Flowers, Tavai, Daniels React to Myles Garrett Striking Mason Rudolph

Lions react to the shocking actions of Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett

Browns defensive end Myles Garrett's shocking display of aggressiveness on Thursday Night Football has sparked plenty of discussion among fans, media and NFL players.

In the Browns' 21-7 victory over the Steelers, Garrett ripped Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph's helmet off, and proceeded to strike him with it. 

The discussion since has revolved around whether Garrett was provoked, how much culpability Rudolph has and the punishment that Garrett should face. 

Early Friday, Garrett was suspended indefinitely, meaning that at the very least he will miss the remainder of the 2019 season. 

Lions rookie linebacker Jahlani Tavai expressed Friday that he's watched the events that took place Thursday. 

"Of course, you are not going to want to hit someone over the head with a helmet," Tavai said. "There are so many points of view that anybody can say out of it. We all saw what Rudolph did, but the bigger picture, everybody saw the helmet flying." 

Tavai added, "I hope I don't find myself in that situation. Sometimes you are on the field, he (Garrett) has that switch that can be flipped. If somebody went after me, I would probably defend myself. Granted, he is probably three times bigger than Rudolph. So, it looks even more dangerous." 

Tavai also expressed that he hopes the league does not view Garrett as a "terrible guy" when evaluating the length of the suspension that he should receive. 

Tavai believes that incidents like the one that occurred Thursday can "happen in the game of football."

Meanwhile, Lions defensive tackle Mike Daniels commented, "Football is a game of emotions. You have to make sure your emotions, that you check them. I am sure he didn't expect the quarterback to try and rip his helmet off and kick him in his private parts ... and he snapped. Most people would probably react that way if they got hit in their you know (what). It just was an ugly situation all the way around. It was crazy. Everybody involved just has to try and manage their emotions."

Detroit defensive end Trey Flowers also shared his thoughts on the gruesome situation. 

"It was from the looks of it that the situation had a lot of aggression and frustration, and that was the result of it," Flowers said.  

Turning off the Aggression

In the game of football, there is no question that a certain level of aggressiveness is needed to play, especially on defense.

At the highest levels, emotions can and do run very high throughout the course of a game. However, what happens when the 60 minutes of competition are over? 

All three Lions that discussed the Garrett incident expressed that turning the emotions off following the game are a part of being a professional and a requirement of playing in the NFL.

"You just have to be a pro about it," Flowers said. "This is the sport we are in. It is an aggressive sport. It is a physical sport. You have to have an attitude towards it. But it's just a sport. You have to understand that off the field, it is the real world. It's not hard. Anybody that plays a sport, you have to have that competitive edge. You just have to turn the switch off. You have to be a pro about it." 

Tavai shared a similar sentiment. 

"It is not too bad. By the time I get off the field, I am so tired (that) I am just trying to relax and get back to my original life," Tavai said. "On the field, there is just that switch that you can easily just turn on during the game. It hasn't been that big of a deal for me. I am pretty calm and relaxed off the field."

Daniels was emphatic that he is able to turn off the aggression and emotion when he is away from the field. 

"I am not at work anymore. The game is over," Daniels commented. "If you can't control yourself, you might have something deeper going on."