The reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be without their leading receiver for the remainder of the year. On Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints, Saints’ safety P.J. Williams‘ helmet hit directly on Chris Godwin‘s knee. After tests, initial results came back saying it was a sprained MCL, but further investigation into the injury proved that Godwin’s ACL was torn. Bruce Arians announced the news on Monday.
Godwin finished the season with 1,103 yards and five touchdowns on 98 receptions.
Tom Brady took to the Let’s Go podcast to voice his frustration with hits like the one that ended Godwin’s season.
“Chris got hit in the knees yesterday, which is a play that I think they ought to take out of the game of football from a receiver standpoint,” Brady said. “I’ve seen that hit too many times, where a defenseless pass catcher is in the process of catching a ball, then he’s hit by the defender. A lot of the defenders will say, ‘Well, we can’t hit them in the head anymore.’ Well, the point is, you can’t hit anyone in the head anymore and you can’t hit anyone in the knees anymore, except for receivers. You can still hit them in the knees, which doesn’t make any sense to me.”
Brady said he plans to take to the rules competition committee in the offseason.
Arians agrees with him.
“We’re so concerned about hitting people in the head, that we’re getting a lot of knee injuries now because of that type of tackle,” Arians said. “Totally legal but I think that’s one of the things we have to look into in the offseason.”
Godwin is not just important as one of Brady’s favorite targets, he’s an excellent blocker, too.
