As if it weren’t already bad enough that the Las Vegas Raiders were completely dominated by the Buffalo Bills in Week 2, the team also got a scare when star wide receiver Davante Adams took a hard helmet-to-helmet hit from Bills safety Taylor Rapp.
Adams left the field and did not return to the game as he was evaluated for a concussion. Though he did not suffer a concussion and looks just fine going into the Raiders’ home opener, he was still unhappy with the reckless play from Rapp and made sure he knew about it.
At a recent press conference, Adams called the hit by Rapp unnecessary and suggested these types of plays are why the former second-round pick is not a starter in Buffalo, via Paul Gutierrez of ESPN:
“Was it unnecessary? Completely, obviously,” Adams said. “But certain players play a certain way too. Some people, out of control, they fly around, they don’t really have much true purpose out there. I mean, playing a half field on one side, you run over and hit somebody in the head on the other side of the field.
“That’s the kind of stuff that contributes to you not being on the field. That’s why you’re in when you’re blowing us out by 25 at the end of the game. Maybe if that man learns how to play the game the right way, he’ll see the field. Until then, he’ll have to go and live off of plays like that, I guess.”
There is obvious frustration for Adams, and it is understandable. A hit like that not only could have forced him out of action but could have caused serious issues to his overall health and well-being. Thankfully the Raiders receiver looks to have avoided serious injury, but it doesn’t change the fact that the hit was simply reckless.
Rapp is in his first year with the Bills after spending four years with the Los Angeles Rams after being a second-round pick in 2019. While he started 48 of 57 contests with the Rams, he is not a starter in Buffalo as of yet. He has always been known for being a physical, hard-hitting safety, but there is a line between physical and reckless, and Adams believes that line was crossed.
Football is a physical game, and taking big hits is part of that, but the league has worked hard to try and curtail hits to the head for good reason. The long-term effects these hits can have are well-known, and Rapp put Adams in danger with his actions, which the Raiders star won’t be forgetting any time soon.
