Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans suggested on Monday that Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence was at fault for the concussion he suffered on the huge hit from linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair during their matchup over the weekend.
Al-Shaair hit Lawrence around the head and neck area as Lawrence slid during a scramble. Ryans told reporters the organization stood behind Al-Shaair after the hit and the criticism he received for it. The coach did not appear to think that Al-Shaair was the only one at fault.
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Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans answers questions from reporters after an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024 in Jacksonville, Florida. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Ryans called the hit on Lawrence “unfortunate.”
“But it’s also – it’s twofold, right? I mean a lot of the quarterbacks in this day and age. They try to take advantage of the rule where they slide late, and they try to get an extra yard, and now you’re a defender, a lot of onus is on the defender whether it’s on the sideline or whether it’s on the quarterback, you don’t know what a guy thinking,” Ryans said. “You don’t know if a guy is standing up and he’s continuing to run, you don’t know, and then you get a late slide, and you’re – you hit the guy.
“Unfortunate that Trevor got hurt. Hope Trevor is OK, but it’s also, if we’re sliding, we have to get down. If we’re getting out of bounds, we get out of bounds and that rule is there to protect the quarterbacks, and we want our quarterbacks to be safe in the league, so we just have to be safe. If we’re sliding, make sure we’re keeping our heads down. And the entire thing is Azeez – he hits the guy, but their sideline overreacts, and it turns into a melee.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, #16, slides down in front of Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, #0, at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, on Dec. 1, 2024. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)
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“It wasn’t our guys. It’s their team overreacted, pushed our guy, dragging our guy to the sideline, so that’s uncalled for on that side. We have to be better on the sidelines, as well, with both teams.”
Ryans suggested that too much of the onus was on the defender to somehow miss the sliding quarterback in bang-bang situations.
“I think what can be done is just you have to look at all sides, and we don’t have to overreact just because I think a guy gets hurt,” he said. “We’re not intentionally trying to hurt anyone. I think there is an overreaction when someone gets hurt, but we just have to look at it all from all perspectives.”
Al-Shaair apologized for the hit on Lawrence and understood why Jaguars players reacted the way they did.
Houston Texans’ head coach DeMeco Ryans reacts to a play against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half of an NFL football game on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024 in Jacksonville, Florida. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
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ESPN reported that it is anticipated the NFL will suspend Al-Shaair.
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