Calais Campbell’s hit on Ryan Tannehill was unfortunate, but it wasn’t dirty

With football comes injuries. We had several ugly reminders of that on Sunday. The Chargers lost Melvin Gordon to a hip injury. Matthew Stafford dislocated his thumb.

Injuries like that stink because they’re just part of the unavoidable wear and tear of the game. Here’s where we remind you that the average career in the NFL lasts less than three years.

As difficult as those injuries are to accept, it could be worse. At least they weren’t the result of a cheap shot, like the hit that knocked Eagles running back Darren Sproles out of the game. Broncos cornerback Chris Harris is lucky he wasn’t seriously hurt when Harry Douglas took aim at his legs.

A lot of Dolphins fans feel like Calais Campbell’s hit on quarterback Ryan Tannehill fits into the later category, something akin to Douglas’s dirty hit on Harris. A lot of Tannehill’s teammates feel that way too.

The hit probably resulted in a torn ACL for Tannehill, ending his season and putting the start of the next one into question.

However, it wasn’t a cheap shot, dirty hit, or whatever you want to call it.

Take another look for yourself.

“I was rushing as hard as I could,” Campbell said after the game. “I got a crease. The [Dolphins’] left tackle [Branden Albert] gave me a shove in the back.

“It was slippery … It sucks. You never want to see a guy down and go out for the game. I hope he’s OK. I hope he’s not seriously hurt. I’m praying for him.”

You can’t see it very well in the GIF above, but look at the video below, taken from a wider angle above the field.

It’s clearer there that Branden Albert gives him a shove that causes him to go down at Tannehill’s legs.

Part of the problem for Campbell is that he’s been in this situation before, back in Week 9 when he hit Cam Newton low. He didn’t get flagged for the hit, but did end up getting a fine. The NFL admitted that refs should have thrown a flag for the hit.

Campbell apologized to Newton on the field. He had a similar explanation for that hit.

“I beat my man pretty clean but I kind of tangled my feet,” Campbell said. “I was trying to catch my balance. I always know you can’t hit a quarterback below the knees, you try to get him in the thigh. And actually, my initial hit was in his thigh but my momentum carried forward and I got him below.”

It wasn’t a dirty hit either. It was illegal and should’ve been flagged (which is where Newton had a valid point about not getting the calls), but it wasn’t dirty.

Looking at the video of the hit on Newton again, Campbell’s explanation has merit, but it’s not easy to see. You can see him get pushed down by Albert in the video of the hit on Tannehill.

Nothing Campbell says is going to be any consolation for Dolphins fans as they watch their team make a run at the playoffs with Matt Moore at quarterback.

A reminder that injuries like this are part of the game, as much as it sucks, but that isn’t going to make anyone feel any better. Not even when it comes from Dolphins head coach Adam Gase.

There was no shortage of cheap shots and dirty hits this week. This wasn’t one of them.