Saskatchewan Roughriders' defensive line coach Phillip Daniels believes Miles Brown has been unfairly labelled a dirty player.
Brown has been involved in three questionable hits on quarterbacks this season, two resulted in him being fined by the CFL. One fine was handed out for a high hit on Zach Collaros in the Labour Day Classic and the other for a low hit on Chris Streveler in the Labour Day rematch.
"If you're talking about the short yardage play, we're charging low, we're going to get pulled and we're going to run over people, people are going to be on their backs. You fake that play and drop back, then your legs are going to be in danger. You know that we're coming out, charging low, train tracking that thing, going straight ahead," Daniels explained on the SportsCage.
"That hit was actually above the knee. It's unfortunate that the quarterback got hurt. These situations easily could have been the opposite way -- holding calls -- but we're not getting those calls and these quarterbacks end up getting hurt. It's unfortunate that Miles is getting the blunt of it. It can be prevented if more holding calls are called."
The 27-year-old was fined the maximum allowable, half a game cheque, for hitting Streveler low. The dual-threat QB revealed on Instagram he tore three ligaments in his knee which puts him out for the remainder of the season. Riders fan Lawrence Nugent has a GoFundMe campaign going to help Brown pay his latest fine.
"I hate that he's getting a label as a player that's dirty. When you look at what happened on those plays, Miles was held on those plays and thrown into the quarterback. He was pulled down a couple of times, he couldn't control them pulling him down and he ended up going into the quarterback's legs. He got a bad rap for that," Daniels said.
"Miles is one of the guys that does everything right. He tries to play the game the way it should be played. It's sad he's getting a bad rap for something that he isn't in control of. Miles has been a guy who comes to work everyday, he's got his hard hat on. He works harder than anybody on this team."
The six-foot-two, 320-pound Brown has played 12 games this season, recording 11 tackles, two sacks and one forced fumble. Through 37 games in his CFL career, the Cheverly, MD native has registered 54 tackles, eight sacks and one forced fumble.
The Riders host the Redblacks on Saturday afternoon at Mosaic Stadium. Countdown to Kick-off begins with a chance to watch Justin Dunk and Wes Cates at 10 a.m. on YouTube. Luc Mullinder and I will join at 12 p.m. with the kick-off to follow at 1 p.m. on the Co-operators Roughrider Radio Network.
