The Chicago Bears lost last week on one of the most brutal Hail Mary sequences ever witness. It is one thing to fall victim to the play itself. What made it so much worse is how poorly the defense executed the plan. That was almost entirely due to the actions of cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. Rather than pay attention to the final play in a three-point game, he busied himself yacking at fans in the stands. By the time he turned around to realize the play was in progress, his assigned guy to cover was already in the end zone. Stevenson tried to recover and knock the subsequent pass down. Instead, he tipped it right to the guy he was supposed to cover.
It was one of the most baffling moments an NFL player has ever had in over a century of the league’s existence. Fans were irate. Teammates tried to insist they weren’t mad, but their comments indicated they weren’t happy with him either. One can only imagine what the coaches thought. Well, we finally know. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com has confirmed that Stevenson will not start today against the Arizona Cardinals. That honor goes to Terell Smith instead.
“But sources say that Stevenson, who has started every game this season for Chicago, will not start in today’s game against the Cardinals, a one-week demotion because of his actions on the Hail Mary play. Stevenson will be active, though, and is expected to rotate in with cornerback Terell Smith.
If all goes well, this is expected to be the last step in the process to unwind from a tumultuous week that began when he was seen motioning to fans rather than putting a body on Brown before the game-winning catch.”
The level of stupidity involved with what happened last Sunday can’t be understated. It is one thing to miss an assignment because you misread a play or covered the wrong guy. To completely ignore what is happening on the field because you’re too busy celebrating is another level of bad. Some people may not like the idea of punishing Tyrique Stevenson because it only hurts the defense. That isn’t the point. If the young cornerback doesn’t experience consequences for his actions last week, such things could happen again. They need to make it clear that his job isn’t his by right. It goes to players who help the team win, not actively sabotage their chances. One can only hope the 24-year-old learns from this. He has a chance to be an excellent player in this league if he ever matures.
