NFLVideoWeird But True

If You’re A Running Back On The Houston Texans, Know That Matt Schaub Will Not Block For You

NFL quarterbacks are shielded from any physical contact at all cost. The NFL wants to protect its most financially visible product, coaches want to protect the backbone of their teams and defenders don’t want to get penalized, fined or suspended. Quarterbacks probably don’t mind this safety bubble, absorbing less hits and injuries and largely operating without interference. Of course the rules are broken on occasion and quarterbacks do get flattened, but the game is general safer for signal callers.

Houston quarterback Matt Schaub has embraced this movement wholeheartedly, avoiding contact whenever possible. Now the man did lose a chunk of his ear earlier this season, so there’s that. Still, sometimes quarterbacks are called upon to throw a block or two, especially on reverses or backside cuts by running backs. But Schaub, it turns out, has balls of whatever the opposite of steel is. On today’s episode of ESPN’s Mike and Mike’s Best of the NFL (who knew this show existed, by the way), Golic and Greenberg documented two such instances in the past few weeks when Schaub chose not to block, one time freezing in fear and the other time running IN TERROR.

Now maybe it really is in his best interest to meekly step aside, but at the very least stand in the way. Something. Of course nothing will ever top a terrified Mark Sanchez, but this right here is a solid contender for second place.

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