Tag: Penalty

Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy reflects on Patrick Mahomes’ cross-body pass vs. WFT

#Chiefs’ Eric Bienemy shared his thoughts on Patrick Mahomes’ incredible cross-body pass from Week 6 and his overall feelings on risky plays. | from @EdEastonJr

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Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has seen exciting plays from his highly touted playmakers over the years, but none quite like what he has seen from Patrick Mahomes.

Designing game plans for All-Pro players Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce allows for some wiggle room for creativity. The well of creativity has been tapped into on multiple occasions under Bienemy’s coordination. The Chiefs are regularly featured in many league highlight reels, but sometimes the best plays happen organically when Mahomes improvises.

Another example of this was on display during last week’s game in Washington as Mahomes pulled off another innovative cross-body pass to Hill, only for it to be stricken from the record books due to offsetting penalties from both teams on the play. Bienemy shared his thoughts on the incredible pass, along with his feelings on risky play during Thursday’s press conference.

“This probably sounds bad, but being here and seeing things that they do in practice and watching some of the things that have taken place on game day, you should be in awe of everything,” Bieniemy said. “But these guys are professionals, and they, have a way of making things happen, making special plays happen. And so, and I don’t want to take anything away from it. They have a unique chemistry in what they do, and on top of that, these guys are about as talented as any players that I’ve ever been around. So when it comes down to making a play, these guys are going to make sure that they’re where they need to be when Pat starts to scramble. And on top of that, Pat trusts them enough to make sure that they can be in the right location to make it happen. So it was a unique opportunity. Unfortunately, it didn’t count, just like you said. But the sad part, I don’t want to sound like I’m taking it for granted, we see that stuff a lot.”

Bienemy fondly remembered Mahomes’ innovative left-handed pass a few seasons ago, so he’s never too shocked by the things he sees on Sundays.

“I don’t know if you remember, he made a left-handed pass a few years ago,” Bieniemy said. “So I don’t think there’s a number of things that’s very, not natural for Pat. A thing that you don’t want to do, you don’t want to take the fun out of the game. Okay? Yes, we do want to make sure we’re managing all the little things that we should be doing the right way. Obviously, Pat talked about what took place with the interception last week; that’s uncharacteristic of him, that should not happen. But we don’t want these guys not to allow themselves to show their personalities. They are who they are. Okay, that’s what makes them fun. That’s when we’re having our success when those guys have an opportunity to put their personalities on display and go out and play hard and play for each other for 60 consecutive minutes.”

The veteran coordinator’s focus remains on winning games above any theatrics that may take place on game day. That said, he believes that his players are at their best when they can broadcast their personalities and skill set’s on the football field. We should continue to see more of that from Mahomes and others as the season progresses.

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Cowboys coaches question flag on Damontae Kazee’s big hit vs Panthers

The 15-yard penalty drawn by Damontae Kazee was shown by replay to be a clean hit, but it nearly turned the tide of Sunday’s Dallas win. | From @ToddBrock24f7

It was the kind of call that can trigger a seismic shift in momentum. It arguably kickstarted the Panthers’ 14-point rally in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game at AT&T Stadium. Had Carolina managed one more touchdown and pulled off the comeback, it’s the one call all of Cowboys Nation would be talking about still. But it seems to have been the wrong call, and Cowboys coaches want answers.

Sam Darnold and the Panthers had just seen the Cowboys’ lead grow to 22 points after Greg Zuerlein’s field goal started the final 15 minutes of play. Taking possession at their own 25, it took Carolina four plays and a 4th-and-1 conversion just to get to the 36.

But then the next play gifted the offense 15 yards after Cowboys safety Damontae Kazee leveled tight end Tommy Tremble, breaking up a short pass over the middle of the field.

Fifteen yards in the blink of an eye, and Carolina suddenly had life in Cowboys territory. Darnold completed every throw over the rest of the possession- six straight plays- and put the Panthers in the end zone, narrowing the gap to a suddenly-within-reach 15.

Kazee’s hit ended up being a non-factor in the game’s outcome, all but lost amid big performances from the likes of Ezekiel Elliott and Trevon Diggs in the Cowboys’ third consecutive win.

But the game could have turned on that penalty. It nearly did. Even though Kazee delivered a perfectly legal blow.

“In that particular tackle, I thought he really did a good job of using his shoulder,” defensive coordinator Dan Quinn said this week. “We talk about strike zones that we want to go to, which is kind of like in baseball, [from the] shoulders to the top of the knees. We’re a shoulder-tackling team. On that tackle, it was a good, hard hit. But he did not lead with the head.”

Head coach Mike McCarthy agreed.

“He went shoulder-to-shoulder,” the coach said during his Monday press conference. “I think maybe lower the target line a little lower, but he was trying to separate the football. I’m sure there will be more discussion over the play. The irony of it is- and I’m not going to put the official out there on the spot- but I had a conversation at that moment, and the guy that was in position, he thought it was shoulder-to-shoulder. If I recall, the back judge didn’t throw it, either. The two flags came from the umpire and the other side, probably the two guys furthest away from it.”

Replays shown during the broadcast confirm that Kazee neither made contact with Tremble’s head nor led with his own. But that call is not subject to challenge or video review by officials.

 

In real time, the hit looked violent. McCarthy admitted that sometimes, that can enough to draw the foul.

“I mean, it was a heck of a hit. I’ve seen that happen; there’s a reaction to the impact of the play, sometimes,” he continued. “And they don’t have clarity to exactly what went on. They talk about these things all the time. If that particular play went to replay, I would be for it. I just think it can be a game-changer. That’s a potential big play. Plays that happen over the middle of the field are usually north of 15 yards. So it can be an impactful play.”

Thankfully for Dallas, it didn’t have as much impact as it could have.

“I thought our team rebounded from it,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said on Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan. “It’s a tough call. That’s a very difficult call on officials, when you have that big a hit. It was very legal; he obviously hit him in the shoulder there, but you’re still going to have that kind of head reaction on a big hit like that. We’ve gone over it in the competition committee ad nauseum. We don’t want this whole game to turn into a replay game, so we try to limit the number of calls that can be reviewed… Unfortunately, you’re going to have some plays like that during the course of the season that look like it might be targeting or a head-to-head lick, which is what the officials felt like it was. I must say, live, I thought he had launched and gone high, too, but when you got to see the replay, you certainly saw that it was very legal. He targeted just right and went for the shoulder, and it was a legal hit. It’s just every now and then, you’re going to have some unfortunate plays like that.”

It was perhaps doubly unfortunate because of the player involved. Kazee has a reputation as a heavy hitter and has drawn several flags over the years for it, including being ejected from a 2018 game for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Cam Newton.

Quinn was Kazee’s coach then in Atlanta; he says he’s worked with the safety to alter his technique to exactly the way he did it on Sunday.

“To see that happen, I was disappointed that the flag came,” Quinn shared. “I have not heard back from the league as far as if they felt like was an accurate call. But for [Kazee], I thought it was a step in the right direction, for sure… I always want to say, ‘I think you did the technique right.’ And that doesn’t always mean it’s going to get officiated in the same way or viewed by someone else, but for that particular player, I thought it was a big step in the right direction. Because he is someone that had lowered his head, often. And I was concerned about him. I said. ‘We need you,’ and he’s worked hard on it. So to have that happen and get penalized [for] something I thought was a good hit, I am sure we will get some feedback from the league on that.”

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Referee John Hussey assigned to Week 3 Saints-Patriots game

Referee John Hussey assigned to Week 3 Saints-Patriots game:

The New Orleans Saints will kick off with the New England Patriots this weekend with veteran referee John Hussey and his crew officiating the game, per Football Zebras. Hussey has worked as a referee since 2015, and the Saints are 6-2 when he’s on the scene in that capacity. The Patriots are 3-2.

But the last time the Saints visited New England, they narrowly lost when an uncalled hold on defensive end Junior Galette by left tackle Nate Solder allowed Tom Brady to connect with wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins on a touchdown strike in the final seconds despite tight coverage by cornerback Jabari Greer. We’ll be hoping for a better result this time around.

Through two weeks, Hussey’s crew has thrown 28 flags (tied for fifth-most) for 258 penalty yards (seventh-most), with an emphasis on false starts (6) and offensive holding (5). Oddly, 18 of those fouls have come against home teams.

Here is how Hussey’s crew’s top tendencies stack up against the Saints, Patriots, and the NFL averages on a per-game basis:

False starts Offensive holding Defensive holding Total penalties
New Orleans 2.00 1.00 0.00 8.50
New England 0.50 2.00 1.00 7.00
John Hussey 3.00 2.50 1.50 14.0
NFL average 2.81 2.53 0.53 13.59

 

Egregious roughing the passer penalty nullifies Packers interception

Packers OLB Za’Darius Smith was penalized for roughing the passer, negating an interception by Darnell Savage on Sunday against the Saints.

An egregious roughing the passer penalty nullified an interception for the Green Bay Packers and handed the New Orleans Saints another chance to score a game-sealing touchdown on Sunday in Jacksonville.

Late in the third quarter, Packers outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith was penalized for hitting Saints quarterback Jameis Winston on third down. The 15-yard penalty negated an interception by Packers safety Darnell Savage in the end zone with the score 24-3 in favor of the Saints.

Smith didn’t hit Winston late or in the head or neck area. Even Mike Periera of FOX thought it was a poor call made on the field.

The correct implementation of the rule might not have changed the outcome of the contest, but the wrong implementation certainly served to end the game. Winston threw a touchdown pass a few plays later, giving the Saints a 31-3 lead to start the fourth quarter.

You make the call. Was this roughing the passer?

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NFL fines C.J. Gardner-Johnson $15K for unsportsmanlike conduct vs. Bears

New Orleans Saints safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was fined $15,000 for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the Chicago Bears.

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New Orleans Saints safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson took a big hit to his wallet on Saturday, per Amie Just of the Times-Picayune | Advocate. Just reported that Gardner-Johnson was fined $15,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct in his team’s win over the Chicago Bears in last week’s Wild-Card Round playoff game, following an incident in which Bears receiver Anthony Miller struck Gardner-Johnson as the pair chirped after a play.

Miller was fined $8,959 for throwing the punch. It might seem odd for the one who got physical to be punished less heavily than the person who was hit, but the NFL isn’t viewing this through the lens of assailants and victims. Instead, Gardner-Johnson was treated as a repeat offender, having already been fined before for unsportsmanlike conduct. Per league rules, fines escalate for subsequent offenses.

In total, Gardner-Johnson has racked up more than $35,000 in fines this year. Considering he’s only in the second year of his low-cost rookie contract, his weekly checks pay out to about $39,700. So he’s lost nearly a full game’s salary to fines.

But it’s working. He’s gotten multiple players thrown out of games just by virtue of his trash talk, which is remarkable. What is he saying that’s getting his opponents so hot under the collar?

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No Fun League: Alvin Kamara receives uniform violations fine for festive cleats

New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara hit received a $5,000 uniform violations fine for his festive Christmas Day cleats, worn in Week 16.

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You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch. The NFL issued a $5,000 fine to New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara after he wore unapproved cleats in Week 16’s blockbuster win over the Minnesota Vikings — appropriate to the Christmas Day scheduling as his red-and-green ensemble may have been, the humorless worker drones in the league office didn’t hesitate to go after him, citing the NFL uniform violations policy.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero first reported news of the fine, which was confirmed by Nola.com’s Amie Just.

Ironically, highlights from Kamara’s all-time-great performance against Minnesota will probably be used for years to promote future NFL prime-time games. It’s not every day that someone scores half a dozen touchdowns in a single game, much less as a runner (it hadn’t happened in 91 years, for those keeping score at home). So either the NFL’s marketing department will have to crop out the offending footwear or blithely turn a blind eye to the hypocrisy of it all.

Anyway: this isn’t unexpected. Kamara said previously that he would accept whatever fine the league throws at him and match it in a charitable donation, so some good will come of it. Considering his efforts have already drawn over $21,000 for a charity close to him in thanks from Saints fans and fantasy football managers, well, it’s great to see Kamara embracing the spirit of the season.

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Report: Referee Adrian Hill assigned to back-to-back Saints games

The New Orleans Saints will work with referee Adrian Hill again in Week 17’s Panthers game after he officiated their Week 16 Vikings matchup

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Here’s an odd one: the New Orleans Saints will be working with the same officiating crew in Week 17’s regular season finale as they met in Week 16, per Football Zebras. Referee Adrian Hill and his staff have been assigned to the Saints’ upcoming match with the Carolina Panthers a week after they officiated the Saints’ NFC South-clinching win over the Minnesota Vikings.

It’s unusual for the same officials to work a game with the same team in back-to-back weeks, but it isn’t unprecedented. Just this year we’ve seen referee Alex Kemp’s staff work two Green Bay Packers games in Weeks 14 and 15; the Packers won both games but were fouled 17 times for 118 penalty yards against 11 fouls for 96 penalty yards on their opponents.

Still, it’s strange to say the least. Hill’s crew is the only NFL officiating staff working games involving the same team in Weeks 16 and 17.

Per NFLPenalties.com, Hill’s crew has thrown the fourth-most penalty flags per game (12.1), averaging the seventh-most penalty yards per game (105.0), so he’s used to getting his share of the spotlight. For the curious, he’s been on the mic for two games with New Orleans earlier this year: their Dec. 6 game with the Atlanta Falcons (the Saints drew 10 fouls for 79 yards, the Falcons had one 15-yard roughing the passer penalty) and the Christmas Day game matchup with the Vikings (New Orleans had 4 fouls for 38 yards, Minnesota received 3 fouls for 20 yards).

With playoff seeding on the line for so many teams, the NFL is putting their higher-rated crews in position to make sure things go off without a hitch. Here’s hoping for a clean, fairly-called game to send the Saints into the postseason — ideally as the No. 1 seed.

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Cameron Jordan, Demario Davis combine for $20,500 in fines after Saints-Chiefs

The NFL issued fines totaling $20,500 to New Orleans Saints LB Demario Davis and DE Cameron Jordan following penalties against the Chiefs.

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Cameron Jordan’s ejection from Week 15’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs didn’t just hurt his team: the punch he threw also cost him $10,500 in a fine from the NFL office, as first reported by Amie Just for Nola.com.

While Jordan was able to find a silver lining by using his early exit to join his family for the birth of his daughter, it’s still a critical mistake he won’t soon repeat. He’s owned up to losing his cool and continued to do what he can to help his teammates.

Additionally, Just reported that the NFL fined Saints linebacker Demario Davis for grabbing Chiefs running back Le’Veon Bell by the face mask — an error that cost him $10,000. That may seem like a stretch, but it’s important to remember that face mask penalties are personal fouls subject to fines.

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Cameron Jordan after ejection vs. Chiefs: ‘Whatever the correction I will be better’

New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan was the recipient of a weak disqualification call in Week 15’s game with the Kansas City Chiefs.

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New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan was the recipient of a weak disqualification call in Week 15’s game with the Kansas City Chiefs after getting locked up with an opponent after the whistle, with the officiating crew citing a thrown punch as a reason to throw him out of the contest.

Afterward, Jordan shouldered the blame for his team’s 32-29 loss, in which the Chiefs scored a critical touchdown moments after his departure (helped by the penalty yards he gave up along the way).

Jordan has been elected a team captain for most of his Saints career and remains one of the unit’s most visible leaders, so it’s no surprise to see him own up to his actions and take this responsibility. But as Saints coach Sean Payton himself said after the game, Jordan’s defense showed guts against the NFL’s best offense.

It’s commendable for Jordan to have this reaction, but he and his teammates shouldn’t beat themselves up for the loss. Hopefully, they’ll get another crack at the Chiefs soon with a fully armed and operational offense that can take advantage of its opportunities, maybe in the Super Bowl.

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Report: C.J. Gardner-Johnson fined following scrum in Week 14 Eagles loss

New Orleans Saints safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was fined following Week 14’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, in which he was penalized.

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New Orleans Saints safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was penalized for unnecessary roughness after dragging a Philadelphia Eagles player out of the pile after a late onside kick attempt in Week 14’s defeat, and now he’s paying for it again with a fine from the league office.

Nola.com’s Amie Just reports that Gardner-Johnson was docked $5,128 by the NFL for the foul. The second-year pro earns a weekly game check worth about $39,000, so he’s halfway to losing an entire week’s pay to fines on the year so far, having forfeited a total of $20,512 following incidents earlier this season.

Fines may be appealed if players choose to do so. The money is donated to several foundations that benefit former players in retirement, so some good will come of this later on down the road. But don’t expect Gardner-Johnson to change his aggressive style of play so long as he avoids racking penalties that hurt his team.

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