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DC Gregg Williams defends Joyner hit, and rightfully so

ByMichael Condon|

If anything has come from the St. Louis Rams overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings last week it hasn’t been about missed opportunities, an abundance of yellow flags or the ineptitude of quarterback Nick Foles. No, it has been the hit laid on Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater from Rams defensive back LaMarcus Joyner.

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Joyner caught Bridgewater in his crosshairs early in the third quarter after Bridgewater left the protection of his pocket to scramble for a first down. It would be the last first down that Bridgewater earned on the afternoon. Bridgewater engaged in a feet-first slide right after the first-down marker and Joyner placed an accidental forearm to the head of the quarterback resulting in a concussion for Bridgewater and a personal foul for Joyner.

Joyner, with no past history of league discipline, was handed down a fine of $23,152 for the hit. A high sum for a player with no blemishes on his record. The reason for the high amount probably stems from the fact that Bridgewater was unprotected in his slide and the shock value of the hit. Bridgewater was immediately motionless after contact and did not return to the game. He is currently undergoing the league’s concussion protocol.

Nov 8, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; St. Louis Rams cornerback Lamarcus Joyner (20) questions an official after seeing the flag for the penalty he committed against the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth quarter at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings win 21-18. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

After the game Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer was none to pleased with the hit and was visibly upset during the game. Zimmer spoke about it after his teams victory.

"“I do know there is a history there with their defensive coordinator (Williams). I’ll leave it at that.” (Nick Wagoner, ESPN)"

Zimmer, keeping things short, took an obvious shot at Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams implying that another form of his 2012 Bountygate scandal may be in play. Zimmer was barely there for the postgame handshake at midfield between he and head coach Jeff Fisher only feeding the frenzy of emotion.

Williams took the high road in his response to Zimmer.

"“We’re on to Chicago right now and I’m not worried about that.” Williams said. “ The whole thing on that (Bountygate) is that’s long, long ago and penalties are down since I got here…But I will make one comment on LaMarcus Joyner: He is exactly what I want to coach.” (Wagoner, ESPN)"

Much ado has been made of the hit, but in reality there was nothing that could have been done differently. It’s an unfortunate situation for both Bridgewater and Joyner, both young budding stars in this league. The speed of today’s NFL is unlike anything else in professional sports. When athletes of this magnitude collide with the speed, power and precision they all possess unfortunate consequences can arise.

At the speed of today’s game things are violent. When you slow that down on camera, things are very violent. Joyner and Bridgewater made simultaneous moves that resulted in a devastating injury, but Joyner should not be crucified for it. Williams provided one final comment that summed up the situation pretty well.

"“I spent my life trying to speed up decisions, speed up players, get them to play harder, get them to play faster. When bam-bam on something like that happens, that’s just the speed of the game. It’s easy to see in slow motion, it’s easy to say about all those kinds of things, but when you are really playing the game, it’s a different world out there. It’s a vastly different world.” (Wagoner, ESPN)"

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