On the Friday episode of ESPN’s First Take, Bart Scott challenged Brian Clark’s assertion that Cincinnati Bengals defender Logan Wilson’s hit on Baltimore Ravens’ Mark Andrews was “dirty.” Hosts Molly Qerim and Stephen A. Smith joined the discussion, delving into the impact of Wilson’s tackle on Andrews, who suffered an injury during Thursday’s game.
Scott contended that Wilson’s tackle was imprudent, advocating for the NFL to prohibit such tackling styles. He expressed, “To me, this is a dirty tactic and a dirty style of tackling. When you grab someone from the back and jump, there’s nowhere for you to land but on their leg. They outlawed this.”
However, Smith disagreed with Scott, leading to a clash between Clark and Scott over the legitimacy of Wilson’s actions. Clark defended Wilson, asserting that he was merely performing his job and insisting that it wasn’t an intentional foul. “Come on, Bart. It’s not a horse collar tackle. How do you get people onto the ground then? You can’t do that. It’s not intentional,” argued Clark.
The aftermath of Wilson’s tackle left Andrews injured in the first quarter, with Ravens head coach John Harbaugh expressing his concern during a postgame interview after their 34-20 victory. Harbaugh criticized Wilson’s choice of a hip-drop tackle and questioned its necessity in that particular situation.
“It was definitely a hip-drop tackle. It is being discussed. It’s a tough tackle. Was it even necessary in that situation? The other one on the sideline, there’s always plays that you send into the league to have them look at and interpret for you,” Harbaugh commented. Andrews is expected to miss the remainder of the season due to the injury.
