Bengals coach defends Logan Wilson amid criticism for Ravens injuries - ESPN

CINCINNATI — Bengals coach Zac Taylor on Friday delivered an impassioned defense of linebacker Logan Wilson after he was scrutinized for his tackle of Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews and other plays that resulted in injuries to Ravens players during Thursday night's game.

Taylor took exception to how Wilson was portrayed in the hours after the game.

«It's kind of been brought to my attention, the narrative that's out there right now, which I think is completely reckless,» Taylor said. «He plays the game the right way. I think some people have gotten ahead of themselves, labeling him a certain way.

»It's frustrating to see that because I know what the guy is about. And I know that he's trying to play the game the right way."

Wilson appeared to bring down Andrews using the «hip-drop» maneuver, in which a player goes to the ground to create additional force to halt an opponent. The move, which is legal, has been a topic of conversation throughout the year.

In March, the NFL Players Association released a statement that urged the league's competition committee not to ban the hip-drop, noting such a measure is «unfair to players and unrealistic to implement.»

At the NFL owners meetings in October, a prominent league official presented data that showed the hip-drop has 25 times the injury risk of a normal tackle. Jeff Miller, the NFL's vice president of health and safety, compared it to the horse collar.

«It's an unforgiving behavior and one we need to try to define and get it out of the game,» Miller said.

Speaking to reporters after Thursday night's game, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Wilson's move was «definitely a hip-drop tackle.»

Harbaugh was critical of what happened to Andrews, who likely suffered a season-ending