MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) Jarvis Landry apologized for the block that injured Aaron Williams, said he wished he could take it back, and offered little defense when asked if the hit was dirty.
”Call it what you want,” Landry said. ”It’s football.”
The NFL is certain to look at the play closely in the coming week. Officials flagged the Miami Dolphins receiver Sunday for unnecessary roughness, and some of Williams’ teammates with the Buffalo Bills thought it was worse than that.
”Definitely a cheap hit,” cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman said.
Williams missed the second half with a head and neck injury and went to a hospital for an MRI before flying back to Buffalo with the team. The veteran safety missed most of last season because of a neck injury that required surgery and threatened his career.
He was reinjured on a running play when Landry led with his left shoulder, launched into Williams and hit him head high. Williams was flattened, squirmed in pain and remained on his back before he slowly rose and was led to the locker room.
As Williams woozily walked off the field, Landry approached him.
”I apologized,” Landry said. ”I just told him to get better. You never want to see that happen to anybody. … If I could take that hit back, I would. It’s a guy’s livelihood.”
Bills coach Rex Ryan said he didn’t see the block.
”I hope it wasn’t cheap,” Ryan said. ”I know Landry. I have a ton of respect for that kid. I wouldn’t think he’d do that. I hope that wasn’t the case.”
Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander expressed a similar sentiment.
”I don’t know if it was legal or not, but I know he is out there just trying to play physical,” Alexander said. ”I don’t know him to be a dirty player, but you don’t like to see those types of hits, especially losing that type of caliber of player for our defense. It definitely hurts us. The NFL will look at it and determine whether or not it was a legal hit.”
Landry had an eventful day. He made five catches for 78 yards and caught a 2-point conversion pass during Miami’s comeback for a 28-25 victory.
Before the hit on Williams, he was flagged for taunting. He said he drew that penalty because he spun the ball after a reception in front of the Bills bench .
”I didn’t know that was a penalty,” he said.
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AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL
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Follow Steven Wine on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Steve-Wine. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/steven-wine
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