CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns had three players ejected during the second half of last Thursday’s 21-7 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, including one for a head-high hit on a defenseless receiver, and knocked out another player on a play that did not draw a flag.
Coupled with a brawl in the final eight seconds that marred the Browns’ win over an AFC North Division stalwart franchise and a penalty-laden track record during the first half of the 2019 season, some are questioning whether Cleveland’s players have crossed a line and played dirty against the Steelers.
“I would say this right here: this is a physical football game, a physical game as a whole,” Browns defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said. “That is not my personality. That is not our personality as an organization. Things happen on the football field.
“Very unfortunate, and I do not think anything was malicious at all with the hit with Damarious Randall. It just so happened that he caught him in the wrong place. That is nothing that we coach nor do we condone that.”
In recent years, more attention has been given to violent hits that were once used to promote football to the public, especially after concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) has come to the forefront following a rash of premature deaths in former players.
“I support the league in everything that they are trying to do with the safety of the players,” Wilks said. “I understand what we are trying to do -- we are trying to take out the helmet-to-helmet hits. It happens at times.
“I think we are trying to bring a high level of awareness to the situation and we are really trying to take the violent hits out of the game, so I support that in every manner. There are still going to be times when it happens, and there is nothing you can do when it does.”
Along with the concussive blows delivered by the Browns, defensive end Myles Garrett earned an indefinite suspension for an on-field brawl that resulted in his ejection, as well as the disqualifications of Browns defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi and Steelers offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey.
The incident boiled over when Garrett brought Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph to the ground well after a third-down play with eight seconds remaining in the game.
After the hit, Rudolph appeared to rip off Garrett’s helmet after delivering a couple of kicks below the belt of the Pro Bowl defensive end. Garrett responded by ripping off Rudolph’s helmet with several powerful tugs, and later, swinging it at and connecting to the quarterback’s head when the signal-caller pursued the matter further.
With Garrett’s future unknown after his indefinite suspension was upheld upon review and Ogunjobi scheduled to miss this week’s game, Wilks has rallied the troops on his side of the ball and gotten them focused on stopping the Miami Dolphins at FirstEnergy Stadium Sunday.
“We still have football games to play,” Wilks said. “We have to prepare accordingly to get ready for these games, particularly Miami next. Miami is a good football team. It has been getting better each and every week.
“You have seen their improvements. One of the things that I will say about Miami is they are one of the least penalized teams in the league. They are very disciplined. They are not going to beat themselves, and we have to make sure that we play the same.”