For those of you that haven’t been paying attention to Tennessee Titans football, Taylor Lewan is one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL, making the Pro Bowl in each of the last two seasons.
But in a game against the Miami Dolphins, Lewan was struck with a serious hit that appeared to knock him out cold.
Tennessee Titan Taylor Lewan appears to be knocked unconscious after hit in Miamipic.twitter.com/rgVMkfY5yf
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) September 9, 2018
Lewan was nowhere near the play, which was just about over when he was crushed with some major contact from Dolphins defensive end Andre Branch that he clearly did not see coming.
Afterward, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel did not mince words when he was asked his thoughts on the hit that took his star tackle out of the game.
“Do I think it was dirty? Probably not. Do I think it was targeted? Absolutely.”- Mike Vrabel on the hit that put Lewan out of the game
— The Midday 180 (@Midday180) September 10, 2018
Vrabel’s accusation of a targeted hit is much worse than a simple dirty play, because it indicates that the hit was pre-meditated. Targeting players is strictly against NFL rules, with the most notable case being ”Bountygate” with the Saints a few years ago when they were paying players bonuses for taking out opposing stars.
Titans linebacker Brian Orakpo took a more civil and less accusatory approach toward commenting on the hit that Branch put on his teammate.
.@Titans linebacker Brian Orakpo discusses hit on LT Taylor Lewan, by Dolphins DE Andre Branch pic.twitter.com/epJqZQkENd
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) September 10, 2018
Still, the optics of that hit were pretty awful, yet there has been indication if any action will be taken by the league address it. Just a shameful episode all around.
