Looks like several Bills are unhappy with a block Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry made against Bills rookie cornerback Taron Johnson that was not penalized in Friday’s preseason game.
Johnson was slow to get up after being blocked by Landry, who came from the outside part of the field and lowered his shoulder into the area of Johnson’s head as the rookie cornerback pursued Hyde toward the sideline. Johnson walked off the field with athletic trainers but later returned to the game.
Jarvis laid down a MONSTER block on this TD run đź‘€ @God_Son80 pic.twitter.com/zCF8XyPcKw
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) August 18, 2018
“Landry, he’s a good receiver, physical guy, but some of those plays that he has — Aaron Williams, Taron, I’m pretty sure he has other ones — I just think they’re dirty,” Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander said Sunday. “Coming from the outside of the box in, the league needs to do a better job of calling penalties on those types of plays. Obviously, defenders get called all the time on stuff that is probably less egregious than that. If we’re going to protect our football players, we need to protect everybody, not just offensive guys.
Bills safety Micah Hyde also blasted Landry for his hit on Johnson.
“That’s ridiculous,” Hyde said Sunday. “Because if a defensive player does that to an offensive player, he’s getting ejected. I don’t care if he lowered his shoulder or not. He’s coming all the way from No. 1, past the numbers, and flying down onto the hashes and cleaning up somebody. That’s the same as that play that Aaron Williams got hit on a couple years back and basically ruined his career.
Landry said before Sunday’s practice in Berea, Ohio, that he takes pride in his blocking.
“I pride myself on being a complete receiver, and it takes those types of plays, making those types of blocks, or just a block period, to make sure Carlos could get in or Duke [Johnson], whoever’s running the ball, or another receiver. It’s important,” he said.
With the NFL trying to take out all these kinds of plays, I’m pretty surprised myself he didn’t get a penalty on that. The Softening of the NFL continues on. Looks like the Browns felt pretty good about the block.
.@God_Son80 laid down an *incredible* block on Hyde’s TD run Friday night 👀
“We scored a touchdown and that’s what it takes sometimes.” » https://t.co/FMDzfrP0ec pic.twitter.com/tX8S5MYMs3
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 19, 2018