EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - AUGUST 21: Kayvon Thibodeaux #5 of the New York Giants stands up after an apparent injury during the first half of a preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals at MetLife Stadium on August 21, 2022 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Legal?
Sunday night’s cut block by Bengals tight end Thaddeus Moss caused a knee injury for Giants defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux. Although Thibodeaux appears to be in good health, the hit was so severe his ACL was strained.
It was legal. For decades, cut blocking — long recognized as the only way for smaller players to get larger opponents down — was perfectly legal and unrestricted. The NFL has been trying to restrict the practice in recent years. The league has eliminated the practice of blocking below the waist from the tackle box.
Moss hit Thibodeaux within the tackle box. No flag was raised. There should not be any fine.
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It can cause serious injury. A torn ACL can permanently change a career and derail it for many months. But that does not make it a dirty hit, as once again, it was legal. How can it be a dirty play if it’s within the game’s rules? Let’s face it if it was a rookie free agent trying to make the Giants that got blocked like that in the fourth quarter, nobody would care.
Chris Simms stated on Monday’s Live that Moss should have aimed higher and toward the hips. He could still have eliminated Thibodeaux without damaging his knee. Maybe he could have, but Thibodeaux could have played the play properly and not been standing flat-footed absorbing the blow.
It was preseason, which raises more questions and concerns. Thibodeaux may be fine, but it is a technique that NFL players are increasingly disapproving of. So if players want it to stop maybe, they should lobby for all cut blocks to be made illegal?
“That’s the rules. They allow it. We do it as well,” Giants head coach Brian Daboll told reporters after the game. “Gotta do a good job playing it. It’s tough luck. Whatever the rules are, those are the rules.” So if the coach with the injured player says it was legal and they do the same thing, why is this being blown so out of proportion?
The Hit
Thaddeus Moss dirty block on Kayvon Thibodeaux’s knees
Twitter explodes
Twitter is the place for reactions, and it was no different after Moss cut block, and the clown show was led by Rich Eisen, who I might add knows very little about football.
People, especially on TV, love sensationalism and causing controversy, and Eisen is doing nothing more than that. Moss made a legal, clean block, and Thibodeaux used poor technique, but nobody will tell you that. Everybody, let it go!
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