Matthew Stafford responded to Rodney Harrison Monday, a day after the NBC analyst called out the Detroit Lions for failing to step up and defend the quarterback following a late hit.
Stafford was pushed out of bounds on the Lions’ sidelines during Sunday’s loss to the Vikings, leading to a 15-yard penalty for Minnesota’s Anthony Barr. Many noticed that only a few Lions players reacted to Barr’s late push and that Stafford was the most upset by it.
Harrison brought special attention to the play during his work as a commentator for NBC’s “Football Night in America.”
“I was very disappointed in their team. This is a cheap shot. Nobody comes to his defense except a rookie lineman. This is just crazy. This just shows me how much respect the team has for Matthew Stafford — not a lot,” Harrison said (watch video of the play/his commentary here).
Those were harsh words from Harrison and led to a debate about the play.
During an appearance on “The Mitch Albom Show” Monday, Stafford was asked about Harrison’s comments and responded.
Stafford on Rodney Harrison comments: I don't know what Rodney wants us to do. If we have an all-out brawl then they say it's same old Lions
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) September 21, 2015
Look, you don’t want to negate a penalty for a late hit by responding with cheap shots of your own, but teammates should definitely be more fired up and upset if their quarterback gets pushed late the way Stafford was. Their reaction was a concern.
