Owen Daniels was absolutely rocked by Reggie Nelson attempting to haul in a pass over the middle when the Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos played on Monday night.
It was a clean hit that was surprisingly not flagged, given the violent nature of the blow, and we all cringed watching it unfold.
This still hurts watching it this morning. https://t.co/DqHJWO6xUE
— Sportsnaut (@Sportsnaut) December 29, 2015
On Tuesday morning, looking back at the brutal hit he endured, Daniels sent a virtual shout-out to Nelson via Twitter, thanking him for keeping it clean.
S/O to Reggie Nelson for not going at my head or legs✊🏼 #respect #thatsthehardestiveeverbeenhit
— Owen Daniels (@owendaniels) December 29, 2015
No doubt Daniels is still feeling the aftershocks of the vicious hit, but at least he gets to play Sunday.
Too often we’ve seen defenders launching head-first into receivers without avoiding their heads, even in spite of the harsh penalties and fines associated with them.
It’s nice to see Nelson being conscientious about where he’s aiming, and to see Daniels show his appreciation for the thoughtful approach.