Chop-Block-Concussion-Gate

Because under Chapter 47, Paragraph 19, Sentence 8 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, every NFL controversy must end with "-gate."  Nearly two (2) days later, a few things have come to light that bear mention:

-If you haven't seen the play in question, here's a clip.  Not the best resolution, but it's one of the few that shows Travis Johnson's "outrageous conduct" after the play.

-Although I initially said Trent Green's block at a defender's knees was illegal, I have since learned that it's technically legal under the rules.  Cheap?  Sure.  Potentially career-ending?  Absolutely.  Dirty?  I think so.  But not illegal.

-All the teeth-gnashing over Tr. Johnson's "taunting" after the play is absurd.  As Matt points out over at DGDB&D, perhaps it was a rash reaction to a "legal" block, but it isn't nearly as bad as Keith Olbermann would have you believe.  

-I understand why the Texans were penalized on the play.  I don't agree with it though.

-Apparently, Green suffered the most severe concussion possible when he drove his head into Travis Johnson's knee.  Regardless of whether we believe it was a cheap shot, let's wish him a speedy and full recovery.

-Fortunately, an MRI performed on Travis Johnson's knee shows no structural damage.  For all the talk about how the collision impacted the participants, it's insane that the attention being paid to Johnson's knee is almost nil.

And with that, let us hope that we are done talking about Chop-Block-Concussion-Gate.  The Jags aren't going to care about it come Sunday, and neither should we.

1. While legal, Trent Green's chop block was cheap. I firmly believe that he could have taken Tr. Johnson out of the play without going for his knees from Johnson's blind side. Please save any "Trent-Green-Is-Just-A-Puny-QB" talk. It falls on deaf ears.

2. Tr. Johnson had every right to be pissed that Green elected to cut him from his blind side. If someone threatened to end my career in a highly questionable way, I'd be frustrated too. I might even raise my voice. And yes, I might continue to vent about said career-threatening move for awhile after that.

3. It was an unfortunate play. I'm sure both participants wish they'd handled it differently. Calling one of them "retarded" and/or "a punk" is wholly unjustified, particularly when one considers that Dolphin fans are more concerned with wishing their QB well than crapping on the opposition.

4. Again, best wishes on speedy recoveries for both Travis Johnson and Trent Green.