The Knucklehead of the Day award

Today's winner is Houston Texan Defensive Tackle Travis Johnson. He gets the award for the following.

Three hours after being an unwitting participant in a collision that resulted in a concussion, an unsightly taunting episode, and ample vitriol emanating from the visitors' locker room, Texans defensive tackle Travis Johnson was still seething.

The elapsed time hadn't soothed Johnson's angst. He was unapologetic in his vulgar impressions of Miami Dolphins quarterback Trent Green, who lost consciousness when his helmet collided with Johnson's knee during a botched running play in the first quarter of the Texans' 22-19 victory on Sunday.

*****

On the first play of the Dolphins' second possession, Green went low to block Johnson while attempting to spring receiver Ted Ginn, Jr., who had reversed field following a muffed handoff. The block flipped Johnson onto his head and shoulders and sent Green crumpling to the turf.

Johnson sprang to his feet and shouted at the unconscious Green, who was inactive for six games last season while with the Kansas City Chiefs after suffering a severe concussion in the opener. Johnson was penalized for taunting, and the Dolphins converted the field position into their lone touchdown.

"My knee ain't never hurt like it hurt today," Johnson said. "The bottom line is football is not about that. If you want to hit me, hit me in my head, hit me in my chest; don't hit me in my knee.

"I'm trying to eat just like everybody else. So to hit me like that, that showed me what type of man he was."

The concussion Green suffered was no fault of Johnson. As to the block, it resembled a chop block but I doubt that was Green's intent. Quarterbacks rarely try blocking defensive lineman.

Here's a video of the play in question.



As to Johnson's knee hurting, he was walking about showing no side effects after the collision. On the other hand Green was knocked out cold.

Whatever your opinion of the block, Johnson's behavior on the field after the play and in the lockerroom afterwards is inexcusable.

"At 12:01, I had a lot of respect for Trent Green. At about 12:20, I said, '(Forget) Trent Green,' because the bottom line is it was a malicious hit," Johnson said. "It was uncalled for. He's like the scarecrow. He wanted to get courage while I wasn't looking and hit me in my knee instead of trying to hit me in my head."

*****

The image of an enraged Johnson standing over Green elicited several scathing remarks from the Dolphins as well as a stern rebuke from Texans coach Gary Kubiak.

"The whole attitude of the situation — the guy lying on the ground and (Johnson) standing over (Green) — that's just classless," Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown said. "This game is meant to be played tough, but in a situation where a guy is hurt like that, a leader of our offense, it's got to make you mad."

Said Kubiak: "First off, what (Johnson) did is unacceptable, inexcusable. I'm not sitting here making any excuses for him. That's inexcusable. He felt like he got chopped pretty good, which we have to go back and look at the film. He was frustrated. Players worry about their legs when they get cut in certain situations. (But) his reaction was wrong."

In fairness sake, Johnson has changed his tune. However his actions on the field and immediately after the game speak louder. For showing no class and acting like an animal, Houston Texans Football player Travis Johnson is today's Knucklehead of the Day.

Linked to- Blue Star, Cao, DragonLady, High Desert Wanderer, Pirate's Cove, Right Wing Nation, Leaning Straight Up, Populist, Right Voices, Rosemary, Third World County, The World According to Carl,