Patriots' Christian Elliss sends message to Giants' Jaxson Dart after crunching hit

In the first quarter of Monday night's game between the New England Patriots and New York Giants, Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss delivered a crunching hit on Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart as Dart attempted to pick up a few extra yards on a scramble down the sideline. 

Elliss wasn't penalized for the blow since contact was made when Dart was still in play. Following the Patriots' 33-15 victory that improved them to 11-2 on the season, Elliss sent a loud-and-clear message to Dart regarding how the rookie should handle similar plays down the road.

Christian Elliss gives Jaxson Dart helpful advice

"Make sure to slide," Elliss said, per Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald. 

Former coaches and other noteworthy members of the NFL community voiced concerns about Dart's playing style even before he was checked for a concussion four times over eight games and before he went down with a concussion during the Giants' Week 10 loss at the Chicago Bears on Nov. 9. That injury sidelined Dart for two games, but he missed none of Monday's contest after the Elliss hit. 

"When I saw him tiptoeing, I thought, 'If you’re going to stay in bounds, what am I supposed to do?' We play hard on defense," Elliss said about the play, as Matt Vautour shared for MassLive. "We try to bring life to this team. That’s what I was trying to do. I was trying to do my job and hit anything in the white (uniforms)." 

Hit on Jaxson Dart energized Patriots for "MNF" blowout

Following Monday's game, Dart defiantly insisted he is "going to play aggressive" regardless of worries related to his health. Meanwhile, Patriots players such as cornerback Carlton Davis III noted that the Elliss-Dart play "was a tone-setter." 

"He just hit him and kept walking," Davis explained. "He had a whole lot of aura. Everybody in the stadium feels lit." 

New England was already holding a 10-0 lead when Elliss flattened Dart. The Patriots ultimately took a 30-7 advantage into halftime and then cruised to a double-digit win. 

"Oh yeah, that sparks some energy. Especially on their sideline," Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez added. "It was a clean, legal hit. We can never relax on the football field. ...It sparked momentum. It is always fun being on defense with linebackers that can go up and hit like that."

Opposing quarterbacks may not have much fun going up against the New England defense over the next two months. Those signal-callers should also remember Elliss' advice after what occurred at Gillette Stadium on Monday.