JuJu Smith-Schuster explains his unlawful block penalty and the inspiration behind it

Patriots

“It is humorous, I used to be watching Hines Ward, his blocking movies, earlier than the sport at this time.”

JuJu Smith-Schuster (Photograph by Elsa/Getty Pictures

  • Invoice Belichick in contrast Micah Parsons to Lawrence Taylor

  • Invoice Belichick truly answered a query about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce

JuJu Smith-Schuster had extra penalty yards than receiving yards throughout the Patriots 15-10 win over the Jets on Sunday.

He made one catch for 5 yards. He was additionally whistled for a 10-yard illegal blocking penalty for a success on Jets linebacker CJ Mosley.

The veteran receiver advised NBC Sports activities Boston’s Phil Perry that he was attempting to make one thing occur. He tried to make a block for Mike Gesicki, and it didn’t end up the way in which it was imagined to.

“I used to be simply attempting to make a play to assist my boys,” Smith-Schuster mentioned. “I wasn’t considering. I hold forgetting there’s a brand new rule.”

Smith-Schuster, who started his profession in Pittsburgh in 2017, mentioned advised Perry that he was watching highlights of one other Steelers receiver earlier than the sport.

“It’s humorous, I used to be watching Hines Ward, his blocking movies, earlier than the sport at this time,” Smith-Schuster mentioned. “I noticed that, and I noticed a chance, and I took benefit of it. Yeah, it wasn’t good by me to do this. Totally different period.”

Ward is a part of the explanation the principles obtained modified to usher on this “completely different period” of soccer. The previous Tremendous Bowl MVP had a status as one of many league’s fiercest blockers. One of many extra memorable blocks of Ward’s profession got here in 2008, when he leveled Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers with a blindside hit throughout a regular-season recreation.

Rivers broke his jaw on the play, inflicting him to overlook the ultimate 9 video games of his rookie season. The hit prompted a rule change, informally often known as the Hines Ward rule, that outlawed excessive, blindside hits, in accordance with ESPN.

Smith-Schuster, who’s the Patriots’ highest-paid receiver was touted as a possible No. 1 choice heading into the season. He has 10 catches for 66 yards by means of his first three video games with New England.