It was a rather ugly scene inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Week 15 as Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. lay sprawled out on the turf after an ugly hit from Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee on an intended pass for Pittman that caused him to dive and make himself vulnerable.
Kazee ducked his head and laid a vicious hit on Pittman, which ultimately led to a three-game suspension, keeping the veteran safety out the rest of the regular season. The suspension was levied after Kazee had been fined multiple times throughout the season for various hits during the season.
Fortunately for Kazee, he was able to return for the Wild Card Round matchup against the Buffalo Bills, but in that 31-17 loss to the Bills, Kazee felt hesitant as a defender, worrying about how to hit guys, when to go for hits, when to lay off, and more.
In a conversation with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Joe Rutter, Kazee revealed just how challenging that was for him.
“I was happy (to be back), but it did slow me down a little bit,” Kazee said, according to the Tribune-Review. “I’m wondering, ‘How do I approach people now.’ … He [Josh Allen] ran that fake slide on me, and it froze me up. ‘Do I take my shot?’ I don’t know.”
The “fake slide” on Allen’s 52-yard touchdown froze Kazee, allowing the big, physical quarterback to lumber on by, racing into the end zone for the touchdown, which seemingly broke the game wide open.
.@JoshAllenQB turned on the BURNERS for the 52-yard rushing TD 🗣️
📺: #PITvsBUF on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/rnjmj1Pg4j pic.twitter.com/WUzjBV8d99— NFL (@NFL) January 15, 2024
Kazee was in a tough spot as the last line of defense in that situation. Just returning after a three-game suspension, and then seeing a quarterback barreling down on him with the threat of sliding to avoid contact, Kazee was caught on the in between.
He hesitated and next thing he knew, Allen sprinted right past him as Kazee went flailing with an arm tackle attempt to try and bring down the 240-pound quarterback in the open field.
It went about as well as one could expect.
The game has changed, and Kazee is attempting to adjust from a physical standpoint. That physicality can’t be removed from a violent game like football entirely, but a veteran like Kazee has to be able to adjust, still play hard and hit hard, while avoiding those dangerous situations and protecting his fellow players.
The NFL has made it harder and harder to play defense at the highest level, no doubt. But others have adjusted. Kazee has to as well.
It’s understandable that he was hesitant in his return from the suspension, but he can’t overthink in 2024 and play slow.
