Green Bay Packers linebacker [intlink id=”1335″ type=”category”]Erik Walden[/intlink] was fined $15,000 for his roughing-the-passer penalty on Chicago’s [intlink id=”405″ type=”category”]Jay Cutler[/intlink], last weekend.
The call, which negated an interception by [intlink id=”82″ type=”category”]Tramon Williams[/intlink], was questionable at best, as we noted in this week’s TiVo Time. That makes the fine even more dubious, but you can’t breathe on quarterback in today’s NFL, especially a vagina like Jay Cutler.
“I didn’t lead with my head, I didn’t lunge,” Walden said. “Clay was at the bottom, so I tilted to give (Cutler) a little hit with my shoulder. I was jumping over him but I didn’t land on him or send him to the ground, and I didn’t lead with my head. And I didn’t launch myself into him, so I don’t know.”
The league claims the hit was in the area of Cutler’s head.
They should probably start handing out fines every time a quarterback gets sacked then.
worth every penny
Does anybody know where there is a replay clip of the hit? Apparently I drank too much and don’t remember the play, but can’t find a clip of it anywhere.
The call was symptomatic of a pussified league, and this fine is outrageous.
Fines should be handed out to players who intentionally hit QBs in the head. They shouldn’t apply to players who actually tilt themselves backwards to avoid making head contact. The only reason there was any contact at all was because Matthews hit Cutler into Walden. Walden did his best to avoid illegal contact. Of course, the flag-happy ref called a penalty anyway and now the league does this. Effin ridiculous.