By 
Ever wondered what happens at the bottom of scrums during NFL games? Like if players twist, scratch, claw, or do other unnecessarily rough things to one another? Or even if players really put bounties on opposing players before games, and things of that nature? I suspect that they do, but definitely got some confirmation when listening to former Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Brian Baldinger talk about the pre-game trash talking involving LaRon Landy and DeSean Jackson last week. Baldinger frowns upon the alleged spitting incident that took place between Landry and Mike McGlynn, but he mentions that plenty of other rough play is fair game. Take a listen.
Baldinger joined 97.5 The Fanatic in Phillyto talk about the Eagles upcoming game against the New York Giants, how this will be Michael Vick’s toughest test to date this season, and most interestingly and controversially, how he intentionally tried to break Eric Swann’s ankle (and succeeded) during his playing career after Swann tried to injure him in a previous game, and as a consequence of Swann being the dirtiest player in the NFL.
On LaRon Landry’s comments to DeSean Jackson that he was going to ‘put him to sleep’ again, the spitting incident involving Landry and Mike McGlynn, and what’s considered out of bounds amongst NFL players:
“No, I think spitting is….I’ve broken a guy’s ankle on purpose before and put him out for the season. That was just pay back, and that’s all legal, and that’s all fair game when somebody tries to put you out. You go back and you devise a game plan to put Eric Swann out for the season. That was fun and that was legal. But the spitting part, that’s probably the lowest thing you can do in this league. I’ve never had it done to me, and I would never do it to somebody. No spitting.”
On the comments by Landry to Jackson specifically considering how serious concussions have become as an issue in the league:
“I’ve heard different things about that. I’ve heard it was just a battle of words between two guys and they’re friends. And that it was just cheap talk between two guys and there wasn’t any serious real intent. But if you’re trying to put somebody out and knock their lights out like that with intent, that would rage a battle before a game like it did. And the Redskins got what they deserved – the worst thumping that any of those players have ever had in their life on national T.V. So they were thoroughly embarrassed by their performance. So you know, that was pretty good pay back what DeSean Jackson did to LaRon Landy on the very first play of the game just smoking him for an 88-yard touchdown.”
Going back to his previous comment about how he intentionally tried to break Swann’s ankle:
“Yes, yeah. Well he tried to put me out during the first game of the season, and my knee has never been the same. So all I thought about the entire game was to make sure he was carried off the field”
On if he had any other encounters with Swann since breaking his ankle – either on the field or since both retired:
“No, because it was so well crafted that you couldn’t really see my intent. It was just a legal chop-block, but I made sure to work with the center and the tackle to make sure the high-low was in effect. I had talked about it and actually had a game-plan for it, and I’m actually pretty proud of it because he was a dirtiest player that ever played the game. I said it was all fair game. I actually got compliments from a lot of players around the league that thought he was the dirtiest player as well. “
Comments