Not only did Tom Brady show poor clock management at the end of the first half of the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, but he also had a questionable slide.
The Patriots had a second-and-10 play at the Baltimore 10 with 24 seconds left in the half. Brady scrambled to his left and slid to avoid a tackle, but he pointed his leg up high and kicked Ravens safety Ed Reed in the leg.
Baltimore safety Bernard Pollard ran toward the official to point out that Brady may have committed an unsportsmanlike play, but no penalty flag was thrown.
Rather than call a timeout, Brady tried setting up the offense for another play. He took so long to get organized that New England didn’t get another chance to score a touchdown. Brady finally used the timeout with four seconds left, and New England kicked a field goal to go up 13-7.
There is no doubt that Brady slid with his cleats high and aimed at Reed. The only question is whether he was trying to shield himself from a hit or inflict damage on his opponent.
Below is a screenshot of the kick:
As many have pointed out, the play looked similar to Ndamukong Suh’s kick to Matt Schaub’s groin.
