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Fisher goes on counterattack after Harrison remarks
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_82c1a1ba-5afc-5d78-8682-5ce5b1048afd.html
Jeff Fisher has a lot on his plate these days, whether it be penalties, third-down conversions, questionable strategy in Minnesota, the Stedman Bailey suspension, the Lamarcus Joyner hit on Teddy Bridgewater, and a game that slipped away.
But the thing that got him most animated at his regular Monday media session was Rodney Harrison.
You know, the same Rodney Harrison who ended Trent Green’s season in 1999 with a shot to the knees on a preseason play that didn’t have to be made. And the same Harrison who later said the Rams should thank him for ending Green’s season because they went on to win the Super Bowl with Kurt Warner at quarterback.
Harrison had a 15-year NFL career as a defensive back for San Diego and New England that ended following the 2008 season. Now a studio analyst on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” telecast, Harrison was asked about Joyner’s hit on Minnesota quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
“That’s a dirty hit,” Harrison said at halftime of Sunday’s Dallas-Philadelphia telecast. “That’s a dirty hit. It’s a cheap shot right to the helmet.”
Bridgewater left the game with a concussion and did not return.
Harrison continued by taking a shot at Fisher.
“I wasn’t surprised because it happened to me in 2006,” Harrison said. “Bobby Wade came and chopped my knees and tore my knee up. I’m lying on the ground, and I look at Jeff Fisher and he’s smiling and laughing. So this is typical of Jeff Fisher-type teams.”
Wade was a wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans in ‘06.
Fisher watched Harrison’s comments on the plane ride back from the Rams’ 21-18 overtime loss to Minnesota. He couldn’t wait to be asked about it at his early evening news conference Monday.
“I don’t want to say I took things personal, but it was kind of a personal attack on me,” Fisher said. “But I think you have to consider the source.
“You’re talking about a guy that had a great career. I mean, the guy played a long time. He was a really active defensive player.
“But this is coming from a guy that had 18 unnecessary roughness penalties, seven personal fouls, four roughing the passer penalties — a total of 77 penalties in his career.”
Fisher was just warming up.
“And was voted three times the dirtiest player in the National Football League, and was suspended for a hit, a helmet-to-helmet hit on Jerry Rice in 2002. OK?” Fisher said. “This is where these comments are coming from.
“I’ll just say this: Since 2000, it’s been a privilege and honor for me to be on the competition committee. Our main focus is player safety. So for Rodney to come out and say that I did something like that is absolutely absurd. So that’s all I have to say on that.”
Actually, Fisher had plenty more to say on the subject. Whether it was fallout in Minnesota or national reaction to the Bridgewater hit, the Joyner play resulted in criticism that Fisher’s teams play dirty and brought out renewed references to defensive coordinator Gregg Williams’ “Bountygate” suspension while in New Orleans.
“We are gonna play fast,” Fisher said, his voice rising. “We’re gonna play physical, and we’re gonna play furious, and we’re gonna play contact football. OK?”
Fisher even had some “advice” for Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer, who was very critical of the Joyner hit during his postgame news conference.
“I think a good lesson to be learned from this is control your emotions ... immediately after the game,” Fisher said. “Go back and look at the tape before you jump to conclusions.”
Zimmer gave Fisher the briefest of “drive-by” handshakes after the game, saving his comments for the Minnesota media afterward.
Zimmer said he felt the Joyner hit was a cheap shot. He noted that defensive coordinator Williams had “a history” of targeting players. He said “there probably would’ve been a fight” had the Joyner hit occurred on the street and not in a football game. He also said the Vikings play by the rules, adding, “just because other teams don’t do it, doesn’t mean we’re going to do it.”
None of those sentiments was expressed to Fisher on the field during the traditional postgame handshake.
“Mike’s and my handshake was very short,” Fisher said. “He didn’t say a word. I was gonna ask him how his quarterback was, and was gonna congratulate him on the win, and he was gone. And I understand that.
“But you also need to control your emotions after a game, and go look at the tape and then adust accordingly.”
Fisher said he had heard that Bridgewater’s OK, adding that he hopes he plays this week. Then he added, “I don’t know who they play this week. I don’t care. But we’ve moved on. We’re on to Chicago.”
Well, almost.
Fisher said Joyner plays hard every down. He said Joyner made a decision to hit Bridgewater before he initiated the slide. Sometimes players can’t quite hold back in those situations.
“I can’t fault him for his choice,” Fisher said. “There was another situation in the game where the same thing happened and ‘Jenks” (Janoris Jenkins) was involved. Teddy slid a little bit late and Jenks wasn’t in position to time up the slide.”
The problem with the contact from Joyner was that when Joyner landed his arm struck Bridgewater in the helmet.
“Had Lamarcus not made helmet contact with him, there would have not been a foul,” Fisher said. “It was penalized on the field. What more can you ask for?”
Joyner undoubtedly will receive notification of a fine for the hit from the NFL this week. Meanwhile, Zimmer told Minnesota reporters Monday that Bridgewater passed the first part of the concussion protocol.
“I think he’ll be good to go,” Zimmer said, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
The Vikings, by the way, play at Oakland this coming Sunday.
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_82c1a1ba-5afc-5d78-8682-5ce5b1048afd.html
Jeff Fisher has a lot on his plate these days, whether it be penalties, third-down conversions, questionable strategy in Minnesota, the Stedman Bailey suspension, the Lamarcus Joyner hit on Teddy Bridgewater, and a game that slipped away.
But the thing that got him most animated at his regular Monday media session was Rodney Harrison.
You know, the same Rodney Harrison who ended Trent Green’s season in 1999 with a shot to the knees on a preseason play that didn’t have to be made. And the same Harrison who later said the Rams should thank him for ending Green’s season because they went on to win the Super Bowl with Kurt Warner at quarterback.
Harrison had a 15-year NFL career as a defensive back for San Diego and New England that ended following the 2008 season. Now a studio analyst on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” telecast, Harrison was asked about Joyner’s hit on Minnesota quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
“That’s a dirty hit,” Harrison said at halftime of Sunday’s Dallas-Philadelphia telecast. “That’s a dirty hit. It’s a cheap shot right to the helmet.”
Bridgewater left the game with a concussion and did not return.
Harrison continued by taking a shot at Fisher.
“I wasn’t surprised because it happened to me in 2006,” Harrison said. “Bobby Wade came and chopped my knees and tore my knee up. I’m lying on the ground, and I look at Jeff Fisher and he’s smiling and laughing. So this is typical of Jeff Fisher-type teams.”
Wade was a wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans in ‘06.
Fisher watched Harrison’s comments on the plane ride back from the Rams’ 21-18 overtime loss to Minnesota. He couldn’t wait to be asked about it at his early evening news conference Monday.
“I don’t want to say I took things personal, but it was kind of a personal attack on me,” Fisher said. “But I think you have to consider the source.
“You’re talking about a guy that had a great career. I mean, the guy played a long time. He was a really active defensive player.
“But this is coming from a guy that had 18 unnecessary roughness penalties, seven personal fouls, four roughing the passer penalties — a total of 77 penalties in his career.”
Fisher was just warming up.
“And was voted three times the dirtiest player in the National Football League, and was suspended for a hit, a helmet-to-helmet hit on Jerry Rice in 2002. OK?” Fisher said. “This is where these comments are coming from.
“I’ll just say this: Since 2000, it’s been a privilege and honor for me to be on the competition committee. Our main focus is player safety. So for Rodney to come out and say that I did something like that is absolutely absurd. So that’s all I have to say on that.”
Actually, Fisher had plenty more to say on the subject. Whether it was fallout in Minnesota or national reaction to the Bridgewater hit, the Joyner play resulted in criticism that Fisher’s teams play dirty and brought out renewed references to defensive coordinator Gregg Williams’ “Bountygate” suspension while in New Orleans.
“We are gonna play fast,” Fisher said, his voice rising. “We’re gonna play physical, and we’re gonna play furious, and we’re gonna play contact football. OK?”
Fisher even had some “advice” for Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer, who was very critical of the Joyner hit during his postgame news conference.
“I think a good lesson to be learned from this is control your emotions ... immediately after the game,” Fisher said. “Go back and look at the tape before you jump to conclusions.”
Zimmer gave Fisher the briefest of “drive-by” handshakes after the game, saving his comments for the Minnesota media afterward.
Zimmer said he felt the Joyner hit was a cheap shot. He noted that defensive coordinator Williams had “a history” of targeting players. He said “there probably would’ve been a fight” had the Joyner hit occurred on the street and not in a football game. He also said the Vikings play by the rules, adding, “just because other teams don’t do it, doesn’t mean we’re going to do it.”
None of those sentiments was expressed to Fisher on the field during the traditional postgame handshake.
“Mike’s and my handshake was very short,” Fisher said. “He didn’t say a word. I was gonna ask him how his quarterback was, and was gonna congratulate him on the win, and he was gone. And I understand that.
“But you also need to control your emotions after a game, and go look at the tape and then adust accordingly.”
Fisher said he had heard that Bridgewater’s OK, adding that he hopes he plays this week. Then he added, “I don’t know who they play this week. I don’t care. But we’ve moved on. We’re on to Chicago.”
Well, almost.
Fisher said Joyner plays hard every down. He said Joyner made a decision to hit Bridgewater before he initiated the slide. Sometimes players can’t quite hold back in those situations.
“I can’t fault him for his choice,” Fisher said. “There was another situation in the game where the same thing happened and ‘Jenks” (Janoris Jenkins) was involved. Teddy slid a little bit late and Jenks wasn’t in position to time up the slide.”
The problem with the contact from Joyner was that when Joyner landed his arm struck Bridgewater in the helmet.
“Had Lamarcus not made helmet contact with him, there would have not been a foul,” Fisher said. “It was penalized on the field. What more can you ask for?”
Joyner undoubtedly will receive notification of a fine for the hit from the NFL this week. Meanwhile, Zimmer told Minnesota reporters Monday that Bridgewater passed the first part of the concussion protocol.
“I think he’ll be good to go,” Zimmer said, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
The Vikings, by the way, play at Oakland this coming Sunday.
