The whole NFL world had a sickening feeling in their stomach Monday night when RB Nick Chubb went down against the Pittsburgh Steelers with what has been described as a season-ending knee injury.
Many have talked about the injury and whether the Minkah Fitzpatrick hit on Chubb should be considered dirty as he had his leg trapped and nearly snapped in two upon the collision. Former Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison spoke to TMZ Sports about the game and was asked if the hit itself was a dirty play.
“No,” Harrison answered in the interview with TMZ Sports which aired on the show’s YouTube channel. “You trying to get him down, period. He’s not a little guy. He don’t run light. He’s trying to get him down by any means necessary and injuries are a part of the game. You’ve made it to where If a guy comes in there and comes in high and hits him in the head, he’s getting fined. So, what do you have to do? You got guys shooting low now, and that just what you’ve made the game into.”
When you watch the play in real-time you see LB Clay Holcomb wrap up Chubb by his shoulder pads as Chubb continues to churn his legs, knocking on the door of Pittsburgh’s goal line. Fitzpatrick comes in low and turns his shoulder to Chubb’s leg, attempting to stop his forward momentum by taking his feet out from under him. That stops Chubb’s forward progress but results in his leg getting bent backward due to Fitzpatrick’s contact.
Many have come out in the days following the game to call Fitzpatrick’s hit a dirty play. Former Steelers S Ryan Clark took Harrison’s side of the argument. The ESPN analyst said the NFL is making the game harder and harder to play for defensive players as they minimize the strike zone for offensive players that are running full speed, doing everything possible to avoid being tackled as they try to score.
Harrison sees it that way as well as it’s a defender’s job to take down the opposing ball carrier by any means necessary. Defenders don’t want to purposefully injure other players, but when they are given limited parameters to execute at a high level, injuries are going to occur. Chubb himself is a bowling ball of a back. To stop him with a full head of steam inside your own five-yard line, you must go low and “take out motors,” as football coaches like to say, or else it will be a walk-in touchdown nearly every time.
No one wants to see anyone get hurt, especially a guy like Chubb, who his known for being a class act both on and off the football field. Fitzpatrick is also known for his football character and wouldn’t purposefully injure another player if he could help it. We as fans love watching these men battle it out in the arena, seeing highlight catches, improbable throws, and vicious hits. However, the game of football has a dark side that no one wants to be a part of, and we experienced that last Monday night. Still, we can continue to send our thoughts and prayers to Chubb and his family as he begins the recovery process to hopefully come back and continue his impressive NFL career.
