Why are Patriots fans mad at T.J. Ward? How else can he tackle?
The New England Patriots fans are upset right now because they lost their beloved tight end Rob Gronkowski, but was T.J. Ward wrong?
T.J. Ward acknowledged he made a choice to tackle Gronkowski low and said he did so because if he went high he ran the risk of a fine and, since he’s been fined before, a suspension.
The play angered many in New England, who thought Ward’s hit was dirty. In former times it might have been, as players had an unwritten rule not to hit a guy in the knee from behind or the side. Ward said he went for Gronkowski’s thigh, and the hit was worsened by the timing — Ward caught Gronkowski as he planted his right knee with his leg extended.
I honestly don’t think Ward was wrong, what else is he supposed to do? He already has been fined for hitting high and the NFL changed the rules to tackle low. So that is what he did. Regardless of the injury or not, as a football player are you paid to make plays? Yes you are, so in this case, I don’t get the hate for the man? Even Teddy agrees:
Former Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi regularly writes a feature for ESPN-Boston answering fans’ questions, and one was related to whether Ward’s hit was dirty. Bruschi answered in part by saying: “Even in today’s NFL, I can see how people may think that hit was dirty. But I look at it this way — what are defenders supposed to do now?”
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