Tag: unnecessary roughness

Veteran Chiefs defensive lineman fined for unnecessary roughness penalty

Kansas City #Chiefs defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton fined for unnecessary roughness penalty | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs’ defensive line has been successful throughout the team’s undefeated start to the season. Their aggressive play in the trenches has made them a quarterback’s nightmare and, in some cases, led to disciplinary actions from the NFL.

Chiefs starting defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton was fined $11,817 for an unnecessary roughness penalty during last Monday night’s game against the New Orleans Saints. The penalty was called by officials in the 4th quarter when Wharton slapped the facemask of New Orleans offensive lineman Lucas Patrick.

During the second half of the Week 5 game, Wharton also tallied a sack on Saints quarterback Derek Carr. The 26-year-old is a two-time Super Bowl champion after going undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Missouri S&T.

Wharton is off to an excellent start to the season and is second on the Chiefs in sacks with 1.5. The fifth-year defensive lineman chose to stay in Kansas City in the offseason, signing a one-year deal. He, alongside All-Pro Chris Jones, is a dominant duo in the middle of the line at defensive tackle.

Trevor Penning fined $11,255 for unnecessary roughness vs. Eagles

Trevor Penning was fined $11,255 for unnecessary roughness against the Eagles. The Saints’ right tackle fell back into bad habits, and it cost him:

It wasn’t enough for Trevor Penning to cost his team 15 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles. The NFL came calling with an $11,255 fine for unnecessary roughness after he drove Eagles cornerback Darius Slay out of bounds and into the New Orleans Saints’ bench.

This was the kind of play Penning was criticized for coming out of college, and he had done a good job avoiding them after turning pro. But this was an instance where he fell back into bad habits. It was a dumb play that injured Slay, and bowled over one of Penning’s coaches who couldn’t get out of the way in time on the sideline. And it ended up costing him.

You want guys to play to the whistle, and right tackles like Penning are often tasked with setting that tone. But there’s a time to dial it back. In this case it’s the moment when Penning’s coaches are waving and shouting at him to back off before crashing into the bench.

As for the football impact? This penalty wiped out a 5-yard run that converted a 3rd-and-4, moving the ball from the Philadelphia 39-yard line back into New Orleans territory at their own 46. It took a big effort from Penning’s teammates to keep the drive alive and end it with a touchdown,  but it would’ve been much easier if he hadn’t lost his cool.

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C.J. Gardner-Johnson lost half his Saints game check in fines to the NFL

C.J. Gardner-Johnson lost half of his game check from Week 3’s win over the Saints in fines to the NFL. That’s some expensive trash talk:

You don’t see this very often. Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was fined three times by the NFL for his actions in Week 3’s win over the New Orleans Saints, losing half his game check for an illegal hit and two taunting infractions. He was a little too eager to get after his old team for his own good.

It had previously been reported that Gardner-Johnson was being fined for unnecessary roughness; he made a late hit on Saints running back Alvin Kamara after the play went out of bounds, and that came up to $11,255. But a league review found two instances of Gardner-Johnson crossing the line in taunting his opponents, which cost him two charges of $16,883 each.

Add that up and it’s $45,021 coming out of Gardner-Johnson’s paycheck. He has a base salary of $1,375,000 this year, per Over The Cap, which comes up to 17 weekly game checks of about $80,882 each (before taxes). So Gardner-Johnson really lost a little more than half of his game check because he was too hot under the collar. That’s some expensive trash talk. For his sake, it’s a good thing the late touchdown he gave up to Chris Olave didn’t cost Philly the game on top of it.

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NFL fans criticize penalty on Saints: ‘End of the NFL as we know it’

NFL fans on social media criticized this baffling penalty against the Saints: ‘End of the NFL as we know it’

Sheesh. New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor made a solid head-up tackle on New York Giants tight end Daniel Bellinger to get his defense off the field on third down, but it wasn’t meant to be — instead, referee Carl Cheffers’ officiating crew threw a penalty flag and said Taylor was committed unnecessary roughness by tackling Bellinger on the play.

It was a brutal penalty, and it’s tough to see what Taylor did that warranted the foul. But the play resulted in a big gain for the Giants, who drove downfield to kick a 40-yard field goal before halftime.

And fans weren’t happy. Neither were the Saints, with head coach Dennis Allen haranguing Cheffers and his crew through the next commercial break. Here’s what fans, media in attendance, former players and viewers on social media had to say about the play:

Marshon Lattimore fined $16,391 for unnecessary roughness foul vs. Patriots

Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore was fined $16,391 for an unnecessary roughness penalty in last week’s win over the Patriots:

The NFL fined New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore $16,391 for an unnecessary roughness penalty in last week’s win over the New England Patriots, the league announced Saturday. Lattimore was fouled early in the fifth quarter for an illegal hit on Patriots wide receiver Demario Douglas that turned a 24-yard completion into a 39-yard gain, moving the New England offense from midfield and into Saints territory.

To add another aggravating factor to the play, Saints head coach Dennis Allen unsuccessfully challenged the ruling of a completed pass, costing the team a timeout just 10 minutes into regulation.

Fortunately none of it impacted the game’s outcome. That Patriots drive continued with a 3-yard run by Ezekiel Elliott, a 4-yard tackle for loss by Carl Granderson and a critical open-field tackle by Johnathan Abram that stopped Mike Gesicki short of the sticks. New England missed a 48-yard field goal try and the Saints went on to win the day 34-0.

As for Lattimore’s fine: he’s earning $60,000 each week in his regular game checks on top of the hefty signing bonus he received earlier this year after restructuring his contract, so this isn’t going to break his bank. But you’d still like to see the Saints avoid self-inflicted wounds like this as a team. Here’s to a clean game on Sunday.

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Texans LB Barkevious Mingo fined for unnecessary roughness penalty versus the Patriots

Houston Texans linebacker Barkevious Mingo was fined for his unnecessary roughness penalty and plans to appeal the fine.

The Houston Texans’ Barkevious Mingo delivered a hit in the team’s 28-22 win over the New England Patriots in Week 13, and the NFL delivered the linebacker a fine.

According to the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson, Mingo was fined $10,527 for his unnecessary roughness penalty in the first quarter. On a first-and-10 from the Patriots’ 42-yard line, receiver Julian Edelman was dropped for a loss by safety Tashaun Gipson. As Mingo was coming in to finish off Edelman, he incurred the penalty.

Mingo played 17 defensive snaps as a starter on the outside for injured Brennan Scarlett, who was out with a shoulder injury. Mingo also played 22 special teams snaps and collected two special teams and tackle and recovered an onside kick.

The former 2013 Cleveland Browns first-round pick is planning to appeal the fine.

Two Saints players fined $21,054 for fouls against the Falcons

The NFL issued $10,527 fines to New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas and DB J.T. Gray for unnecessary roughness against the Atlanta Falcons.

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New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas committed a rare mistake against the Atlanta Falcons last week, and it ended up costing him $10,527 in a fine from the league office. Amie Just of Nola.com reported Saturday that Thomas received a fine for unnecessary roughness after being fouled for grabbing the face mask of an opponent during the second quarter.

It was an uncharacteristic penalty from one of the Saints’ most-dependable players, and one he’s unlikely to repeat. The good news is that Thomas can afford it easily enough — he inked a five-year, $96.25 million contract extension this offseason that pays out roughly $96,943 per game this season.

But Thomas wasn’t the only one to get a letter from the NFL. Just also reported that backup safety and special teams ace J.T. Gray was also fined $10,527 due to a roughing the kicker penalty in the same game, in which he fell into Falcons punter Ryan Allen’s planted leg during the fourth quarter. And unlike Thomas, Gray is still playing on his rookie contract — meaning almost a third of his $33,529 weekly game check will go towards paying for this mistake.

Unfortunately, these sorts of mental errors and sloppy mistakes were common a week ago. Self-inflicted penalties like these (and a series of fouls for hands to the face from four different defenders) hurt the Saints, wiping out big gains and nullifying defensive stops on third down. The Saints know they can’t repeat that kind of messy performance, and while they don’t need added motivation, these hits to their wallets certainly won’t keep them from remembering that.

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