The NFL regularly reviews game film every week, and hands out fines, suspensions, takes away sacks or tackles, and can also award sacks or tackles, and they will review the Thanksgiving Day incident involving Ndamukong Suh on Monday, a top league executive told USA Today.
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| Turkey leg? |
Was the Suh kick deliberate? You'll have to watch and decide for yourself. Continue reading to see the video...
There are some issues I have with the announcers on this play. They only seem to notice the kick after the start of the slow motion replay, thinking Suh had hit Texans quarterback Matt Schaub.
The announcers also seem to fail to mention that Suh was dragged to the ground by Newton on the play, and that is what caused the contact with Schaub.
Is there a little flourish with the leg at the end of the play? Yes, there is, after Suh realizes that he has come into contact with something. The replay shows his helmet turned the other way, so it appears that he does not know his foot has hit Schaub, Suh just knows somebody is there.
That brings me to the final point, Schaub was wearing a cup. If you're playing football on any level, that protection is a must. That means there was some acting on his part when he dropped to the ground, probably hoping to draw a flag on Suh.
If there is any decision on Suh, look for it Tuesday, the beginning of the new week in the NFL.
To flag or not to flag
During the loss to the then 9-1 Houston Texans, Lions head coach Jim Schwartz made two highly questionable errors, and the coaching staff on both sides of the ball also had moments where they failed to take advantage of situations, but there is just one error that is getting all the press.
In the third quarter, the Texans ran on a second down play with Justin Forsett carrying the ball. He was tackled for about a six yard gain, with both his knee and elbow making contact with the turf.
The officials didn't blow the whistle, and Forsett got up and ran for a touchdown. All scoring plays are automatically reviewed, but Schwartz was furious on the sideline and threw the challenge flag.
The rule is simple, and Schwartz was aware of it. You can't challenge a play that is automatically reviewed.
The NFL competition committee is considering organizing a conference call in the near future, and that could happen as early as this week. We know they are going to consider changing the rule that penalizes coaches for challenging plays that are automatically reviewed.
Thing is, the NFL likes to protect it's shield. Players do stupid things all the time when they get upset or lose their temper, and coaches shouldn't be treated differently. I think an unsportsmanlike penalty is warranted if an NFL head coach losses his temper and does something stupid.
If the NFL changes this rule, and the consensus in the media is that they will, they would be allowing NFL coaches behavior that they would not tolerate in a player.
The rule change, if it happens, would probably not go into effect this season. Changing this rule would just be rewarding coaches for an action that isn't very bright., meaning when in doubt, just keep it in your pants when there is going to be a review anyways.
Did those errors and the loss to the Texans put Lions head coach Jim Schwartz on the hot seat?
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