Well babyESPN Editor4 minute read
Mark Andrews goes out injured during first drive of the game
Ravens TE Mark Andrews makes a catch on the first drive of the game, but limps in and leaves the game.
CINCINNATI– Bengals Coach Zac Taylor delivered a passionate defense of the linebacker on Friday Logan Wilson after being scrutinized for his tackle Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews and other plays that resulted in injuries to Ravens players during Thursday night’s game.
Taylor took exception to the way Wilson was portrayed in the hours after the game.
“The narrative that’s going around right now has kind of been brought to my attention, and I think it’s completely reckless,” Taylor said. “He plays the game the right way. I think some people have gotten ahead of themselves by labeling him a certain way.
“It’s frustrating to see that because I know what this guy is doing. And I know he’s trying to play the game the right way.”
Wilson appeared to take Andrews down using the “hip-drop” maneuver, in which a player goes to the ground to create additional force to stop an opponent. This decision, which is legal, has been a topic of conversation throughout the year.
In March, the NFL Players’ Association issued a statement urging the league’s competition committee not to ban the hip-drop, emphasizing that such a measure is “unfair to players and unrealistic to implement “.
At the NFL owners’ meetings in October, a prominent league official presented data showing that the hip-drop poses a 25 times greater injury risk than a normal tackle. Jeff Miller, the NFL’s vice president of health and safety, compared it to the horse’s collar.
“It’s callous behavior and we need to try to define it and remove it from the game,” Miller said.
Speaking to reporters after Thursday night’s game, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Wilson’s move was “definitely a hip tackle.”
Harbaugh criticized what happened to Andrews, who likely suffered season-ending left ankle injury on the part.
“It’s a tough tackle,” Harbaugh said. “Was that even necessary in this situation?”
Wilson was not made available to reporters after the game, which the Ravens won 34-20.
Taylor was about to leave the stage inside the Bengals’ press conference room on Friday before sitting back down to issue a statement about Wilson amid backlash the fourth-year player received.
“It’s unfortunate any time a player gets injured,” Taylor said. “But he’s a guy that I’m proud to coach and proud to be a part of this team. Frustrating and a little infuriating when you see the narrative about him. That’s not the case at all. It’s a guy who’s just trying to help the team wins.”
Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen said that although he hated that Andrews was injured, he defended the hip-drop.
“At the end of the day, we play football,” Queen said. “We play a tackling sport. I don’t think a hip tackle is that bad. How else do you expect us to tackle it? Just let the guy pass you?”
After Wilson brought Andrews down, he took a knee while Baltimore medical staff tended to the tight end, who eventually left the field to a big ovation from the home fans at M&T Bank Stadium.
The Cincinnati linebacker was also involved in other plays that resulted in injuries. At the end of the first quarter, Wilson tackles the Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson on the Baltimore sideline after chasing him during a long scramble. Jackson was evaluated by the team’s medical staff but didn’t miss a beat and finished the game. Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. did not return to the game after Wilson chased him down in the fourth quarter.
Harbaugh suggested the Ravens were going to ask the league office to look into Wilson’s tackle on Jackson.
“The other one on the sideline,” Harbaugh said of that play. “There are always plays that you send to the league for them to look at and perform for you.”
