"It doesn't bother Dart. "Absolutely not," he said Wednesday. "I mean, [ Georgia coach] Kirby Smart said the exact same thing every time he played against me. So did [former Alabama coach] Nick Saban. So did every coach that I played in college. This is nothing new. Just try to go out there and play smart. Be available for my team." He's less surprised that teams are openly targeting him."
"Dart took 15 total hits (on runs and passes) in Sunday's 29-21 loss to the Commanders, tying his first career start against the Los Angeles Chargers for the most hits he took in a game during his rookie season. The first-round pick also was forced to leave the game for two plays in the fourth quarter to be checked for a concussion. In the past 10 games that Dart has thrown at least one pass, dating back to the preseason, he has been examined for a concussion in five of them."
"During a recent episode of "Hard Knocks," Commanders coach Dan Quinn was shown playing a clip from the Giants' game against the New England Patriots and telling his team, "The QB, he's a running back first. So this is a good hit by [Patriots LB Christian] Elliss on the sideline. '[Dart] is not looking to go down and get into the slide. So we have to go out and hit him fellas. Alright?'""
Opposing teams have prioritized physically targeting rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, treating him like a running back and delivering heavy hits. Dart absorbed 15 total hits in a recent game, tying his season high, and was briefly removed for a concussion check late in that contest. Over his last 10 appearances, Dart has received concussion examinations in five games. Commanders coach Dan Quinn explicitly encouraged defenders to hit Dart, citing his willingness to absorb contact rather than slide. Dart says similar tactics occurred in college and focuses on playing smart and staying available for his team.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]