The disconnect between the Jets and the Texans over the block that ended Brian Cushing’s season continues, with those in New York saying Matt Slauson did nothing wrong when he hit Cushing in the knee from behind, and those in Houston saying the block was a cheap shot.
Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is the latest to weigh in, saying there was no reason Slauson needed to go after Cushing the way he did.
“I probably shouldn’t say it, but I thought it was an unnecessary [hit],” Phillips told the Houston Chronicle. “Whether it was legal or not . . . I think it’s just unnecessary to hit a defensive player when he can’t see you. If a guy’s coming in front and cuts me, he can see that and maybe get away from it. I think the league needs to look at something like that. He was defenseless in that case. If the guy had hit him in the head, it would have been a penalty.”
That’s been one of the recurring themes of the commentary coming out of Houston: Why is it illegal to hit a defenseless player in the head, but legal to hit a player from behind in the knee? That may be a rule the NFL changes next year.