Thinking on the dogpile play a bit more, I doubt he was thinking about avoiding an injury on the play. This game is happening at an incredibly fast rate, it's easy to look at a .gif and question the guy, but really it's tough to make the right choice that quick. That's why they practice and drill all the time, but this type of play is hard to prepare for.
I mean, if his thoughts are really about avoiding injury, football probably isn't a great career choice.