Viktor
Well-known member
- Mar 19, 2019
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Eric, I was aghast and appalled with Harrison Smith being ejected. To deem the hit as "flagrant," was absolute bovine scatology! No doubt we all watched the replays of the hit, and I saw a tough football play. Considering the state of the Vikings defense, that call by the officials almost gave the game to the Texans. Over the years there have been some cheap shot players in the NFL, but Harrison Smith is not one of them. The NFL owes Harrison and the Vikings an apology. Just how I saw it.
— John Stephens in St. Albert
How important is Smith? I say real important, as the defense gave up a little over 100 yards before his departure halfway through the second quarter. Then the Texans go off for like 250 yards in the second half. P.S. — I think it was a bad call also.
— Toby Smart
We'll start with a pair of questions and comment on a notable moment in Sunday's game that had Vikings fans — and Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer — heated about the outcome.
Yes, Harrison Smith was ejected late in the second quarter for a hit on Texans tight end Jordan Akins. Officials threw a flag for a personal foul, but according to Zimmer, the decision to disqualify him came from the league office in New York.
And here is what Zimmer said after the game about the incident:
"I love Harrison Smith like he's my son, first of all," Zimmer said. "My issue has always been, the quarterback's gonna throw the ball in the middle of the field and there's no repercussions whatsoever.
"Harrison is not a dirty player, he's never been a dirty player, and I feel like he tried to get his shoulder in there. They told me that the league office ejected him. If they want to give us a penalty, fine, give us a penalty, but don't eject guys," Zimmer added. "This guy's one of the best players in the NFL and one of the best people in the NFL. He's not a dirty player, so that's kind of what irritated me, I guess."
Do I think there was malicious intent by Smith? Of course not. While I don't disagree with the flag thrown, the ejection was a little extreme to me.
And Zimmer is right that Smith isn't a dirty player. He's had just four accepted penalties in the past two seasons, and three were because of defensive holding.
As for Smith's absence, it was clear the Texans targeted that spot when he went out and George Iloka came in the game.
Zimmer said postgame that Iloka actually spent the week preparing to be the backup nickel cornerback and even got a few snaps there when Cameron Dantzler left for a handful of plays in the first quarter.
Iloka may have looked a little rusty at safety, but that's a tough position to be thrown into on the fly.
And with all of that said, let's hope Smith doesn't get any extra punishment from the league heading into Week 5. His two-quarter absence was tough enough for the Vikings to overcome, and they will need Smith's steady presence next week in Seattle against Russell Wilson.