Seahawks’ Michael Bennett on Rams punter Johnny Hekker: ‘To me, he’s just a coward’
Dec 27, 2015, 6:55 PM | Updated: Dec 28, 2015, 5:13 am
Michael Bennett sees his job in training camp as being a leader and to "occasionally, whoop some offensive linemen’s ass." (AP)
(AP)
This is funny, watch @STLouisRams punter Johnny Hekker dish out a hit but then want no part of taking one pic.twitter.com/6coMXaj6R2
— Chris Clark (@Cdclarksports) December 28, 2015
Cliff Avril said he hopes Rams punter Johnny Hekker gets fined by the NFL for an illegal block he delivered during the second quarter of Sunday’s game.
Teammate Michael Bennett was even more miffed. He went, well, Michael Bennett on Hekker after Seattle’s 23-17 loss.
“He’s just scared,” Bennett said of Hekker, a Bothell native. “He ain’t nothing. He’s soft in my eyes. Anybody who hits somebody when they’re not looking – and then he’s in a protected position and he wants to hit somebody when they’re not looking. So to me, he’s just a coward.”
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Hekker was penalized for unnecessary roughness after knocking Avril to the turf with a push in the back following a second-quarter punt. Avril then ran after Hekker, who ducked as he approached.
Things got almost comical when St. Louis punted on its next possession. Hekker again ducked as Avril charged toward him. And when Bennett did the same, Hekker hit the deck and held his hand up as if to surrender. Both plays are embedded above.
Asked if Hekker made any sounds, Bennett said: “Yeah, he’s scared. He squealed like a little girl.”
Added Avril: “I think he was actually kinda shook, like he thought we were really going to jump him. But it is what is. Hopefully he does get fined, though, because we would get fined for it.”
Avril said Hekker apologized to him afterward, “so it’s all good.”
Bennett, though, wasn’t in a forgiving mood.
“What if Cliff blew his knee out?” he said. “That’s just the kind of players they’ve got on that team, people that do stuff like that. That’s just how it is.”
