The criticism hasn’t stopped for Jaxson Dart, quarterback of the New York Giants, following the hit he took against the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football in Week 13 of the NFL season. That game marked his return after missing the previous two matchups due to a severe concussion suffered on November 9 against the Chicago Bears.
During the two weeks Dart spent in the concussion protocol, many argued that he needed to change his playing style, as he was taking too many hits due to the aggressive way he plays-not only now in the NFL, but dating back to his Ole Miss days. Dart likes to take risks, but the league doesn’t forgive, and he already paid the price three weeks ago.
Even so, Dart didn’t seem to learn the lesson, and on just his second offensive series of the first quarter against the Patriots, he attempted a run to try to pick up the first down. As he approached the marker, linebacker Christian Elliss laid a full-force hit on him, knocking him toward the sideline and sending him “flying” dramatically into the bench area.
Jaxson Dart was heavily criticized
At first, many thought it was a dirty hit on Dart; however, the replay showed that Elliss made contact while Dart was still in bounds, so there was no penalty on the play. The ones who were penalized were the Giants, after tight end Theo Johnson confronted the Patriots defender.
As the hours pass, Dart continues to be a major topic of discussion-and not in a positive way. Former NFL player Willie Colon, now an analyst on FOX’s First Things First, criticized Dart’s playing style and stated that he needs to mature, not just for himself but for the team: “This is a ‘we’ game, not a ‘me’ game… If you play dumb, reckless football, then we lose.”
Even with all the criticism, Dart doesn’t seem to be considering a change in his approach. When asked about it, he responded: “We’re not playing soccer out here. You’re going to get hit. Things happen. It’s just part of the game,” said the former Ole Miss quarterback. Based on his words, it looks like Dart will continue playing the same way.
There’s no doubt that Jaxson Dart has the profile to become an NFL superstar, but hits like this can be dangerous in this league and can harm not only his own health but also the team. The Giants finally seem to have their quarterback of the future, although playing this way, his journey could end up being very short.
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