Bucs' Tristan Wirfs says that he's tired of late hits by Saints
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were embarrassed in a pivotal Week 17 game against the New Orleans Saints. The score of 23-13 was even closer than the actual matchup was in totality. The Saints defense suffocated the Bucs offense, and Derek Carr had one of his best games in the black and gold. In every facet, […]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were embarrassed in a pivotal Week 17 game against the New Orleans Saints. The score of 23-13 was even closer than the actual matchup was in totality.
The Saints defense suffocated the Bucs offense, and Derek Carr had one of his best games in the black and gold. In every facet, the Saints were the better team on Sunday to keep their season alive.
After the loss, Bucs offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs had some strong accusations regarding the Saints.
Wirfs said that he's tired of the late hits from New Orleans as of late. The Buccaneers OT called out Nathan Shepherd for a hit on Bucs QB Baker Mayfield from earlier in the season as well as Tyrann Mathieu for a tackle in the Week 18 matchup.
Shepherd's hit looked worse than he probably intended due to the timing where Mayfield was bent backwards just after releasing the ball for a touchdown. On Mathieu's hit, the tackle was uniform and 'by the book' when it comes to the rules.
You could tell by Wirf's body language and tone that he was annoyed/frustrated. That's fair to a point – as his job is to keep his QB clean.
At the same time, neither hit was malicious, nor dirty, by New Orleans. NFL football is a fast game. It's played by large human beings moving faster than folks their size should move.
At 6'5" 320 pounds, you would think that Wirfs would understand that better than most players. It's not easy for them to suddenly stop their momentum, especially when trying to bring down a quarterback to make an important play on defense.
Keep in mind that this game is a rivalry.
Hits are going to be brutal at times, and both teams have taken some hard shots from each other over the years. Saints fans remember Devin White's tackle on Jameis Winston from a couple seasons ago that ended the QB's year very prematurely.
Regardless, Wirfs set aside the common sense of the situation and decided to let the Saints get under his skin a bit. Hopefully, it was just an emotional reaction after a high-energy, divisional matchup late in the season.
What the Saints need in Week 18 to make the playoffs
The New Orleans Saints did their job in Week 17. They beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to survive in their quest for the postseason. Now, they turn their attention to the final week of the season. What do the Saints need to happen next weekend in order to make the postseason? There are two scenarios. […]
