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Damar Hamlin 'didn't expect' Tee Higgins to 'launch his body' into him, ESPN's Bart Scott says
ESPN's Bart Scott, who was a former NFL linebacker, gave his piece on "First Take" Tuesday morning, and he brought up the wide receiver that Hamlin tackled, which ultimately led to him collapsing on the field: Bengals' Tee Higgins.
Scott explained how he didn't believe Hamlin was prepared for the way Higgins ran into his body, and more specifically, his chest.
"Right before the tackle, [Higgins] lowers his helmet and he kinda throws his body into [Hamlin's] chest," Scott began to explain. "He’s standing up because he’s thinking he’s gotta chase Tee Higgins at an angle to make a tackle, so he didn’t expect Tee Higgins to launch his body back into him. It’s one of those things you see as a linebacker."
As a linebacker, Scott explained how a running back might lower his head immediately when expecting contact, which has led to defenders being exposed in the chest area if they're not quick enough to react. While the NFL has tried to crack down on that, it's not heavily enforced, Scott noted.
"They’ve taken that out of the game, but they don’t regulate it as much as possible," Scott said. "I expect the league will be a lot more vigilant when it comes to that and using that penalty."
ESPN's Bart Scott, who was a former NFL linebacker, gave his piece on "First Take" Tuesday morning, and he brought up the wide receiver that Hamlin tackled, which ultimately led to him collapsing on the field: Bengals' Tee Higgins.
Scott explained how he didn't believe Hamlin was prepared for the way Higgins ran into his body, and more specifically, his chest.
"Right before the tackle, [Higgins] lowers his helmet and he kinda throws his body into [Hamlin's] chest," Scott began to explain. "He’s standing up because he’s thinking he’s gotta chase Tee Higgins at an angle to make a tackle, so he didn’t expect Tee Higgins to launch his body back into him. It’s one of those things you see as a linebacker."
As a linebacker, Scott explained how a running back might lower his head immediately when expecting contact, which has led to defenders being exposed in the chest area if they're not quick enough to react. While the NFL has tried to crack down on that, it's not heavily enforced, Scott noted.
"They’ve taken that out of the game, but they don’t regulate it as much as possible," Scott said. "I expect the league will be a lot more vigilant when it comes to that and using that penalty."
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