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Ray Lewis Calls Out Brady Quinn For 'Cheap Shot'

stevekstevek Posts: 29,038 ✭✭✭✭✭
Ray Lewis Calls Out Brady Quinn For 'Cheap Shot'

by Michael Hurley on Nov 17, 2009 9:19:55 AM

Early in the third quarter of Monday night's game between the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns, quarterback Brady Quinn was intercepted for the second time in the span of three minutes.

As Baltimore cornerback Chris Carr returned the interception, Quinn dived low at linebacker Terrell Suggs. Quinn was flagged for a 15-yard penalty, and Suggs was taken to the locker room.

After the game, linebacker Ray Lewis was unhappy with Quinn's hit.

"Heck yeah it was a cheap shot," Lewis told The Associated Press after the Ravens won 16-0. "When you're running down and you're looking at the quarterback going at somebody's knees who doesn't even have the ball. I want to see if he gets the same fine I got or even higher. Now this man is out four or five weeks because of some baloney like that."

Lewis was fined $25,000 for hitting Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco in the head earlier in the season.

The Ravens have not said how much time Suggs is expected to miss, though he is scheduled for an MRI on Tuesday.

"That's an illegal blow," Lewis said. "I don't care how you want to look at it."

Quinn defended his hit, saying he was trying to tackle the ball carrier. Carr was running just behind Suggs (video here, at 1:12 mark).

"I was trying to go for the ball carrier," Quinn told the AP. "Suggs came across at the last second in my vision. I would never wish that upon anyone. I was upset about it on the field. We worked out in Arizona together. I couldn't be any more sorry about that. That was never the intent. I'm sorry to Terrell and the rest of their team."

Suggs was penalized after diving at the knee of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in Week 4.

Comments

  • stevekstevek Posts: 29,038 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Kinda "funny" a quarterback being called out for a cheap shot by one of the toughest defensive players in football.
  • MorgothMorgoth Posts: 3,950 ✭✭✭
    I think it looks worse than it actually is. He will get fined but I doubt it is as much as the Lewis head shot penalty. Also there is no special rules about hitting anyone else below the waist besides the QB unless its viewed as unecessary roughness or a personal foul which in this case it was called an illegal block which it wasn't.
    Currently completing the following registry sets: Cardinal HOF's, 1961 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, 1972 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, 1980 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, Bill Mazeroski Master & Basic Sets, Roberto Clemente Master & Basic Sets, Willie Stargell Master & Basic Sets and Terry Bradshaw Basic Set
  • alnavmanalnavman Posts: 4,129 ✭✭✭
    penaltys will be called but a worse call during the game was when Flacco got hit by two of the browns right after he threw a pass. There was no way the second guy could have stopped himself from hitting him, and he didn't even nail him as bad as he could have.....they may as well have it with no one allowed to touch the QB's if that was a penalty
  • goose3goose3 Posts: 11,471 ✭✭✭
    kinda funny that Ray Lewis is somehow a barometer for ethics.

  • CDsNutsCDsNuts Posts: 10,092
    You guys are off base:

    1) Quinn dove at Suggs' knees. Same thing Favre did earlier in the year. QB's have been doing this for years because they can't throw a legit block or they'd get run over. The NFL just started calling it this year. Regardless of the position, that's a cheap shot which is why the NFL made it illegal because that's what ruined the Pats season last year. The toughest player in the league can have his year or career ended by a knee injury. Lewis is right about it being a cheap shot, and if it were Suggs that dove at Peyton Manning's knees, people would be up in arms. It shouldn't matter who delivered the shot- if it's a dirty hit then it's a dirty hit, just like a chop block, head shot or anything else that is likely to cause a major injury.

    2) alnavman- that penalty was called on the guy who fell at Flacco's legs. They weren't calling it a late hit, rather it was the same thing Quinn was called for. If you watch the replay it wasn't a terrible call but I could understand if they let it go.
  • MorgothMorgoth Posts: 3,950 ✭✭✭
    I honestly don't think he saw Suggs until it was too late to stop so I don't think the intent was there to injure unlike Favre.
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  • CDsNutsCDsNuts Posts: 10,092
    Morgo- fast forward to 1:36 Link


    Quinn literally dove at Suggs' knees. It looked pretty intentional on the replay.
  • alnavmanalnavman Posts: 4,129 ✭✭✭


    << <i>You guys are off base:

    1) Quinn dove at Suggs' knees. Same thing Favre did earlier in the year. QB's have been doing this for years because they can't throw a legit block or they'd get run over. The NFL just started calling it this year. Regardless of the position, that's a cheap shot which is why the NFL made it illegal because that's what ruined the Pats season last year. The toughest player in the league can have his year or career ended by a knee injury. Lewis is right about it being a cheap shot, and if it were Suggs that dove at Peyton Manning's knees, people would be up in arms. It shouldn't matter who delivered the shot- if it's a dirty hit then it's a dirty hit, just like a chop block, head shot or anything else that is likely to cause a major injury.

    2) alnavman- that penalty was called on the guy who fell at Flacco's legs. They weren't calling it a late hit, rather it was the same thing Quinn was called for. If you watch the replay it wasn't a terrible call but I could understand if they let it go. >>



    I was at the game and didn't have the replay...seemed from what we saw that they called it for the lineman falling on top of Flacco....which we thought was clean. When they reshowed it at the game they concentrated on the lineman falling on Flacco, not the one by his knees...
  • stevekstevek Posts: 29,038 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Well...NFL quarterbacks for sure don't practise tackling and probably rarely practise blocking...perhaps back in high school, Quinn went both ways and when this play suddenly developed he reverted to his old high school thoughts when hitting that way was legal.

    I think Lewis should have understood that....much ado about nothing accusing a quarterback of something like this....in my opinion it was simply a mistake on Quinn's part, not an intentional cheap shot.
  • CDsNutsCDsNuts Posts: 10,092
    Maybe they did call that penalty a late hit on the guy on top; my understanding was they called it on the guy at his legs. Either way it probably was a ticky tacky call.

    Granted QBs don't know how to tackle and instincts probably took over for Quinn, but if your career was on the line and you had a guy diving at your knees wouldn't you be pissed off? I'm not saying he intentionally tried to injure Suggs, any more than guys who chop block are trying to injure defensive lineman. I would still consider it a dirty play though. The guy who injured Brady last year was also acting on instinct, but he ended up putting Brady out for the year. Some think it was dirty, some don't, but the difference is this year it's illegal and the players should act accordingly (even the QBs). I guess it depends on your definition of dirty. I consider acting irresponsibly to a point where someone could get seriously hurt a dirty play. So maybe for the sake of semantics we should call it irresponsible rather than dirty. I'm fine with that.
  • stevekstevek Posts: 29,038 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Maybe they did call that penalty a late hit on the guy on top; my understanding was they called it on the guy at his legs. Either way it probably was a ticky tacky call.

    Granted QBs don't know how to tackle and instincts probably took over for Quinn, but if your career was on the line and you had a guy diving at your knees wouldn't you be pissed off? I'm not saying he intentionally tried to injure Suggs, any more than guys who chop block are trying to injure defensive lineman. I would still consider it a dirty play though. The guy who injured Brady last year was also acting on instinct, but he ended up putting Brady out for the year. Some think it was dirty, some don't, but the difference is this year it's illegal and the players should act accordingly (even the QBs). I guess it depends on your definition of dirty. I consider acting irresponsibly to a point where someone could get seriously hurt a dirty play. So maybe for the sake of semantics we should call it irresponsible rather than dirty. I'm fine with that. >>



    Lee - I'm actually in favor of the rules protecting players. There's been some threads on here about some not liking the newer rules, especially rules protecting quarterbacks...comments that the game has become "soft" so to speak in some aspects. Well..NFL football is a great game and no way in my opinion is it a "soft" game....in my view it's a better game when the game can be played rough, which it still is, but yet protect the players as much as possible.
  • I agree. The rules I hate are the contact calls like lllegal Contact and more lenient Pass Interference flags. Obviously there has been a concerted effort to turn it into a pass-happy more entertaining game, but give the DB's a chance. Under the current rules there are maybe a half dozen CB's that I would qualify as standouts, and they're commanding ridiculous money because they're the only ones that can cover anybody under the current rules.

    I also think the refs are somewhat overreactive to the new QB protecting rules and it will fix itself, kind of like how the refs went way overboard with In-The-Grasp went it got implemented. I remember them calling the QB down if the defender got a hand on him and tugged his shirt a little. Big Ben would've been sacked 200 times this season if that was still called.
  • GDM67GDM67 Posts: 2,526 ✭✭✭✭


    << <i>kinda funny that Ray Lewis is somehow a barometer for ethics. >>

    I don't write this often, but...image
  • anyone watch the brutal game?

    that was a CHEAP SHOT bigtime!

    he was throwing a low block at the guys knees, he wasnt trying to tackle anyone...

    again he was blocking AFTER HIS TEAM LOST THE BALL, you dont block on defense, you block on offense....

  • Ray Lewis refuses to testify about knowing that Quinn did not intentionally go for the player's knees. image
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