You may have observed that quarterback Matthew Stafford approached safety Kerby Joseph of the Detroit Lions and made it obvious he had some harsh words for him after Joseph collided with tight end Tyler Higbee of the Los Angeles Rams in a hit that drove the receiver head over heels and tore his ACL. We now have a clear understanding of the former Lions quarterback’s words thanks to a Rams mic’d up segment.
The conversation begins at approximately 4:45 in the following video:
“Hey! Hey! Hey, that’s a good hit. That’s a good hit, (but) you’re dirty as [censored], though, and you know it,” Stafford said. “You’re dirty as [censored]. It’s been on tape. I’ve seen it. Hey, it’s been on tape.”
The “tape” Stafford is likely referring to is Joseph’s similar hit on Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson, which resulted in a torn ACL and MCL.
It’s hard to make out exactly how Joseph is responding to Stafford, but It sounds like his initial reaction is, “Aww, come on, man.”
Dan Campbell, the coach of the Lions, defended Joseph’s hit on Higbee on Wednesday, saying the only improvement he would suggest is that Joseph keep his head up for his own safety.
Campbell remarked, “That’s how we play football here.” Simply keep your head up and observe what strikes. I’ll tell Kerby that every time. Just keep your head up to avoid hitting your spine or the top of your helmet, which might cause an injury. See what you hit, please. But no, he’s avoiding the head and aiming for the thigh board. Here, that’s how we approach defense. It’s not unclean. We hit, you know.
