SI

Bears’ Khalil Mack Disposes of 320-Pound Tristan Wirfs With Just One Arm

In Friday’s Hot Clicks: Khalil Mack’s ridiculous display of strength, Tom Brady fails to count to four and more.

Dan Gartland

He’s a freak

Tristan Wirfs is a big, strong guy, listed at 6' 5", 320 pounds. The Buccaneers made him the 13th pick in this spring’s draft and immediately inserted him as their starting right tackle, at the age of just 21. He’s got the talent necessary to hold his own as a rookie in the NFL and the pure strength required to set the Iowa football record on the hang clean by lifting 450 pounds. He’s not the kind of player who’s going to get tossed around easily. 

Not unless he’s facing Khalil Mack. 

Mack is just a monster. In Thursday night’s game against the Bucs, Mack was able to sack Tom Brady while still being harassed by Wirfs. And when Wirfs refused to disengage, Mack threw him up and over with just a single arm.  

Mack is listed at 6' 3", 260 pounds. Wirfs has a 60-pound advantage on him and still got tossed like a sack of potatoes. There are pro wrestlers who would love to be able to do a hip toss that clean. 

That has to be quite the “Welcome to the NFL” moment for Wirfs. He definitely didn’t encounter anyone like Mack in his time in the Big Ten—and he won’t encounter anyone else like him in the NFL, either. 

Don’t listen to a thing this guy says

David Chao used to be the team doctor for the Chargers. He’s not anymore, for a variety of reasons. He’s faced numerous lawsuits for malpractice, fraud and negligence, been cited twice for drinking and driving and been placed on probation by the California state medical board for mishandling Junior Seau’s treatment before his 2012 suicide. He was renowned as one of the country’s top orthopedic surgeons, but then multiple San Diego hospitals banned him from performing surgeries.

These days, Chao spends his Sundays opining on the severity of NFL players’ injuries based on what he sees on TV, racking up over 160,000 followers on Twitter. He’s also a contributor to Outkick.com, the site run by anti-PC crusader, staunch COVID truther and apparent Donald Trump adviser Clay Travis. 

Speaking with Chao on his Fox Sports Radio program Thursday morning, Travis revealed that he was aware of the secret workout the Titans had at a Nashville private school because his son is a student there, and refused to publicize it. Did Chao, a medical professional, push back at Travis for withholding information that could impact public health? No.

The workout may not have broken any rules but Titans players, well aware that there was an outbreak among the team, have a moral obligation to isolate themselves as much as possible. The fact that players continue to test positive makes that even clearer. When people hear a doctor decline to take the coronavirus threat seriously, it could impact their behavior in a way that’s detrimental not only to their own health but the health of others. 

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Email dan.gartland@si.com with any feedback or follow me on Twitter for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week. Bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.

Published
Dan Gartland
DAN GARTLAND

Dan Gartland is the writer and editor of Sports Illustrated’s flagship daily newsletter, SI:AM, covering everything an educated sports fan needs to know. He joined the SI staff in 2014, having previously been published on Deadspin and Slate. Gartland, a graduate of Fordham University, is a former Sports Jeopardy! champion (Season 1, Episode 5).

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