Tempers flared again between the Jacksonville Jaguarsand Houston Texans.
Jaguars linebacker Dennis Gardeck was flagged for unnecessary roughness in the second quarter of their game on Sept. 21 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville after rushing to the defense of long snapper Ross Matiscik at the end of a Logan Cooke punt.
Mastiscik, who was covering downfield, was hit from the blind side by Houston’s Jakob Johnson well after Jaylin Noel ran out of bounds on the return. Gardeck retaliated by shoving Johnson and the officials saw Gardeck’s hit, but not Johnson’s.
Other Jaguar players came to Masticik’s defense, notably punter Logan Cooke and tight end Brenton Strange, creating a scuffle along the Jaguars’ sideline.
It was quickly cleared up and two of the peacemakers were Jaguar safety Andrew Wingard and Houston linebacker E.J. Speed, who were seen walking away with their arms on each other’s shoulders.
Cooke said he’ll never regret coming to a teammate’s aid, regardless of the consequences.
“You go to practice and camp and do everything with these guys,” Cooke said. “Whenever you see someone take a cheap shot [at a teammate] it’s kind of all bets are off at that point. You want to play with composure, keep your composure but everyone’s battling out there and if one of you boys gets a cheap shot, it’s instinctive, as men, to go in there and help.”
It might have also angered the Jaguars more because Matiscik was in the middle of a hustle play, getting downfield on coverage. Later in the game, he downed a 60-yard Cooke punt at the Houston 8.
“You don’t play this game to hurt people,” Cooke said. “But there is a sense of standing up for your boys.”
Mastiscik said he was appreciative of the numerous teammates who rushed to his defense.
“That was awesome … I appreciate the guys having my back,” Matiscik said. “I figured the play was over with the whistle and all of a sudden the guy is hitting me in the chest. Seeing Logan, my best friend, Dennis having my back, that means a lot.”
It would end up being meaningless, from an official standpoint. Houston’s M.J. Stewart had been called for holding the return, and the penalties offset. Houston had good field position but was forced to punt.
Game got chippy later after Dyami Brown injury
Last year’s game in Jacksonville between the two teams saw Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair get ejected after a late hit on Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, with a subsequent brawl in which Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones was thrown out of the game.
Azeez was greeted with scattered boos by Jaguars fans during the first half. They were especially loud when he picked up an incomplete pass and dashed into the end zone, thinking it might be a loose ball.
He then drew more boos, tackling wide receiver Dyami Brown late in the second quarter. Brown had to come out with an injury and even though the hit was within the rules, Lawrence, Brian Thomas Jr., and Anton Harrison had words with Houston players during the injury time out.
The Jaguars had the satisfaction of getting the last word on the scoreboard with a 17-10 victory.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars game vs. Houston Texans interrupted by brief fracas on punt return
Reporting by Garry Smits, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
