moment
You know, I don’t blame Garrett or Pouncey for anything that happened. I blame Rudolph and it’s a total disgrace that he isn’t getting AT LEAST what Pouncey got.
So let me back off a minute and say I’ve seen this before. It happened in the preseason game between the Texans and Dolphins the season Bullygate happened. Antonio Smith wrenched Richie Incognito’s helmet off and attempted to bash his face in after an uncalled hands to the face by Incognito. He missed – partly because Incognito dodged and then he realised attacking someone with their helmet was a bad idea. Smith got suspended the rest of the preseason, if you’ll believe that joke of a punishment. The main point, however, is that Incognito immediately tried to put some distance between himself and Smith when he found himself without his helmet.
If we’re talking assault with a blunt weapon, what Antonio Smith did certainly qualifies. What Myles Garrett did, however, does not for the simple reason that he was not the instigator. If charges had been brought up, Garrett would get off on the grounds that Rudolph put his hands on him in a non-football action first.
The media is correct in saying Garrett wasn’t thinking when he did that. But they don’t say why he wasn’t thinking. He wasn’t thinking because Rudolph had activated his fight or flight response, and you don’t think when you go into fight or flight mode. You make the threat go away, either by taking it out or getting away and that decision is made instinctively, not rationally. By going after him, Rudolph made sure Garrett wasn’t able to get out of that mode. The threat was still there and was still hurting or at least attempting to hurt him, so Garrett removed it instinctively.
Had Rudolph instead, like Incognito, backed off, Garrett would have calmed down enough to think and realise that swinging the helmet like a weapon wasn’t the best idea, like Smith did. But he didn’t and he got clonked in the noggin and to be honest I don’t have a lot of sympathy for him. He made a decision so bad even Incognito didn’t.
As for Pouncey, he saw his guy get hit in the head with a helmet and he reacted.
I agree with you 100% (Pats fan here). Had Mason not charged back at Garrett this would not have received the notariety that it has. Also (purely just opinion here), when Mason charged in Garrett instinctively swung with the only hand free and able to hit him, which happened to be holding his own helmet.
To be clear, NONE of this was justified and I’m not condoning what Garrett did, and I agree with Dave on all points as well, just stating why there is even more reason for Mason to get suspended 1+ games
So Garrett is 0% to blame? I’ll take “Nope” for $5000, Alex.
I don’t know if that’s where this was going with it but I do believe ALL INVOLVED PARTIES should be held accountable for their actions. Garrett was certainly wrong and should be punished. But the tackle, late or not, was a football play. Grabbing at someone’s helmet in an attempt to take it off or using one as a weapon is not a football play. Kicking and punching are not football plays. Garrett may have set things off, but Mason needlessly ignited and further escalated things beyond where they should have been. The suspensions are fair. I would argue that because Mason attempted to remove Garrett’s helmet and then charge Garrett that Mason deserves a one game suspension. That would help to discourage future encounters. Short story of this adventure is that no one seemed to really be thinking, only reacting. That rarely ever makes things better.
I agree, but from the original comment and the new one below, Anonymous seems to be saying the blame is ENTIRELY on Rudolph the Cracked-Skulled Reindeer. Which is the silliest thing I’ve heard all day.
He was the instigator. The instigator always deserves all the blame in a real conflict.
That’s just not how the real world (usually) works. If I push you on the street and you beat me senseless with a blunt object, you’re going to be in doo doo. There is an expectation that a grown ass man ACT like a grown ass man and contain himself. I know some people can’t manage that *cough*POTUS*cough*. But yea, “he started it” ain’t gonna cut it as a defense.
The he started it excuse is barely good enough when it’s kids. Usually even then, both sides are punished. The biggest divide on this issue is people are focusing primarily on what Garrett did. They are overlooking what Mason did because of the severity of Garrett’s actions. Use this approach. Was Mason wrong? Was Garrett wrong? If the answer is yes, that individual is wrong and should be disciplined. If you think either one is right, try the action on someone today and see how it goes.
It wasn’t a push. Rudolph kicked or attempted to kick Garrett in the nuts while a Steelers O-lineman was pushing Garrett back. Garrett had something in his hand and used it. If you were out on the street and someone tried a groin shot at ypu amd ypu had a briefcase in your hand and you swung that at the attacker, you aren’t going to prison. It was self defence.
It was an intentional decision made by a grown man to needlessly escalate a situation with violence. It doesn’t matter if he was the one who got smacked in the face with a helmet first, his imperative is to remain composed and avoid doing something stupid after Mason did something stupid. He didn’t, ergo he bears a large chunk of blame.
Look at David Decastro. Dude is a hero. His attempts to peacefully intervene failed, so he wrapped up Garrett and took him to the ground in an attempt to passively prevent him from doing anything AND protect him from his fellow Steelers.
Your analogy doesn’t hold up any better; they were actively engaged on the ground, the groin kick didn’t come out of the blue.
I don’t blame him one bit. That does not mean I think he shouldn’t be suspended – he should be, to set an example if for no other reason. But I will never blame a man who acts to defend himself.
Defending himself is ok. The way he did it was not. Not considering the brutal hit that Mason had just a month or so ago that concussed him. Mason was an instigator. Everyone involved used poor judgment in how to respond.
There was a fight and he was being held back by a Steeler. Rudolph continued to attack him while a Steeler was holding Garrett back. There is no thinking in that situation.
“there is no thinking in that situation”
no, there *was* no thinking in that situation, which is precisely fucking why it escalated to the shitshow that it was
if there had been even a modicum of rational thought at any point in the four fucking second span the discussion would be exclusively about the banner game the browns played and what a fucking asshat mason is
this “i was attacked therefore i can go nuclear to defend myself” notion is so incoherent and vapid as to make garrett’s left cross seem like poetry in motion
Man that is just a really wrong worldview to have. So if I call someone a *****, I deserve to be shot to death by them? My fault, right? I mean yes I was a jerk, but there are acceptable levels of escalation and there are unacceptable levels of escalation. If I shoot at someone, I should expect to be shot back at. If I yell at someone, I should not expect to be shot at.
Garrett could have KILLED rudolph. Rudolph definitely deserved something because yes, he was the instigator, but while I’m sure we both would like the world better if there were fewer assholes in it, people have no right to try to kill assholes on the basis of just being an asshole, and someone being an asshole just does not warrant always getting 100% of the blame if they are retaliated against much stronger than they were giving out. That’s just a really dangerous line of thinking.
First of all, no he couldn’t have. Due to the way Garrett was being pushed and the way he was holding the helmet, the hit he gave was the most he could do.
Second, real fucking brilliant worldview you have, chief, where going after someone’s head protection and nuts, and chasing after them is the same as yelling. Rudolph escalated the situation where Garrett was not able to do anything other than react in self defence. The reaction was regrettable, and Garrett probably shouldn’t have been holding on to that helmet, but it’s 100% on Rudolph for pushing Garrett to that point.
I don’t like this idea that Garrett’s reaction is somehow fairly acceptable or understandable just because Mason started it and escalated it. Garrett may have had a reason to be pissed but nothing Mason did excuses ripping his helmet off and then bashing him with it soon after. A shove or two? Sure. Garrett was provoked but nothing about his reaction feels justified.
There were two instances of Rudolph going after Myles Garrett’s crotch. First was the kick while they were wrestling on the ground that people claim was unintentional – which doesn’t really matter when looking at the psychological effect on the receiver. A kick to the crotch is a kick to the crotch. Then, while DeCastro was restraining Garrett, Rudolph threw a punch to Garrett’s nuts.
https://n4f9d4s8.stackpathcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/img_8451.jpg
It wasn’t until after this that Rudolph got his head clocked. I’m sorry, after getting two hits to the groin, no one is going to be thinking at all. Garrett’s actions were regrettable, but I don’t blame him for them.
Self defense? Are you kidding me? Yes, garrett was under such durress in that picture you posted in which rudolph was…yelling? And going after garrett after being separated from him by another player. How is that stance he’s in throwing a punch? The video I’m watching, his arm is like that in that moment because he’s reaching under his teammate who’s blocking garrett off to get at him. That is not a punch.
Look, I want to say that I am firmly on the side that rudolph deserved some punishment. He did start it, he did escalate, and that warrants something. But nothing he did is as bad as what garrett did. Nothing. I can’t convince you that you’re wrong in the way you see things, so if you really think that the instigator is ALWAYS at 100% fault NO MATTER WHAT, in any situation (which was the point of my example I posted, to try and illustrate how crazy it sounds when you apply that logic to other scenarios) then you do you. But I was just trying to say, that if you follow your logic, then garrett would have been warranted to kill rudolph had he wanted to because rudolph started it.
A shouting match is not a real conflict. A real conflict is one where people feel their safety is threatened, and after an attempt at having his helmet removed and two crotch shots – though you clearly disagree with me on the second one – Garrett was warrantand in fearing for his safety
Lmao if you think Garrett was fearing for his safety at all.
He’s twice Mason’s size and by the time he swung the helmet he had already won the fight by ripping off the helmet and owning Rudolph on the ground. It wasn’t fearing for his safety, it was just anger and retaliation far above what was necessary.
Two previous crotch shots. Being held back by someone on Rudolph’s side who outweighs him by the same margin he outweighs Rudolph. Rudolph went back for more and he’s already shown to be a slimy weasel not above going below the belt. If Garrett had truly been wanting to harm Rudolph out of retaliation, he would’ve flipped the helmet to hit with the hard top rather than the flexible backside. Garrett did the only thing he really could do under the circumstances.
What? Are you saying that it wasn’t retaliation because he didn’t adjust the helmet before he swung? Huh? Have you ever been in or seen a fight? People who are just pissed off aren’t calculating their harm, they are just blindly swinging because they see red, reacting on pure emotions.
You are going to very weird lengths to rationalize the fight. Garrett doesn’t need you to defend his honor. Mason acted like a jerk, and Garrett overreacted in response. I haven’t even seen die hard Browns homers defending Garrett’s actions to this degree.
Emerald, I’m totally on your side when it comes to Garrett being overboard and Rudolf deserving some punishment (I lean to 1 game myself).
However, self-defense has another aspect to it and that’s the proximity of multiple assailants. I know DeCastro comes out of this looking good but Garrett being engaged 2 vs 1 is certainly threatening and so there may be a dynamic where fear is operating even if a single party is stronger than either possible assailant individually (this numbers advantage dynamic became more pronounced when DeCastro held Garrett down and then Pouncey was trying to get cheap shots in)
The example from philosophy class with regards to self defense is how hard do you hit someone? The answer is hard enough and unfortunately that’s vague. When it becomes a 2v1 situation, a belligerent really needs to make sure each hit does maximum damage to try to even the engagement. Not saying Garrett is justified but there can be an explanation for his instinctual reaction.
I’m annoyed that the Alzado rule wasn’t being mentioned in the post game coverage. I understand if the intern putting together the immediate game recap has no idea what that is but I would have expected someone to have at least referenced by the next day.
I couldn’t agree more, and I have been saying the same thing since Thursday. Rudolph absolutely deserves a suspension as well. Just because he ended up getting the worst of it doesn’t mean that all of the nonsense he pulled to start it is ok. He tried to rip Garrett’s helmet off and failed and then kicked him in the groin. Suspension worthy.
I’m thinking since the teams were also punished, perhaps part of the Steelers’ punishment was having Mason Rudolph continue being their quarterback. That is worse than any fine.
I’m so impressed at your take here, and agree basically everywhere (I have no real investment in either team). Thanks for providing a rational response to what was a truly irrational sequence of events.
Rudolph is the quarterback. That’s the only reason he isnt suspended.
This seems to be the case, because he absolutely should have been suspended. They did indicate in the statement that further actions could still be taken, so I guess there’s a chance they suspend Mason? But I don’t think they will.
Honestly the NFL made a mistake if Myles ever plays again
Myles Garrett fan here. I’m a fellow Aggie so I’ve been following him for a while, although, admittedly, not that closely this season. The weird thing is that everything else I’ve seen written about him from his high school days to now would seem to point to him being a kind, introspective kind of guy. Obviously, some of that has to turn off on the football field and maybe he’s turned it off too much. I just think it sucks that this will more than likely be his defining moment.
I agree with this. I’ve followed Garrett on social media and have read stories about him from his peers, and honestly I feel like he’s a great guy off the field. What he did is going to define him for a long time, if not the rest of his career, which kinda sucks. I wouldn’t necessarily put him in with the Suh / Burfict crowd of nasty players yet, but he showed signs earlier of in the season of his aggression and it came out last week.
I think the main thing is that he’s just aggresssive. I know that some of my friends are great to be around but when we’re on the field I like to stay away from them because they like to play hard and be aggressive. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being an aggressive player, you just need to learn to tame that aggression. It’s good that Garrett is being physical and working hard to get a sack each play, but acting that aggression out in this sense shows that he still needs to learn how to control himself. He’s still young and I feel like he’s aware enough to see that he needs to chill, and he even admitted that during the postgame conference that he fucked up. He knows he needs to change and I believe he will.
“This feels like the equivalent of a pitcher going and intentionally hitting a batter in the leg, and the batter reacts by charging the mound with the bat and smashing the bat on the pitcher’s head.”
I was at that game where Jose Offerman ended one baseball career and tried to end another. https://youtu.be/dYqlIfErZQw
The drum break in this song is a Joke.
I want to preface this by stating that I am a musician, I study music production and music theory and am, if I may forego humility for a moment, one of the best drummers I’ve ever met – I’ve been drumming since I was very small and it’s second nature to me.
The drum fill in this song is a joke. It takes zero skill and talent, and honestly annoys the hell out of me when people just sit their ass right down on my set and as LOUD AS THEY POSSIBLY CAN play this fill. Even more annoying is when people learn I’m a drummer and ask me if I can play the fill as if it’s something that’s remotely difficult.
I realize that I sound like some pretentious music snob writing this but this song generally annoys me and this is my two sense about it. If you ever meet a musician or a real drummer, please, please don’t be that guy who insists that they play this fill.
*steps off soapbox*
If you’re going to smack Phil Collins in the face with a glove and challenge him to a duel, Mr. Drum-p, I hope you bring your A-Game.
Collins is a damn fine drummer. Does it really matter one iota if one of his songs has “easy” drumming in the pursuit of sounding good?
Between you and him, my money is on him. All of it.
https://youtu.be/n2NU4Xu_HXE?t=48
I agree, the fill is meh. I’m a meh Guitarist (lol what my friends say, even my musician friends who play Guitar think I’m better than I am. Thanks for having my back though.) I’m more impressed by the easiest stuff Neil Peart or Portnoy do.
Sometimes the most simple things can become extremely iconic. Take the song “Brother to Brother” by Gino Vannelli for example. It has one of the most complex guitar solos I know yet most people have never even heard of the song let alone Gino himself. Now take a guy like Phil Collins. Is he a lot more popular than Gino? Of course. But even then, something as simple as the break from “In the Air Tonight” can become so iconic and can resonate with so many people. Just goes to show that the complexity of something has almost no correlation to the popularity or success of said thing.
Not disagreeing but what is a good drum fill then, in your opinion?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9esWG6A6g-k
So I can’t do the one handed roll like Buddy Rich does (that shite is next level) but I’ve learned to do this solo from the piece whiplash and that shite is what a good drum fill is.
I can understand being annoyed by people who just want you to essentially “play the hits” when they find out you drum but the simplicity and the sudden increase in volume is part of what makes the break so special and beloved in popular culture. It’s not always about technical ability, sometimes art is striking the right simple chords at the right time, and that drum break just fucking nails it every time. That’s why everyone air drums the shit out of it when it comes on.
If you could replace a piece of your set with Mason Rudolph’s head, what would it be?
Probably one of the low toms. They’re big and empty like Rudolph’s head.
I appreciate that you care about technical ability and I wholeheartedly agree with you that it’s extremely annoying that taste is often not developed and that talent often goes unrecognized.
However, I also agree with Dave and JPP’s Hand that aesthetic beauty and appreciation should not be circumscribed by gatekeepers and that there can enjoyment in popular yet simple melodies.
I think when technical ability meets artistry with an aim to communicate a truth to a wide audience the result can be very special. I can recognize that Dragon Force’s Through the Fire and the Flame is technically excellent and I like it but I still find Blackbird by The Beatles more meaningful and aesthetically pleasing.
Is it more important that people like drums or that they like whatever is considered good drumming taste? Whiplash is both a mesmerizing movie but also a cautionary tale about the alienation and costs of ambition and perfectionism.
It’s “my two cents”, not “my two sense”. But what’s more important is that I’m glad that you contributed ideas and perspectives on this comic. Without your contribution we would’ve never had a great conversation from so many people about taste. And you made a pretty great joke about replacing one of your low toms with Rudolph’s head.
As a Steelers fan i accept the fact that Rudolph started the fight. However what Garrett did was inexcusable wether he was really thinking or not. His suspension is justified and I personally think Rudolph’s fine is acceptable. Garrett is lucky Rudolph decided not to press charges cause that was legit assault. Also to any who says Rudolph sucks he literally has no good or healthy receivers at this point.
I think a lot of Rudolph’s struggles have to do with Fitchner’s awful playcalling. It’s so basic and predictable that they only succeed against a bad defense.
I like how no one is talking about all the other dirty hits in that game. That brawl was in the air longer than just 8 seconds
That game was chippy the entire time. Randall’s reckless stupidity didn’t help matters either. Looked like a Browns-Steelers game from before the move.
Dave, it’s not assault, or at least not chargeable, because there’s legal precedent for this. You have to cause a serious injury for it to make it outside the boundaries of the assumption of risk. The best examples are Boobie Clark and Todd Bertuzzi, and they paralyzed their victims. They were also both sucker punches, not mutual combat.
Yeah okay maybe not because Mason was okay, but the problem is he very, very easily could have been brained or worse. He’s lucky the helmet just bounced off, and he declined to press charges.
It might have escaped the technical law definition of assault but he fucking swung a very hard blunt object onto his head, that’s good enough to consider it assault for me
Technically all of football under the law is assault but there are superseding laws that preclude the assault being chargeable because of consent. Violence after the whistle is also consented to. When I was in law school I looked at the Bertuzzi case and the particular outcome of Moore being paralyzed was what made it outside of regular play.
Hockey is a bit different because there are rules for fisticuffs on the books but the NFL has fighting rules in the books as penalties which means that fighting is within the realm of possibility. Hence, fights in the NFL aren’t actually chargeable (at least comparitively – there is a difference between US law and Canadian law but since the NHL operates across borders and the Bertuzzi incident was Vancouver vs Colorado I think it would hold precedent for the NFL as well)(the NFL really is the law when it comes to what happens on the gridiron).
I looked it up and it’s specifically provided for in the rules (Rule 12, Section 2, Article 17 is for using a helmet as a weapon), so by law it is covered by the assumption of risk. It’s not even a matter of interpretation.
I thought Garrett was a nice guy… trying to help that poor quarterback put his helmet back on. *sips tea.
Also the drum beat Pelle Alsing used in the pause on Listen To Your Heart in Roxette’s Never-ending World Tour of 2011, probably referencing the boy Collins. Check the live disc from Charm School – dude can throw down some beats of his own. I was at the Wembley Arena gig, 20 years since I first saw Per & Marie live, almost to the day.
White guy – no penalty.
Black guys – unlimited suspension, 3 have suspension
Just sayin’.
*3 game suspension, dang it
Still not as bad as Haynesworth-Gurode. Rudolph was at least stupid enough to try to get in Garrett’s face after already having had his helmet ripped off, Haynesworth-Gurode was on a different level of cheap
The picture of Rudolph punching Garrett in the nads looks like Johnny Cage fighting Goro. Seriously – look at how big Miles Garrett is.
Well this seems to have ballooned. Why can’t we all just agree that it should never have happened? Instead of pointing a finger at who started it or who is at fault, they were all victims of poor judgment on their own behalves. Actions have consequences.
I agree with the general sentiment that Rudolph should have gotten suspended at least one game.
But I disagree with your notion, Dave, that this makes Garrett a dirty player.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying that Garrett is or is not a dirty player. He may or may not be for other things he’s done. But when I think of dirty play, I think of the NFL equivalent of hair-pulling, eye-gouging type of things. Perhaps twisting an arm at the bottom of the pile, or even trying to cheat with Stickum or something like that. Things that a player may have premeditated, or maybe didn’t premeditate, but thought they could gain an edge from and get away with.
Garrett didn’t premeditate any of his actions. He just reacted, lost his temper, and control of his actions. He certainly didn’t try to gain a competitive advantage, and he had to know that he was being watched at the time, so he didn’t try to get away with anything. What he did was certainly wrong, but I don’t think this action by itself makes him a dirty player.
Just want to say how amazing it is that everyone here is having a rational conversation.
With the Blue Bombers in the Grey Cup there aren’t a lot of people in Winnipeg actually having thoughtful conversation about NFL matters.
I nominate Dave for head of officiating, maybe he can sort out the PI mess!
I haven’t commented in a while, but I have to say, it’s takes like this that keep me coming back to your site. A very reasonable, mature take that beats anything I had heard all week during the aftermath of that incident. I have a feeling I’ll be copying this: “Mason started the fight, but using that fact to try and rationalize and lessen what Garrett did is messed up. Garrett’s swing is the centerpiece of this mess, and it is far above all other things that occurred. This feels like the equivalent of a pitcher going and intentionally hitting a batter in the leg, and the batter reacts by charging the mound with the bat and smashing the bat on the pitcher’s head. That batter might have legitimate reasons to be pissed, but there’s no valid reason to escalate that sharply.” That is easily the best assessment of the situation I’ve read, good job.
Honestly, many of the defenses for Garrett are downright ridiculous, and it feels as if though many of the people defending have something against Mason Rudolph. I think it goes without saying that Rudolph deserved far more than what he received, considering he partially initiated the fight (I think it’s hard to pinpoint who really started the fight considering both players had valid reasons to be pissed at that point. Garrett nearly had his helmet ripped off and Rudolph may have kicked him in the dick, and Rudolph, after having arguably the worst game of his career, was slammed to the ground a tad too late which only added insult to injury by that point. What can be said, is that Rudolph made things far worse by charging Garrett after his linemen came in and broke things up), but justifying Garrett’s actions on the basis that Rudolph started it is ridiculous.
It’s a shame, because Garrett seems like a pretty genuine guy off the field, but this incident is likely going to define not only his entire career, but his entire life.