"It was kind of bull****"- Vic Fangio blasts Ravens for running play on final snap vs. Broncos in Week 4
Head coach Vic Fangio's Denver Broncos' perfect start to the season came to a crashing halt in Week 4, as the Baltimore Ravens handed them a 23-7 loss at home. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater suffered a concussion and was removed from the game and replaced by Drew Lock.
Head coach Vic Fangio was irate in today's press conference not for how his team played but for what the Baltimore Ravens did on the game's final play.
Vic Fangio upset about Ravens not kneeling to end game
Already up 23-7, the Baltimore Ravens chose to run a play on the game's final snap instead of kneeling as what is traditionally done by the winning team.
The Ravens did so to ensure they clocked 100 rushing yards in the game to extend their streak to 43 straight games with triple-digit rushing yards, tying an NFL record.
Vic Fangio spoke to the media on Monday morning and expressed his disgust at the Ravens' choice in play calling. Fangio said:
"I thought it was kind of bull**** but I expected it from them. That's their mode of operation. Player safety is secondary."
Kneeling at the end of the game to run out the clock is one of football's unwritten rules. Not only is it a sign of respect, but it also ensures no players get hurt unnecessarily at the end of games.
But the Ravens chose not to kneel and ran a play to add to their stats for their benefit, which annoyed Fangio. He also said that in his 37 years as a coach in the NFL, he had never seen a team do something like that before.
Broncos HC Vic Fangio thought the Ravens’ run at the end of the game was “kind of bull****” and notes he’s never seen anything like that in his 37 years of coaching in the NFL. https://t.co/TltszwLKmW
Fangio does have reason to be concerned for player safety. At that point in the game, an injury to a player on either side of the ball would have been entirely unnecessary.
#Broncos rookie CB Patrick Surtain II is expected to be OK after leaving Sunday’s game with a chest injury, sources tell me and @RapSheet. Denver finished the game down eight starters, including QB Teddy Bridgewater (concussion). But it appears Surtain dodged a bullet.
The Broncos and Fangio will have to get over the loss and that final play quickly as they travel across the country for their next game in Week 5 to face the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have struggled as of late. Fangio will have to wait and see if quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who is in concussion protocol, will be available for the trip to Pittsburgh.
Having extended their 100-yard rushing streak to an NFL record-tying 43 games, the Ravens can break the record next week when they host the Indianapolis Colts next Monday night.