Someone tap Matt Millen on the shoulder and remind him what decade it is. He was providing color commentary for Michigan’s beatdown on Northwestern on Saturday when Wildcat defensive back Matthew Harris was penalized for targeting, and he made some comments he probably shouldn’t have.
After making helmet-to-helmet contact with Wolverine quarterback Jack Rudock’s head on a slide, Harris drew a flag from the officials. It wasn’t the hardest contact, but it was pretty clearly illegal. Millen was clearly unhappy with the call, but his reasoning was pretty strange and not exactly the greatest piece of advice.
“When guys are targeting, you target. When I want to hit somebody in the head with my helmet, I will break his neck. That’s what you try to do.”
Umm, no. Millen – a walking cliche of old-school, smashmouth football – apparently thinks that football isn’t played right until it’s played with murderous intent. It will be interesting to see if he gets any discipline for that (or any pressure to apologize) considering how hard the people who sell football as entertainment have been working to deny that football is inherently violent. Millen needs to remember that ESPN isn’t showing “Jacked Up” segments any more.
We’ve gotten wise to the fact that an intentionally violent hit like the one he wants to see has a hideous human cost. Someone let him know.
