Terrell Suggs Hit Sam Bradford Low After Handoff, Was It Dirty?

Terrell Suggs was flagged for “roughing the passer” on this play where he hit Sam Bradford low after the Eagles quarterback handed the ball off to Darren Sproles on an option-ish play. After the game, it may not surprise you to learn that Suggs and Bradford had differing opinions on whether the play was dirty.

“You would have to ask him, but I think that’s what he was trying to do,” Bradford said, about whether he felt Suggs was going for his knees, via CSN Philly. “But it’s part of the game and you just have to move on.”

“When you run the read-option, you have to know the rules,” Suggs said. “If you want to run the read-option with your starting quarterback that’s had two knee surgeries, that’s on you. That’s not my responsibility to update you on the rule. I could’ve hit him harder on that. I didn’t. I eased up.”

They’re actually … both kind of right? Oftentimes, these types of plays involve elaborate fake handoffs, and it’s hard for defenders to know who has the ball. In 2013, the NFL clarified that quarterbacks were fair game to be hit on read option plays, and it’s unclear whether or not this instance even should have been flagged.

In this case, Suggs basically acknowledges he knew damn well Bradford didn’t hold onto the ball, but thought he had a free shot and went low. This was, of course, unethical, but Chip Kelly really shouldn’t be running these plays with Bradford if the goal is to keep him healthy all season.