NFL Personality Advocates Cheap Shots on Patrick Mahomes at Super Bowl
Mike Florio is the creator of ProFootballTalk. The website, radio show and Twitter account are under fire for some comments he made about how to handle Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and his running ability.
Florio basically says, 'I'm not saying to injure the guy, but the 49ers should definitely hit Mahomes late and take the penalty that comes with it.'
Here's the full video of Florio's comments on how San Francisco can contain Mahomes on the ground:
After the comments blew up, understandably, Florio penned an article about placing a "burr into the butts of some Chiefs fans."
Yeah, you think, Florio? You just said to hit Patrick Mahomes after he's started his slide. You can't put that comment in the middle of any qualifiers and make it sound like you aren't advocating a cheap shot on an elite quarterback to gain an advantage in the game.
Florio also alluded to it being the championship game, so that holds different connotations. "When the championship is riding on it, I think it's a different analysis." So if he's not missing a game next week, who the hell cares what happens today -- is that it?
He continues with more double talk.
"So, again, I'm not saying that that should be part of the deliberate effort. But the Super Bowl is riding on it. And if this guy's gonna think he can run through the defense without any physical consequence, they need to dispel him of that notion the first time he tries."
I'm not saying to cheap shot him! (*wink* *wink* You hear me? *wink* Don't do that!
I don't mind the "sending a message" part of the analysis. Absolutely, if a quarterback is outside of the pocket and you can get a clean hit on him inside the rules of the game, go for it. But to advocate a cheap shot and to go as far as to say hit him while he's sliding or running out of bounds is ludicrous. Especially for a guy like Florio, who's been so vocal about concussions and player safety.
Florio defends himself by saying his statement was, "an accurate, candid, honest assessment of how football works at the highest level." Then, he evokes the Saints Bounty scandal, making that the basis for his sentiments.
How does that make it better? I don't know. The only thing honest that's come from this is that now I know Florio is honestly a fraud.
The Saints Bounty scandal rocked the football landscape and resulted in coaches and players being suspended from the league. Now, seven years later, in today's NFL landscape, Florio is issuing challenges to the 49ers defense to do the same because 'that's just how football works'?
The ProFootballTalk analyst finished his response to the backlash with this:
The Super Bowl hangs in the balance. Legacies are on the line. Whether it’s Mahomes or Jimmy Garoppolo, the rules still allow a quarterback who runs the ball to be hit like a running back. And if the 49ers hope to avoid being shredded by Mahomes, they need to be willing to hit Mahomes the same way that Chiefs safety Daniel Sorensen hit Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill when he decided to become a runner on Sunday.
And in the gray areas of the sideline and the slide, yes, the defense may be more willing to risk a foul if it makes the quarterback think twice about trying to pick up some easy yards on the ground the next time around.
That’s a far cry from trying to injure Mahomes, who already has become one of my all-time favorite players. It’s about the fundamental nature of the game, a fundamental nature that has not changed despite the various rules changes that have made the game much safer than it once was.
For any quarterback who doesn’t like that, there’s an easy solution: Don’t run the ball.
It's like Florio doesn't understand, or refuses to acknowledge, the line he crossed, so I'll try to help him out here.
Acceptable: Hit Patrick Mahomes in the legal field of play to make him think twice about running the ball.
Dumb thing to say: Hit Patrick Mahomes out of bounds or after he's already sliding.
That doesn't seem hard, regardless of what week it is in the season.