New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart has been in the spotlight for feeling ‘puzzled’ at the NFL’s policy of sending players to the medical tent for checkups. That comment came after a brutal sack by Minnesota’s Jay Ward, which had Dart lying on the ground for a few concerning seconds. Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter had stern advice for the young quarterback.
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“The NFL is not the game to try to pretend that I’m tough,” Carter said on the Fully Loaded Podcast. “It’s even smart, sometimes, to act like a coward. I did it all the time. I catch the ball in traffic, one, two, three guys… I get down on the ground. Do guys say all kinds of outrageous things to you on your way down? Absolutely. But my job is to live to fight another day.”
Carter also highlighted that playing hero ball in these conditions rarely guarantees a safe escape.
“They got bad intentions. The first guy is tackling you. The next guy is trying to knock the ball. And the third guy, he’s hitting everything. He’s hitting his teammates. He’s hitting you. He’s trying to rip your head off. Like that’s what’s happening on a regular basis. So the sooner you accept that, [the better]. You can still be a dude and slide.
Jaxson Dart’s refusal to slide has been noted since his college days. And that attitude resulted in five visits to the medical camp last year, and two missed games because of – you guessed it – a concussion. But officials will send a player they suspect has a serious injury, regardless of whether the latter likes being sent to the tent or not.
Former Los Angeles Chargers Kris Dielman suffered a grand mal seizure on the flight back home after playing the Jets in 2011. He took a brutal hit to the head in that game and continued to play.
Head coach John Harbaugh sided with the critics after the backlash at Dart’s comments, saying it was the league’s job to flag these concerns. The blow on the quarterback was brutal, with Dart admitting that he felt the wind knocked out of him. The franchise cannot afford to lose its star.
But the criticism seems to have worked. Jaxson Dart took a much-awaited slide in practice on August 11, which the team has been “begging” him for, according to linebacker Brian Burns. Harbaugh told the press that he clapped when Dart slid, and that it was “great.”
Carter highlighted how the best in the business didn’t hesitate to slide, naming Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady.
Playing hero ball against NFL defenders is a quick way to shorten a promising career. To stay on top of the game, Dart can heed Carter’s advice and implement it during the regular season.
