Skip to main content

Barry Church has payback plans for Golden Tate hit

Barry Church will have payback on his mind when the Cowboys meet the Lions in Sunday's Wild Card matchup.

The Cowboys' safety told a Dallas radio station on Wednesday that he plans to even the score with Lions wide receiver Golden Tate, who leveled Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee with a blindside block during a September 2012 matchup between the Cowboys and Seahawks.

"That was the dirtiest shot I've ever seen," Church told KRLD-FM, via ESPN.com. "We were talking about it on the way back from Washington, me and Sean. He was just like, 'Man, I wish I could play so bad in this game just to give a little payback for what he did in Seattle.'

"Obviously he can't play, but we're definitely going to keep our radar out for (Tate) because that was a dirty shot. We're looking forward to seeing him. We'll definitely get him back after that, but it will be within the rules, within the rules."

Lee won't play this season after suffering a torn ACL on the first day of OTAs in May. Tate wasn't penalized for the block in 2012, but was later fined $21,000.

On the play -- which you can see here -- Tate peeled off while blocking on a Russell Wilson scramble and leveled Lee with a shot to the chest with the crown of his helmet. While Lee collected himself after the hit, Tate flexed his muscles in celebration.

"Crackback hits, that's not a definition of toughness," Lee later said.

Officials assigned to this game will be well aware of this subplot by kickoff. Some early-game chippiness between the outspoken Tate and Dallas defenders is a virtual guarantee.

The latest Around The NFL Podcast previews this weekend's four Wild-Card matchups and predicts who will advance. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.