Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark has no regrets for the hit that he put on New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz in the end zone this past Sunday, and he even thinks that it might have gotten into the head of Cruz in addition.
Clark, who was unjustly flagged for the hit when the official thought that he went helmet-to-helmet on the Giants wide receiver, gave Jay Glazer his thoughts about the hit on Thursday\’s NFL Total Access.
“The reason I don\’t regret it, later on in the third quarter Victor Cruz had the opportunity to catch a crossing route where Eli Manning threw it leading it toward me, and he kinda stuck one hand up and fell down. And I felt like that was for a reason.”
“I feel like because guys know if they come in here, 25 is still going to strike you, he\’s still going to continue to play football the way he\’s played it, and actually within the rules.”
Clark is not lying about Cruz being timid the rest of the game and I even pointed this out in my recap of the hit and on the podcast in addition. That penalty might have cost the Steelers a touchdown, but it helped keep Cruz in check over the middle the rest of the game.
Clark is currently second on the team in total tackles behind Larry Foote with 52 and is a big reason why the Steelers have been able to survive without Troy Polamalu.
Clark might have a reputation with the officials, but that reputation is also acknowledged by the opposition as well. Clark is going to do his best to hit receivers as legal as he possible can. If it draws a flag, so be it. His style of play can certainly make a difference in a game and we saw that Sunday in the win over the Giants.
