Here’s the thing. A lot of guys in the NFL are fiercely protective of their tough man imagine. They don’t want to be seen as weak. Have an injury? Tape it up, get some painkillers and get back out there. So when somebody appears to suffer an injury and leaves a game only to have it revealed the problem wasn’t as serious as feared, some guys get indignant. This is what happened with Jay Cutler 10 years ago and appears to have happened with Nick Foles this season.
When the Chicago Bears starting QB was carted off against Minnesota, it was feared he may have suffered a broken ankle or serious hip injury. Thankfully tests revealed a mixture of strains and deep bruising. While the 31-year old could miss some time, it doesn’t appear the injury is season-ending. One man though sounded legitimately pissed off when the news came down.
That being former linebacker Bart Scott.
He played in the NFL for 11 years and was raised on a tough brand of football. So when he appeared on the Keyshawn, JWill, & Zubin show to talk about it, he wasn’t having any of it. Scott basically called Foles out for being soft and a crybaby.
“Oh, we supposed to have empathy? He was crying! There’s no crying in football! And, if there’s crying, something better be broken! Need to be amputated!…
…He is crying and he got a bone bruise! Drew Brees is talking to [Sean] Payton on the sideline and he got four cracked ribs and a puncture! And, he’s talking! And, [Foles] is crying for a hip bruise!? What are we talking about!?…
…You hearing everybody, ‘Prayers up to Nick Foles.’ A bruise?! Man if you don’t take some Advil and put some ice and put a girdle on with a hip pad in it, man, get the hell out of here.”
Johnson pointed out that the reaction likely wasn’t due to the pain but more the possibility that Foles had suffered another season-ending injury. This after breaking his collarbone just last season. Scott didn’t care. In his mind, the quarterback was weak and there’s no room for weakness in the NFL.
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Good news. Nick Foles did not suffer a major injury, according to @MikeGarafolo
pic.twitter.com/jSMNCMk4QX— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) November 17, 2020
Nick Foles doesn’t have to answer to Scott
The reality is Scott is from Detroit and played for the Baltimore Ravens during the Ray Lewis days. He takes personal pride in the physical brand of football they emulated. To say nothing of his default hatred for quarterbacks being a defensive guy. Of course he’d dislike Foles from the start. This situation merely gave him ammunition to vent.
Truth be told the guy has always been a trash-talker. Yet there is one thing he can’t boast. Foles has a ring. He doesn’t. This quarterback has battled through multiple setbacks in his career, fought through a lot of adversity. What Scott has to say means nothing. It’s another opinion that has no bearing on his life or career.
Nobody has a right to question his toughness.
Nick Foles took an absurd amount of hits for weeks behind an atrocious offensive line. He kept getting up and going back to the huddle. Why. That’s his job and he is a competitor. If he were as soft as Scott claims, he’d have benched himself long before that. Hell, he would’ve retired. He has a ring and got his money. Why keep playing?
Love of the game. Nobody puts himself through this kind of punishment without loving football. So Bart Scott can keep yapping. That doesn’t make any of what he says true.
The Bears are currently on a bye week. Foles’ status for Green Bay next Sunday remains unknown. Even if he’s good to go, it’s possible the team may move back to Mitch Trubisky due to the line issues.