Sean Rhyan reacted instantly when New York Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood launched a hit at Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love in the end zone. Without hesitation, the Packers’ center sprinted toward Sherwood, delivering two sharp shoulder jabs that snapped the linebacker’s head back. Rhyan made his message clear: hits like that won’t be tolerated.
Rhyan described the hit as a “dirty play” and said he wasn’t holding back his anger days after the incident. “What the [expletive]? He’s in the end zone, and you’re launching, going through his head. It’s an unspoken rule, man. You stay away from QB’s heads,” Rhyan said.
The Packers have a history with this kind of situation. Last year, safety Talanoa Hufanga shoved Love’s head after a play near the sideline in Denver. The shove wasn’t flagged during the game, and the NFL’s only response was an $11,533 fine. There was no retaliation from Green Bay’s players, which left a sour memory in their locker room. The team’s internal message became clear: if anyone targets Love, his teammates need to step up.
Rhyan’s response to Sherwood, supported by rookie left guard Jager Burton, was a visible sign that the Packers have embraced that message. Coach Matt LaFleur praised their approach, saying, “That’s what it should look like. Right there. And I thought they did it in the right way. Nobody drew a flag. Certainly, I know we’ve been heavily penalized, and we don’t want to set ourselves back any further than we already have, but everybody on this team needs to have each other’s backs.”
There’s a fine line between protecting teammates and risking penalties. Rhyan wasn’t flagged for his shove, but it could have cost the Packers points. Love’s touchdown was wiped out due to a holding penalty on right tackle Anthony Belton. LaFleur acknowledged the grey area: “There’s no black-and-white in that. Sometimes you have to live in the gray.”
Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich also backed Rhyan’s actions. “You obviously want to be smart and not get any personal-foul penalties or things like that, but you want to have your guy’s back, and if any things like that happen to Jordan, you better be right there protecting him.”
Rhyan said the team’s offensive line had discussions about protecting Love better after last season. He explained the challenge of split focus when protecting a quarterback while following receivers downfield. “Sometimes we’re looking downfield, you see a receiver break, you want to chase it. But then you don’t have eyes in the back of our head. It’s not like we’re turning around. You can only look one way.”
He added, “We kind of shaved some points down and focused up on what’s really more important is keeping 10 [Love] up instead of maybe sprinting 50 yards down the field to cover a receiver. So we tightened things up and made the main thing the main thing.”
Love expressed his approval of the protection he’s receiving. “I love it. I definitely told those guys after the game I loved that. I loved that they got my back in that situation, and that’s how it should be. I think that just speaks to the kind of team we’ve got. You want to have guys that always have each other’s back when we’re on the field. It’s us against everybody when we’re out there on the field.”
The incident with Sherwood and Rhyan’s immediate response underline a shift in the Packers’ approach to shielding their quarterback. The team appears determined to prevent any more free shots on Love, a message that is resonating early this season.
According to Yahoo Sports.
