Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn't like what he saw.
After Ravens safety Matt Elam dove at wide receiver Randall Cobb's knees, Rodgers was seen jawing with the rookie defender during Green Bay's 19-17 win Sunday over Baltimore.
"I just felt like, from my vantage point, he had plenty of time to not take out a guy's legs in that situation," Rodgers later told reporters, per Fox Sports' Mike Garafolo.
"I think he could have hit him in the proper hitting zone, and that's what I told him," Rodgers said. "The other safety came over and actually made a very knowledgeable point, which I appreciated a little intelligent answer back and forth about some of the issues defensive players have to deal with (hitting in) the target area. I totally understand that and get that."
So do we. From Elam's viewpoint -- from any defender's viewpoint -- it's fair to wonder what type of hit won't draw the league's attention.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh disagreed with Rodgers and chalked up the tackle to being a bang-bang play.
"To say that it could have been more artistically palatable, is pretty hard for me to understand," Harbaugh said Monday, via the Ravens' official website. "That's a fast route. They ran a pretty good route there. Aaron made a good, quick throw in there and Matt is doing the best he can to try to stop that play. So I have no idea what he's talking about."
The NFL is on a crusade to end helmet-to-helmet contact, but players don't want their legs targeted, either. Today's defenders are being asked to chase lightning-fast receivers and backs, a task that grows tougher when tackling is reduced to a "strike zone."
It's natural for Rodgers to defend Cobb (who is expected to miss roughly six weeks with a fractured fibula, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday), but half of the Packers' roster -- the defensive half -- might identify with the other side of a debate that isn't going away anytime soon.
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