Kevin O’Connell Addresses the Controversial Hit
The Minnesota Vikings celebrated a wonderful win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday. It was a much-needed morale boost. A nice bonus is the fact that the team left the game relatively healthy. Washington, on the other hand, didn’t have injury luck on their side.
Kevin O’Connell Addresses the Controversial Hit
At least quarterback Jayden Daniels, who came back from the gruesome elbow injury that cost him much less time than expected, didn’t pick up anything serious despite being held out in the second half.
Tight end Zach Ertz, however, will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL, which is certainly a brutal hit for the 35-year-old, putting his career in jeopardy. He was visibly emotional as he was being carted off.
A hit from Vikings safety Jay Ward knocked him out of the game. Marcus Mariota tossed him the ball, and Ward went low, hitting the airborne tight end in the leg. That tackle has drawn some criticism. Head coach Kevin O’Connell addressed the matter on Monday.
“I hate seeing those things happen. Just thinking about the rules that these defensive players have to play with, I know for a fact there was no bad intent behind that play. Things are happening fast out there, you gotta be very aware of where guys’ head and neck area are on those plays.”
Commanders fans, as expected, used social media to let the world know about their frustration with the third-year defender. The hit has drawn comparisons to the one that injured T.J. Hockenson about two years ago. Kerby Joseph was on the receiving end of Minnesota’s anger.
“The unique thing about that is it wasn’t like Zach’s foot was planted on the ground, where you see some of those injuries. He left the ground to make a play and was still in the air when that collision happened. Unless we start shrinking the strike zone to go along with the top side and start talking about ‘from the ground up’ and giving these guys a very, very tiny window to try to make a play.”
Hockenson’s leg was planted in 2023, but having his leg in the air didn’t help Ertz. The impact of the hit overextended his leg and caused ligament damage.
“It’s easy to play it back and slo-mo it and start to develop hypotheses on things, but the game is happening very, very fast. I always encourage people, when you’re down on the field, to take in just how violent and fast the game is, because you just hate seeing stuff like that. It’s the worst part of our game. And in many ways, I do believe it’s unavoidable in certain instances. Our job is to coach up the guys to make sure, if it avoidable, to do those things. Not only for their health, but for the other side as well.”
Ultimately, neither Joseph’s nor Ward’s hit is against the rules. The league has done everything to protect receivers high. They can’t be hit in the head and neck area, but the legs aren’t protected. Safeties understandably go low because tight ends are way bigger, and tackling a guy 50 lbs heavier straight up probably isn’t going to result in anything positive.
Ertz has played in 181 career games, catching 825 passes for 8,592 yards and 57 touchdowns. He spent most of his career with the Eagles and then had stints with the Cardinals and Commanders.
O’Connell added, “Got a chance to connect with Zach last night a little bit, just because I’ve had a relationship with him, but I’ve always just thought the absolute world of him as a player. Just wanted to connect with him a little bit in a very casual way.”
Ertz signed a one-year deal last offseason. He’ll be a free agent in March.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.