After Titans quarterback Jake Locker threw a game-sealing interception in Sunday’s loss to the Texans, Houston defensive end Antonio Smith drilled Titans center Fernando Velasco with an illegal blindside block. The Titans were not pleased about it.
Velasco and Titans coach Mike Munchak both used the term “cheap shot” to describe Smith’s block when talking to reporters today, and Smith said that Locker confronted him about it after the game, telling him there was no need for it.
“The little young whippersnapper tried to come and tell an old cat how to play football,” Smith told the Houston Chronicle of his confrontation with Locker. “He just came up to me. He faked like he was gonna dap me up. And like grabbed my hand and said, ‘I just want to tell you that was a [dirty] block.’ I just told him . . . ‘Are we playing football, or is this something else?’”
Smith said he doesn’t believe the officials should have flagged him for a personal foul.
“I just made a block. I guess only offensive linemen can make hard blocks or whatever,” Smith said. “So they threw a flag on me. What they gotta understand is we’re all just trying to play football. Nobody’s trying to deliberately hurt anybody.”
Smith may not have been trying to deliberately hurt anybody, but he did take a completely unnecessary shot at Velasco. The NFL is sure to agree with the Titans’ assessment of the play, and fine Smith for it.