Tom Brady on Trevor Lawrence hit: Both offense, defense should be penalized on QB slides

The Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars made headlines in their Week 13 matchup, when Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair knocked Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence out of the game in the second quarter with a hit to the head as the quarterback was sliding. A brawl then ensued.

Al-Shaair came in with his left elbow, which is what made contact with Lawrence, and was ejected from the game. Lawrence was ruled out with a concussion minutes later, while Al-Shaair was suspended by the NFL for three games on Tuesday. In the statement announcing the suspension, NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan said that Al-Shaair demonstrated a “lack of sportsmanship and respect for the game of football.”

How can the NFL clean up these plays? Tom Brady provided his take on the matter on Wednesday’s edition of “The Herd,” admitting that he has “mixed emotions.”

“Nobody wants to see anybody get hurt, but it is also the reality of a very physical sport that we play,” Brady said. “Defensive players have to be aggressive. That’s their nature. I always tried to be aggressive on offense. We tried to block aggressively, and, at the same time, the defense tries to tackle aggressively. I think the quarterbacks need to take better care of themselves. I see Josh Allen run it a lot. I see Lamar Jackson run it a lot, and it’s a great skill set to have. A lot of times, I wish I had that same skill set.

“And, at the same time, when you run, you put yourself in a lot of danger, and when you do that, I don’t think the onus of protecting an offensive quarterback who’s running should be on a defensive player. I don’t think that’s really fair to the defense.”

Brady elaborated on potential solutions.

Tom Brady reacts to Azeez Al-Shaair’s illegal hit on Trevor Lawrence

“For a playcaller, there’s more designed runs for quarterbacks now than [ever] in the history of the NFL, so are we really trying to protect quarterbacks? Because if you are trying to do it through the rules, then why are the offensive coordinators not protecting their quarterbacks by keeping them in the pocket and not designing as many quarterback runs?” Brady questioned. “Everyone will label a certain player as a ‘dirty player.’ I don’t like that one bit.

“Maybe they fine or penalize a quarterback for sliding late and say, ‘if we don’t want these hits to take place, we’ve got to penalize the offense and the defense, rather than just penalize a defensive player for every single play that happens when there’s a hit on a quarterback.”

Mac Jones relieved Lawrence at quarterback for Jacksonville. While Jones threw for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, the Jaguars came up short, losing 23-20 and capping off a season sweep by Houston of its AFC South rival.

The loss dropped Jacksonville to 2-10, which is tied with the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants for the worst record in the NFL. Lawrence, who was given a five-year, $275 million extension in the offseason, previously missed two games due to a shoulder injury. In the 10 games that he has started this season, Lawrence has totaled 2,045 passing yards, 11 passing touchdowns, three rushing touchdowns, seven interceptions and an 85.2 passer rating, while completing 60.6% of his passes. His status going forward is unknown.

Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence leaves game vs. Texas after collision

On the other hand, the win moved Houston to 8-5, good for a two-game lead on the Indianapolis Colts for first place in the AFC South. Al-Shaair is in his first season with the Texans, totaling 68 combined tackles, four passes defended, two sacks and two forced fumbles in 10 games.

Following Houston’s bye week, Al-Shaair will miss the team’s upcoming games against the Miami Dolphins (5-7), Kansas City Chiefs (11-1) and Baltimore Ravens (8-5).