Because I didn't get to watch yesterday's game, the first (and only) clip I saw of it was Travis Johnson running into Trent Green as Keith Olbermann called Johnson the "Worst Person in the NFL." As Olbermann (whom I've generally liked throughout his sports career) opined at length about how Johnson was classless and needed to shut up and the like, my reaction to the clip was markedly different.

Watch the clip again. Johnson's eyes are on Ted Ginn, whom he trails by a few yards and from an awkward angle. As the ball carrier turns, flattening Johnson's pursuit angle even more, Green dives directly into Travis's knees. This is a bullshit, bush-league move on Green's part, so I am not the least bit surprised that Johnson was pissed off.

Ask yourself what happens if this whole block develops a half-second slower? Johnson's foot is on the ground, Green's shoulder goes into the knee, and Travis is most likely done for the season with multiple tears. And all we hear is how Trent sacrificed his body to make a block and, boy, it's just a shame that someone wound up injured. Luckily (for Travis), the play happened as it did, sending him sprawling instead of sending him to the hospital.

Besides, look at Travis's reaction. That is not someone jumping up, saying "yeah, bitch, you just got knocked the fuck OUT!" What point would there even be in taunting someone who successfully blocked you out of the play? How would that make any sense at all? What's he gonna say, "ha ha, you tried to block me and you got hurt?" That's lame and I highly doubt anyone would taunt for that. Getting pissed off, however, because some pussy quarterback didn't have the balls to hit you in the shoulder, or shove you, or do anything other than a blindside dive into your knees? That makes perfect sense. In THAT situation, there is a point in letting someone know that, "motherfucker, if you ever hit me in the knees again, I'll fucking end you."

Should Johnson have said anything at all? Maybe not, if only because Green was clearly not moving. On the other hand, Johnson jumped up and just started going after Trent, so I kind of doubt that Travis was even thinking to himself that Green might be hurt. As soon as Travis walked around so that he could see Green's face and it registered that Trent was not moving, Johnson went away. So, I suppose I look at the whole thing like this: If Green hadn't been injured, would Travis have been right to get pissed off and start yelling at him? Of course. Would every other defensive lineman in the game react to that block by getting up and yelling (or even shoving) the QB who blocked him? Yup. So, just because a concussion-prone pussy managed to get busted in the head while throwing a cheap-but-technically-legal block that would elicit a similar response from anyone, why should Johnson's initial reaction be any different? It shouldn't.

By the way, Peter King, you can save the "it was a legal block" horseshit. By the letter of the law, sure, it was not illegal...which is probably why Johnson wasn't screaming to the ref that there should be a flag. But you can bet your sweet ass that if Johnson had flown into Green's knees as Trent was throwing, there would have been a penalty on Houston, so it's not like kneecapping someone when they are in a vulnerable spot is commonly accepted practice. Even two of the three former players in your NBC crew said it was a cheap shot. "Cheap" does not have to equal "illegal" to be outside what is acceptable among players.

What about Green's excuse (which he texted to Fatty Starbucks) of "[h]e outweighs me by over 100 lbs. Where shld I blk him?" Johnson was chasing Ted Ginn of all people and was already trailing and had a shit angle. There was no chance in hell Travis was going to catch him from behind. How about just a shove? Or shoulder to shoulder contact? Or shoulder pad to his mid-section, because after all, you were blindsiding him, so you had some options. Don't give me the "he's big" defense when you had other options. I've seen Brett Favre block linemen for years and he never had to resort to that kind of cheap shit, so don't expect sympathy when you get a concussion from a bullshit move on your part.

But, anyway, back to the alleged taunting. Yes, Johnson drew a penalty for it, though that probably had more to do with the pointing and yelling than with the substance of the words. I cannot think of a single time where I've seen an NFL player taunt someone after severely injuring his opponent, even when it is a defensive player making the injurious hit. So why should we believe that Johnson was going to "taunt" after getting hit? The only explanation for Travis's actions that makes sense in context--and that jives with Johnson's quotes after the game--is that he was pissed about the location of the hit and was yelling at the player who hit him. What is wrong with doing that?

******

Two final side-notes.

1. I fully admit that I do not like Trent Green and that I might have taken a little glee in what happened (once I realized he wasn't dead). Still, I'd like to think that my reaction would be the same with any two players in that situation.

2. Why is it that Johnson's actions are causing people to fail to mention the stupidity on Green's part of leading with his goddamned head when he knows he is concussion-prone?

Labels: 2007 Season, God hates ugly, Injury bug, Righteous Indignation, Teams that aren't the Texans, Travis Johnson

Posted by matt on Monday, October 8, 2007 at 8:59 AM | Permalink