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October 03, 2008
Peppers fined $10,000 for hit on QB
The NFL has fined Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers $10,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan.
Referee Ed Hochuli was loudly booed when he threw his flag for roughing-the-passer on the play Sunday, which wiped out Richard Marshall's interception return for a touchdown early in the first quarter in Carolina's 24-9 home win.
Replays showed Peppers led with his shoulder, but the NFL determined on Friday that Peppers then hit Ryan in the head, drawing the fine and supporting Hochuli's on-field call.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Posted by Observer Sports on October 3, 2008 at 08:18 PM | Permalink
Comments
Sounds like the NFL is just trying to help give Hochuli some of his lost creditability.
Posted by: pland | Oct 3, 2008 8:44:04 PM
I think the Panthers should protest the fine. I can understand Ed Hochuli's call because he did not have the benefit of replys but for the NFL to fine Peppers is just bull!
Posted by: PantherPride | Oct 3, 2008 9:31:55 PM
What was Peppers supposed to do? Shrink down to 5'11" so as not to hit Ryan's helmet? Or maybe he should dive low so his helmet hits the QB's knees a la Tom Brady and Carson Palmer. That is nonsense.
Posted by: swiznami | Oct 3, 2008 9:57:36 PM
this is ridiculous and unfair
Posted by: jake the snake | Oct 3, 2008 9:58:23 PM
Julius Peppers made contact with a QB. The fine is worth it.
Posted by: atstinger | Oct 3, 2008 10:21:00 PM
No doubt this is bull.... This is the NFL trying to save face for having a ref who is suddenly blowing game changing calls. Nearly all of the commentary on this call has said Hochuli blew it. The fans know it as well... I hope this ticks off Pep, as I fan I know I am.
Posted by: Ashe | Oct 3, 2008 10:24:26 PM
The worst thing about this is that John Fox cannot protest the call or else he'll get fined by tne NFL. This is complete bull crap you bet yoru ass. I watched that play myself in person and there is no way that Julius Peppers got there late. He got there a split second after the ball was thrown and the only reason the flag was thrown was because the ref wanted to give the ball back to the Falcons for any reason he could find at the moment.
This fine is utter nonsense. Why are the refs going nuts all of the sudden this year?
Posted by: Revshawn | Oct 3, 2008 10:46:06 PM
AStinger- Do you mean to say the NFL should fine each defensive player who makes contact with the QB?..The NFL should take care of the players but its not like Peppers is a dirty player..a warning should have the necessary effect
Posted by: PantherPride | Oct 3, 2008 10:49:17 PM
At best, I'd call it incidental contact. Peppers did bump Ryan's face mask as they collided. It wasn't a late hit. Even the Hochuli knew that wasn't the case. He just cited him for helmet-to-helmet on the QB.
As a fan, I can allow for the penalty (and the nullifying of the INT that occurred on the same play). But, for the NFL to have the benefit of reviewing the replays and to come up with a $10,000 fine...I just think that's completely out of line and undeserved.
Personally, I think this is more a case of the NFL having to stick to the letter of the ruling. If they're going to agree that there was helmet-to-helmet contact...no matter how limited...then they're going to fall back on justifying an automatic fine. There doesn't seem to be enough gray area for them to make any other decision around it. And I think that's a pity. You'd think the back office could have reviewed it with a bit more objectivity.
But, if you want to put a good spin on it...at least Peppers was bringing some heat in that game. And sometimes, even a penalty for getting in the grill of the QB can pay dividends if it rattles him for the rest of the game. Of course, losing out on the opportunity for a pick and INT return for a defensive TD will cause any Panthers fan to frown.
Just my two-cents,
--Neil
Posted by: NSpicer | Oct 3, 2008 10:58:43 PM
Thanks to Hochuli, the NFL had to make this call. There's no way they could NOT fine Peppers to validate the call, otherwise their poster-boy best ref would have been front-and-center again.
This could also be exactly why it's such a (relatively) small fine.
Posted by: Derek | Oct 3, 2008 11:37:58 PM
Course, unlike every other fine that they hand out, this one came at the end of the week instead of immediately. Talk about saving face.
Posted by: ryan | Oct 3, 2008 11:58:56 PM
this is bogus.
and i hate how the nfl operates.
it was clear that pep led with his shoulder and the fine was merely to save hochuli's a** -- to make it look like his call was right.
i hate the fact that the nfl is so sue-happy even jim szoke was concerned that he'd get sued for criticizing hochuli.
i miss bernie kukar. he is one of the best refs the nfl has ever had and he didnt make bogus calls like this idiot.
Posted by: mark | Oct 4, 2008 12:16:42 AM
My point was that Peppers actually made contact of any kind with a QB, instead of getting blocked by a chump RB half his size or giving up on the play as we've seen at various times over the last season plus. Therefore, the fine was worth it, even if it was a crappy call.
Posted by: atstinger | Oct 4, 2008 12:21:57 AM
Cmon Spicer, let loose on the refs! Show us your anger! Give in to the dark side!
Posted by: Revshawn | Oct 4, 2008 12:36:50 AM
If I was Peppers, I would make sure I got my money's worth next time. If they're gonna fine you anyway, why not go ahead and knock his butt out of the game?
Posted by: monstercat | Oct 4, 2008 12:46:12 AM
What a load...! So Briggs anihilation of Delhomme a couple of weeks ago is a clean and legal hit (perfectly fine according to the NFL), but Pepper's hit warrants a $10,000 fine!?! #$%^&*@!!! Oh boy...
Paranoid or not, it just may be that the cats don't make it far into the playoffs this year. Just watch the officiating. Hope I'm wrong.
Look, if the Pats can win by cheating, juicing up and having calls win games for them (ie tuck rule and superowl vs Panthers), then the opposite can be true... right?
Posted by: Keeping It Real | Oct 4, 2008 1:37:02 AM
What irritates me the most about this totally BS fine meant to protect their ref who made a horrendous call, is that Jerry Richardson continues to allow the NFL to treat us like the redheaded stepchildren.
If this had happened to the Patriots or Colts the NFL would be falling all over themselves to apologize for the bad call.
Instead, they know they can treat us like crap. How many times has Delhomme been hit in the head or late and the offender has gotten off with nothing?
If Jerry Richardson wants to keep having Panther fans he needs to step up and start demanding that the NFL treats us the same as the Patriots, Colts and Steelers.
If he's not willing to stand up for his team, why should we?
Posted by: morgan | Oct 4, 2008 1:37:02 AM
Why doesn't the NFL just give Ed Hochuli the "Ref of the Year" award already. Publicly praise him for that call in the Denver-San Diego game. This is UNBELIEVABLE. Total BS! Anyone with a pair of eyes could tell, at least on replay, that Peppers' hit was clean. Thats what these fines are for- the NFL looks at replays of questionable hits and decides if they're dirty. There's no way you can look at that replay and think "that hit was dirty and deserves a 10,000 dollar fine." Just NO WAY! What a freaking joke, what is the NFL trying to prove here? Not fining Peppers for this hit is not admitting Hochuli was wrong...so why do they need to fine Peppers just to validify Hochuli? Ridiculous...
Posted by: DB | Oct 4, 2008 1:50:54 AM
From my earlier post on Gross---
You're right; comments like the one I made are horrible.
By "holding out" I meant the ongoing contract negotiations that have been going on for a couple of years that have still not been resolved: hence the franchise tag designation.
Anyway, this guy has been a career drive killer (left or right side) with false start penalties; so I don't get all the hype. Sure he's incredibly athletic for his size and is versatile enough to do well on either side, but I still don't get all the publicity he gets.
Anyway, whether it's Stephen Davis (who is my favorite Panther all-time) or Kris Jenkins (who disgusts me), anyone who holds out or stall contract negotiations (Davis never did, BTW) should be shipped out.
This is a TEAM SPORT. No one player should be getting that much more than most on the roster. If you asked me, it's those contract extensions that ruined the D-line of 2003. They got complacent and walked around acting like royalty on the practice field. It was wretched. I'm glad almost all of them are gone. Just so happens that the last one, Poopers, is also "holding out."
Posted by: Keeping It Real | Oct 4, 2008 2:03:46 AM
I like "It is what it is." But wouldn't it be halarious if Fox replaced it with this, "It's like what came first, the chicken or the egg? I can't answer that."
Posted by: Keeping It Real | Oct 4, 2008 2:27:28 AM
Garbage.
Posted by: Justin | Oct 4, 2008 5:07:46 AM
Keeping it Real,
You are a complete and utter moron! Please quit wasting valuable blog time and space with your ramblings and fixation of TRYING to prove you know what you are talking about. Your narcistic attitude really is starting to annoy me and, I'm sure, several others on here.
Just keeping it real.
As a reminder to you and the rest, since you like bringing up your earlier posts...
JAKE beat out FAVRE'S SIX TD performance this week?? Wow!!! HMMMM.... I guess they expect performances like that from Brett. Jake, on the other hand, was a bit of a shocker last week (Just like the beginning of last season was)!
Huh! Choke on that STFU. LOL. You keep talking your smack, no-named loser, and I'll keep responding.
That being said, I'm exctatic about Jake's performance this week (just like anyone else). I can only hope that it continues. Much of that will ride on how well the running game is when defenses adjust and play the pass more.
Posted by: Keeping it Real | Oct 1, 2008 6:09:58 PM
ENOUGH SAID....the jury is out.
Posted by: Keeping It Real REAL | Oct 4, 2008 7:42:15 AM
Peppers proves he can be a dirty player. That was a cheap shot and unnessesary. If this is the way he is rehabing himself from his pitiful performance last year then he may be ejected from the league for the rest of the season or more if this happens again.
We thought Peppers was more classy and above such low class little man Steve Smith thug type antics.
Posted by: Jimbo | Oct 4, 2008 8:17:34 AM
Re: Players "Holding Out" in Contract Negotiations
I think most fans who get on their team's players for "holding out" during contract negotiations just don't understand how the NFL works. Yes, it's a team sport, but only AFTER a guy gets his contract resolved. That's because the NFL is first and foremost, a business. And only after the business-side is resolved, THEN you can start talking about the team sport aspect of it.
So, realistically, you can't fault players for negotiating hard during their contract years. It's the only time they have leverage. If they're a valuable part of the team...and they know it...and the rest of the league and their peers know it...then they want to be paid like it.
It's no different in the rest of the world. When's the last time you looked around at your job or office and said you'd take less money or not seek a raise because you're a team player and it doesn't matter that the guy who got hired later than you is coming in at a higher salary? That doesn't happen. And it doesn't happen in the NFL for many of the same reasons.
As for Gross and his credentials with the Panthers...the guy's never missed a start in his entire career. That's 84 games. Like any offensive lineman on the edges, he's had his share of false start penalties...often in crowd noise situations or being the only guy standing between the QB and the opposing defense's most elite pass-rusher. I don't think that makes him a lousy or below-average LT or RT. In addition, Gross has stood the test of time. He's a steady, smart, reliable performer. He's also a leader on the field and the most experienced lineman we have in the Fox era for the Panthers. So Carolina should look to keep him...if they can.
But, what do I mean by "if they can?" It means Fox and Hurney have to figure out if what he's asking in contract dollars is worth the value he adds to this team...and if there's anything similar available out there right now that they can get through free agency or the draft instead.
Given that we probably won't have another high first-round draft pick to go after a LT next year, that one's out. Looking across the league, it doesn't appear that anyone's got a premium LT coming available through free agency...except us. The Panthers obviously thought enough of Gross' value to put the franchise tag on him this year. So, clearly, it looks like he's going to be a guy they seek to keep. And given everything I laid out above, I don't fault them for it. And I don't fault Gross for getting whatever he can in the negotiations. That's what the business side of the NFL is about.
The only situation I could see playing out where Gross doesn't remain a Panther is if he asks for really huge LT numbers...so much so that there's a cheaper alternative with about the same pay-off in production on the field. Maybe Otah develops into a decent LT and they move him to that side? I think that's unlikely...but it's still an alternative. Then, the Panthers would just need to find another RT either by picking up another one in the draft or free agency...or by sliding Bridges back into the starting lineup.
I would assume Gross and his agent know that's a possibility, too. And they'll weight that as they look at what the Panthers offer him and what they think they could get from another team. That's how both sides will be coming at this issue. And it's okay. It's all just part of how the NFL works.
Just my two-cents,
--Neil
Posted by: NSpicer | Oct 4, 2008 8:18:27 AM
this is bogus. they dont fine mark briggs or whoever it was on the hit to delhomme in the bears game but peppers gets fined from a bad call by a blind ref?
Posted by: keeping it real=SYPRIS | Oct 4, 2008 8:20:42 AM
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