Quotables: DeAngelo Hall stands up for Brandon Meriweather following suspension
DeAngelo Hall thinks Brandon Meriweather’s two-game suspension is bogus due to the absence of malicious intent in his helmet hit on Torrey Smith Saturday.
Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
-DeAngelo Hall, Washington
Washington safety Brandon Meriweather was suspended for two games by the NFL on Monday. His suspension is for multiple player safety violations -- the league announced that he's had six documented. Meriweather was also suspended for the same reason last season, but reduced the two-game suspension to one game on appeal. This time around, the suspension is the result of a hit on Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith.
Meriweather will certainly appeal, and he’s got the support of his teammates, particularly DeAngelo Hall. The cornerback had multiple tweets on Monday following the news:
@nfl SMH Most of the guys making the rules never played the game before but they want to tell us what's best for the game.... Yeah right
— DeAngelo Hall (@DeAngeloHall23) August 25, 2014 He also tweeted at the official NFL account to ask the league to review its decision because the hit was “not malicious.”
“I would like to talk to him myself. And if you know my history, I do believe in second chances.”
-Lovie Smith, Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers met with free agent offensive lineman Richie Incognito on Monday. The Buccaneers are hurting for help along the offensive line, and Incognito may be the best player available on the market. He obviously comes with the concerns regarding the Miami Dolphins bullying scandal from last season, however.
Addressing those concerns on Monday, head coach Lovie Smith said that he’d like to have a conversation with Incognito, adding “I do believe in second chances,” according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. Smith said that he’s going to “give everyone the benefit of the doubt until we have information that tells us otherwise.” To this point in the offseason, there hasn’t been much reported interest in Incognito. Still, it getting this far makes it seem likely that the Buccaneers have already considered the potential negative impact Incognito could bring to the team.
“We’re going to be as patient as we possibly can, but at the same time we want to be great,” -Robert Griffin III, Washington
Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III has been the target of plenty of criticism due to preseason struggles, but he's not letting them get to him, as reported by Tarik El-Bashir of CSN Washington. Griffin says that Washington needs to "keep moving forward from here." Some have even ventured the possibility of a quarterback controversy given Kirk Cousins' relatively strong play, but the notion is kind of silly when the preseason isn't even over yet.
That kind of change wouldn’t be considered after three preseason games. It wouldn’t be considered unless Griffin tanks during the regular season, and it would need to be clear that there is something fundamentally wrong. What he needs to do at this point is take his own advice and concentrate on improving in this system.
"You know, [Shaun Hill's] really not bad. Better than a few starters in [the] NFL."
-NFL GM
The St. Louis Rams will go with Shaun Hill as their starting quarterback for the regular season, thanks to a major knee injury that has Sam Bradford out for the year. Hill has been a serviceable backup for much of his career, and has even looked solid in starting stints with the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network said on Monday that he spoke with two general managers in the NFL:
Talked to 2 GMs about Shaun Hill's preseason. The message was the same: "You know, he's really not bad. Better than a few starters in @NFL."
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 25, 2014 What the Rams will do with the quarterback position going forward is anybody’s guess. Many questioned whether or not the Rams would stick with Bradford going into this season, so it seems likely that his time is up in St. Louis. Another report from Rapoport suggests that the Rams will “look hard at the quarterback position” next offseason, unless they “feel confident in Bradford’s condition.”
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