Matthew Stafford was beat up in a Week 2 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, and the lack of concern from his teammates was noticeable and alarming.
The Detroit Lions QB was pounded by the Vikings throughout the game (here’s video of the hits) and needed X-rays on his ribs and chest after the contest. His injuries may even result in him missing the team’s Week 3 game against the Broncos. Beyond the big hits he took, there was something else that was quite concerning.
As Stafford was trying to lead his team towards a comeback, he scrambled for a first down and was pushed late by Anthony Barr. This occurred on the Lions’ sidelines, which would lead you to believe several of his teammates would be all over Barr for the play. But as NBC’s Rodney Harrison points out, the lack of response from his teammates was a concern:
Rodney Harrison says Stafford's teammates have "not a lot" of respect 4 him based on lack of reaction 2 Barr late hit pic.twitter.com/KmQE9R3Wod
— Denny Kapp (@DennyKapp) September 21, 2015
Even Lions fan/Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, who is big on team chemistry, was disappointed with the reaction:
How does your QB get hit late on your sideline and nobody stand up for him? Smdh this lions game is a joke!
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) September 20, 2015
We saw the same thing in the past where it was pointed out that Redskins linemen rarely helped up Robert Griffin III after he was hit/sacked, and then a later report said many of the team’s OL dislike him.
Maybe this was a case of the Lions’ players being disheartened by losing the game; maybe they didn’t want to retaliate and receive a penalty flag; or maybe credit the coaches for breaking things up. To me, those are all excuses, because if one of your prized players gets pushed late, teammates should always jump to their defense.
