NFL players force national analyst into apology after he suggests harsh punishment for Bengals player
Last weekend, Cincinnati Bengals' TE Thaddeus Moss was underneath the spotlight after delivering a nasty-looking block on Kavon Thibodeaux, the New York Giants' first-round pick. The play was subject to a lot of hot takes as is often the case with plays that look like this one did. Because let's face it. It looked painful […]
Last weekend, Cincinnati Bengals' TE Thaddeus Moss was underneath the spotlight after delivering a nasty-looking block on Kavon Thibodeaux, the New York Giants' first-round pick.
The play was subject to a lot of hot takes as is often the case with plays that look like this one did. Because let's face it. It looked painful and noxious. If you watched the game, you -probably had to take a second look to determine the legality of the whole thing.
One of the strongest takes came from NFL Network legend Rich Eisen, who took to Twitter to state that nothing short of a fine and suspension was acceptable for Moss.
Quickly, offensive line experts took on the task of defending the Bengals' tight end. Marshall Newhouse – an NFL offensive lineman with 10 years of pro experience – had one of the loudest responses:
"This is literally a routine play, a routine block, and a routine defensive technique," he tweeted. "It's just a bad-looking result."
And that's the thing. What Thaddeus Moss did was perfectly legal. Cut blocks are allowed in the NFL (unlike chop blocks) and even Giants HC Brian Daboll talked about it after the game. The Bengals' tight end did nothing wrong.
In the heat of the moment though, I wouldn't blame anyone calling for a personal foul against Cincinnati.
Rich Eisen is a class act, however. And unlike many national figures that are out there on TV spitting hot take after hot take – contradicting themselves in the process – Eisen holds himself accountable.
On Monday's Rich Eisen Show, he admitted to being wrong about his initial reaction against the Bengals' 24-years-old tight end.
The successful TV host even brought up several players who called him out like Newhouse, Bryan Bulaga, and Torrey Smith.
Eisen also mentioned that cut blocks shouldn't be legal, which has been a debate for a long time among football coaches. If I had to guess, I'd say the cut block isn't going anywhere for a long time. And while it's allowed there's nothing to blame Moss for on this particular play.
Featured image via Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
