A tackle that Baltimore Ravens safety Matt Elam put on Randall Cobb that has sidelined the Green Bay Packers receiver for up to six weeks with fractured fibula has left Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers vocally upset, but Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said that it was "pretty hard for me to understand" Rodgers' gripe as he perceived the hit to be clean.
Green Bay won Sunday's game by a 19-17 margin, but the game didn't necessarily go off without a hitch. After Elam, a rookie safety, dove at Cobb's knees to make a tackle on a completed pass from Rodgers, the Green Bay signal caller was seen jawing at the young defender.
"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 said via Fox Sports. "I think he could have hit him in the proper hitting zone, and that's what I told him. 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."
Rodgers had aired out a pass down the middle to Cobb on a 15-yard gain and Elam dove at him, striking Cobb's knees with his helmet and Cobb was down on the ground writhing in pain before exiting.
While Rodgers was upset with the play because he thought Elam should have tackled Cobb in the proper hitting zone, Harbaugh was very confused by his criticism and said he believed it was a clean tackle.
"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," Harbaugh said per NBC Sports. "I think Matt made a tackle. He was scrambling to try to catch up with that route as best as he could to make the tackle on him."
Cobb has been a major factor in Green Bay's receiving corps, with 29 receptions for 378 yards with two touchdowns thus far this season, but will miss a significant amount of time for the banged-up Packers after the hit.
NBC Sports reports that there was no penalty given to Elam and that the league isn't expected to fine him for the hit. Helmet-to-helmet hits normally result in steep consequences, but since this was a bang-bang play and the helmet struck Cobb's knees it is not expected that there will be any reprimanding from the league.
While Rodgers is furious at the hit and the Ravens are defending it, the incident has become just the latest controversy involving what defenders should and shouldn't be allowed to do during games as the NFL looks to try and make the sport safer, but it's a debate that will most likely never be settled.
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