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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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The Pittsburgh Steelers certainly took notice of all the trash talk from Cleveland Browns edge rusher Jared Verse ahead of their Week 8 matchup.
He called the Steelers "dirty" after the Browns defeated them in a "Thursday Night Football" matchup earlier this season. Verse then added more fuel to the fire this past Thursday with additional comments directed at the Steelers, following remarks Pittsburgh's Cam Heyward made.
"I’m not worried about Cam. I’m not worried about their O-line. I’m not worried about nobody they got on their team. We out there to go dominate. About to make Pittsburgh ours on Sunday," Verse said during his media availability.
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Those words came back to haunt him as Steelers guard Mason McCormick body slammed the Browns defensive end in the first quarter. It happened as Verse jumped into the air and attempted to block the Steelers' kick for an extra point after Rico Dowdle's touchdown.
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McCormick caught Verse in midair, swept his legs out from under him, and slammed him onto the ground, with Verse landing on his helmet. The body slam resulted in a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty for the Steelers and could also bring a fine for McCormick.
The body slam play became a viral highlight online, drawing over 35,000 likes on an X post and numerous comments from fans who viewed McCormick's actions as retaliation for Verse's previous trash talk.
"Buddy has been talking like he’s Myles Garrett but has been playing like a bum couldn’t have happened to a better person fr," one individual commented.
Another commenter wrote, "Talk all week, then get launched into the turf. Football has a funny way of settling arguments."
Others commented, "McCormick easily becoming a fan favorite that’s our guy," and "All that was missing was a leg drop!"
After the game, Verse made his feelings clear about the Steelers guard's body slam while speaking with reporters.
"Oh, that’s just me. I’m like, that’s the type of player you are," Verse said he told McCormick after the play, adding, "I love football. I love the aggression. I love how much power goes into it, how much people put into their lives into football. But to do something like that, I just, I can’t have respect for anything like that."
Verse finished the game with just one tackle in a rough overall day for Cleveland. The Browns went on to lose 27-6, dropping their record to 5-3 as they continue to contend with the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North.
The good news for Verse is he won't face the Steelers again this regular season, as the two teams split their two meetings, 1-1.
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