Freeney says Seahawks’ block was illegal

The Chargers’ Dwight Freeney said Monday that Seahawks tight end Zach Miller should’ve been flagged and fined for his block that knocked Chargers end Sean Lissemore from Friday’s exhibition game with an ankle injury.

“It looked very, very illegal to me,” Freeney said.

As Lissemore was upright while grappling with 320-pound tackle Alvin Bailey, the 255-pound Miller dived into the side of his lower right leg. No flag was thrown.

Lissemore, who exited the game and was in a walking boot Monday, said he’ll leave it to others to decide if the blow warranted a flag.

An edge rusher and seven-time Pro Bowler preparing for his 13th season, Freeney said he doesn’t believe Miller was trying to injure Lissemore. And in his view, officials have a tough task in spotting illegal blocks.

“Now,” he said, “are they going to see everything? No. Should they catch that? Absolutely. Should that guy get a fine? Yes. Did he? Who knows.”

Freeney’s solution is for the NFL to deem all cut blocks illegal.

“I’m running and I’ve got a big man on me here, high, and I’ve got to make a tackle – and then all of sudden a guy comes from behind me and clips my knees. How is that OK?” he said.

“Everybody’s so concerned with player safety these days,” he said. “There’s all these rules up protecting receivers, quarterbacks, kickers, punters.”

He said NFL rulemakers, whose actions are subject to approval of team owners, are making attempts to protect defenders’ safety, too, but that he feels “like it’s one-sided still.”

Follow the money to know why, he suggested.

“We’re not their moneymakers, their favorite guys,” he said. “It’s the guys who have the ball in their hands. Receivers, quarterbacks, those are the guys the league really wants to protect more than anything, because it’s the business. You take out the star quarterback, then who’s watching that team based on how they market it?”