Eagles Vet Makes Ridiculous Excuse for Costly Week 4 Mistake
Week 4 was an utter failure for the Philadelphia Eagles across the board. Not only was the defense atrocious and the offense lifeless, but there were mistakes made in all facets of the operation that helped put the game out of reach.
One of those mishaps took place in the first half, as a muffed punt by rookie Cooper DeJean gave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the ball right outside of the red zone. Of course, DeJean wasn't to blame for the muff, as veteran cornerback Isaiah Rodgers blocked Bucs special teamer Josh Hayes right into his teammate.
Many were perplexed by Rodgers' thinking on this turnover, and his explanation after the game did nothing to quiet the criticism he's receiving.
Rodgers told reporters he thought it was a a "savvy veteran move" to block the Tampa Bay player into DeJean, as there was potential for a penalty to be called. The CB even doubled down and says he doesn't "feel like" the refs made the right call in deciding it was a muff and Buccaneers ball.
Frankly, this is just an inexcusable response to the situation. The rules on this kind of situation are incredibly clear, and Rodgers -- who's been in the league since 2020 and just made his 47th regular season appearance on Sunday -- should absolutely know better.
Rodgers did make one big special teams play in Week 4, with his block on an extra-point attempt in the third quarter leading to Kelee Ringo giving Philly two points after successfully returning it. However, that was just two points, and Tampa was still leading 30-16 at that point.
Meanwhile, the muffed punt occurred when Philadelphia was down only 14-0 and gave the Buccaneers another scoring opportunity on a golden platter -- which they pounced on, going up 21-0 five plays later.
At the very least, the Eagles will get to regroup with a bye in Week 5. Hopefully Rodgers spends the off time refreshing himself on the rulebook.
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