Jason Peters: Jadeveon Clowney's Tackle was Late and Dirty
PHILADELPHIA – Jason Peters had a clear view of Jadeveon Clowney’s helmet-to-helmet hit on Carson Wentz.
The Eagles left tackle called it a late hit and a dirty play.
Presumably, referee Shawn Smith saw it, too. He didn’t see it that way, and that’s why there was no flag thrown on the play.
“He was a runner and he did not give himself up,” Smith told a pool reporter after the game. “We saw incidental helmet contact, and in our judgment, we didn’t rule that to be a foul.”
It appeared Clowney led with his helmet and did so after Wentz was already on the ground.
Whatever it was, it was a play that changed the complexion of the Eagles' wild-card playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
It was that play that knocked the Eagles quarterback out of the game with a concussion late in the first quarter and was certainly a key factor in the Eagles’ 17-9 loss that ended their season.
“When they get a late hit like that I’m going to go up and say something to them,” said Peters. “I told him it was a bad play. It was a dirty play. He said he wasn’t trying to do it.
"He’s got respect for me, I got respect for him and he was like. ‘I wasn’t trying to do it,’ and we just kept playing.”
Wentz didn’t keep playing. He was gone after just eight snaps.
Through all 16 games this season, Wentz stayed healthy. It was his first time playing all 16 since his rookie season of 2016, but the Eagles didn’t make the postseason that year, so this was his playoff debut.
“I feel for him,” coach Doug Pederson said. “I feel bad for him. I’m disappointed for him because I wanted this for him. I think a lot of his teammates did, too, the team and the organization did. He’s battled through a lot, but we’ll learn from it. We’ll move on.”
Clowney said his tackle was fine.
“I didn’t see anything,” he said. “I was just playing fast and he turned like he was running the ball, so I was trying to get him down. It was a bang-bang play. I don’t intend to hurt anybody in this league, let me just put that out there.
“I’ve been down the injury road; it’s not fun. My intention was not to hurt him. I was just playing fast.”
Without Wentz, the Eagles were forced to turn to backup Josh McCown, who had never taken a postseason snap in his 17-year career, and the game plan changed.
The Eagles lost to the Seahawks by the same 17-9 score when they met Nov. 24 at The Linc. Pederson said he likes to believe that had Wentz been able to stay in Sunday, the Eagles would have won.
“I would say yes, if he’s healthy,” said Pederson. “With the game plan that we had, I think so, but it’s hard to speculate.”
McCown said he was sitting with Wentz on the bench and Wentz told him he didn’t feel right and to be ready.
There was no concussion alert from the NFL spotter, but one of the Eagles trainers told Pederson they were going to look at Wentz.
“Carson Wentz has put a ton into this season,” said McCown. “To get to this moment, especially with the things he’s gone through, it’s a tough call. But he’s sitting there not feeling right and obviously knew he needed to get checked.
“You go through that and you turn the page and as bummed as I am for him, you have to go do your job and try to move the team.”
McCown moved it but drives stalled, leading to just three field goals and a couple late turnover on downs.
Perhaps Wentz getting hurt was a fitting end to a season in which the Eagles battled injury after injury, especially on offense.
“Our goal was to get back to the Super Bowl, but with all the injuries we had, we came up eight points short of going into overtime,” said Peters. “All the guys being hurt, there’s a list of them, more this year than the Super Bowl run as far as overall starters.
"Winning the division, beating Dallas, to get to this point with all the injuries, I would say it was a success.”
