With the way the NFL protects quarterbacks these days, it would be extremely difficult to take a shot at an opposing passer’s head without being called for a personal foul and subsequently fined. Ben Roethlisberger apparently thought the Eagles were attempting it on Sunday, as evidenced by the play where he got in Philly defensive end Brandon Graham’s face after taking a shot late in the game.
“Yeah, Ben was mad. He thought they were going after his head,” offensive guard Willie Colon said according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “They were cheap-shot artists all day. They were hitting us in the back. I know I lost my cool once or twice. It is what it is. You have to play through it.”
Officials can’t see everything, and in a game that close it is important to keep your cool and not retaliate. The Steelers won on a late-game field goal, so they obviously did a good enough job of that if the Eagles were indeed playing dirty.
I’m all for player safety, but a part of me wonders if all the rules the NFL has implemented have turned players into crybabies. We’re only heading into Week 6, and we’ve already had a number of star players accusing their opponents of dirty play. Initially we thought it might have been a direct result of the replacement officials not having control, but the complaining has continued even with the regular refs having returned. At a certain point, all the whining starts to sound the same.
H/T Pro Football Talk
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