Tim Benz: Defending Browns’ Myles Garrett by blaming Steelers’ Mason Rudolph is insanity

When disagreeing with someone’s opinion, there are two important rules to follow in the sports talk radio and sports columnist business.

1. No name calling.

2. Don’t make any broad generalizations about a group of people.

With those rules made clear, anyone who thinks Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph is to blame for what Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett did on Thursday night is an idiot.

And anyone who thinks Rudolph should be suspended for what he did is either of out of their mind, serving a provincial or racial agenda, or intentionally formulating a phony hot take.

My bad.

Rules are made to be broken, I guess.

Apparently, based on what Garrett tried to do, so are skulls.

For future reference in this column, here is the video of the entire incident.

@RobProvince My $0.02 FWIW (hockey fan).
Watching the whole play from snap:

QB gets rid of ball as 2 Browns make contact, one of whom breaks off contact. Garrett continues & throws QB to ground at which point Rudolph grabs Garrett’s helmet. pic.twitter.com/2B4loZ0eWN
¯_(ツ)_/¯

— Realist & Curmudgeon (@PenguinsFan62) November 15, 2019

Although, what’s the point? Based on interactions I’ve had on social media and what I’ve read online, two people can watch exactly the same video and see two totally different things.

Apparently this Rudolph-Garrett video is the sports version of the blue dress-gold dress debate.

As you can see above, Garrett got to Rudolph in a short enough amount of time after the ball was thrown to avoid a flag.

But he worked way too hard to wrestle him to the ground and force him to the turf. I’ve seen far less physicality toward quarterbacks than that draw flags over the last 10 years.

No, contrary to what you may have read or heard on this site recently, Garrett was not “trying to let Rudolph up.” Yes, a scrum ensued, and Rudolph did scrap back.

He even — gasp — pulled at Garrett’s helmet!

The horror!

The calls for Rudolph to be suspended are stupid. And the attempts to mollify Garrett’s punishment by way of blaming Rudolph are worse.

Why is the initiator not being suspended? Someone please explain this to me. #CLEvsPIT #NFL pic.twitter.com/2HXfLLZmW6

— O.J. Simpson (@TheRealOJ32) November 15, 2019

Boy, there’s some irony.

That guy’s legal suits turned a double-murder case into a trial about race relations and police malfeasance. If anyone knows the “don’t look over here, look over there” approach to a legal defense, it’s him.

Somewhere Johnnie Cochran is looking down (or is it up?) and laughing with uproarious approval of Garrett’s social media defense team.

Heck, Johnnie is probably jealous. If he and the rest of “The Dream Team” had argued this vigorously and shamelessly, that trial would’ve been over in a week!

“If the helmet doesn’t fit, Mason must get hit!”

Take it away, Twitter.

Looks like Rudolph is charging Garrett in pic #3 & Garrett is being held by Rudolph’s teammate (before he was bonked on the head)... no magnet ? or CGI needed... pic.twitter.com/wMpqbbMyN6

— Rodney Seymour (@RodneySeymour) November 17, 2019

You’re kidding, right? He’s just getting up after he got his helmet ripped off his head. What are you asking him to do? Thank Garrett for hitting him late and ripping his helmet off? Lay there and take it? Run away and become the new Markus Naslund in cleats in Pittsburgh sports lore?

And what’s with this “charging” complaint I keep hearing? I thought that was a hockey or basketball penalty.

He could have just done nothing. It was over.

— James Barry (@jamesbarrytweet) November 17, 2019

What you don’t do is start swinging a helmet at someone’s head. Stop blame-shifting, marginalizing, and perpetuating this three-card-Monte Twitter shame game.

He didn’t get hit late or shoved into the ground. Garrett actually held him up so he’d fall on top of him (to protect him). C’mon Tim, you’ve never been that yinzer local sports guy with blinders on, don’t start now.

— Marc D (@mwd1676) November 17, 2019

Nothing in this tweet is true. He was taken down to the turf after the ball was gone. At no point was Garrett trying to help him up. You either did not watch the play or are intentionally misrepresenting it.

Former Steelers rival Torrey Smith (a one-time Baltimore Raven) chimed in.

When is Mason Rudolph going to apologize? Everyone will have to but him. https://t.co/Hl3EL9PyaU

— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) November 15, 2019

How should the apology go?

“I’m sorry I fought back when I was getting shoved into the turf after a late hit.”

Or…

“I’m sorry my head got in the way of the helmet.”

Torrey, I’d say you are overthinking this, but it’s clear to me you aren’t thinking at all.

He should apologize for losing his composure. A QB is unique in that when they charge a D player like he did, it puts teammates in a terrible position (to “protect”) that’ll always end with an ugly incident/brawl & multiple suspensions. Can apologize w/out excusing MG, btw.

— ROH Pittsburgh Fan (@ROHPittFan) November 17, 2019

Anytime a QB is involved in a physical altercation they risk their teammates’ getting fined/suspended. It was emotional and selfish of him.

— ROH Pittsburgh Fan (@ROHPittFan) November 17, 2019

These tweets actually impress me. I didn’t think it was possible to squeeze so much sanctimony into a couple-hundred characters.

He charged him and kept the fight going. He’s a baby and deserved a game.

— Jake Meyer (@jacobmeyer4) November 17, 2019

Your deflecting. He was apart of the scrum and provoked Garrett with words and actions (like charging) he deserved a game

— Jake Meyer (@jacobmeyer4) November 17, 2019

Let’s pick these apart in order.

1. You don’t know what Rudolph said.

2. Rudolph was dragged into the scrum by Garrett taking him down to the turf in the first place.

3. I’m deflecting?! Ha! The guy swung a helmet at another player, and you’re making the first-grade recess argument of, “The other guy started it!”

Let’s end with this one.

Also what was Rudolph going to do had he succeeded in taking off Garrett's helmet? Usually a punch comes after a helmet being ripped off.

— Timothy S Tindall Sr (@TimmT76) November 18, 2019

Well, it didn’t. And you can’t suspend someone for what didn’t happen.

But ok. I’ll play a hypothetical game.

Let’s says Rudolph digs for Garrett’s helmet and it stays on. Then Garrett just gets up and woofs a little. No helmet swing. The game ends peacefully after that quick scrum.

Are you honestly calling for Rudolph to get suspended in that scenario? Or does life just move on?

I’m gonna go with Scenario B, counselor.

See where I’m going with this? Tribalism aside — based on skin color or uniform color — no one is truly appalled at Rudolph’s action.

It’s not suspendable. It’s a jaywalking ticket. It’s a debatable 15-yard penalty at most.

Those using this tactic are merely trying to deflect what Garrett did. It’s a shell game.

They are trying to say, “Your honor, my client did commit the bank robbery. But when he was driven away from the scene, the squad car’s left tail light was out! So, he needs to be acquitted.”

Not to dwell on O.J. or anything.

But based on what I’ve seen since Thursday night, the Garrett trial has made as little sense as the O.J. trial.