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Officials ‘dropped the helmet’ before melee

By Jim Downey jdowney@heraldstandard.Com 3 min read
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Well, the NFL has spoken.

Myles Garrett will have to pay for a ticket for at least the remainder of the season if the pass-rushing specialist wants to catch a Cleveland Browns game in person.

I do my exercising around lunchtime most days and flip channels around when I’m eating lunch before my work shift begins, so I’ve viewed the illegal use of equipment to an NFL playerĢƵ head more times than I care to admit.

Those in power have doled out what they believe to be adequate time for the crime, including keeping Maurkice Pouncey out for two games, down one game from the initial suspension, but coincidentally long enough to keep the stalwart away from the Cleveland rematch.

I might as well give my two cents since I’ve captured your attention. (Ah, a columnistĢƵ bait-and-switch, if you will.)

Lost in the kicking, and helmet swinging, and, I imagine, words that can’t be said in a proper tea room, is the culpability of the officials working the game.

LetĢƵ face it, if the QB wrapped up with a few seconds remaining happened to be named Brady, Mahomes, Rodgers or Jackson, maybe even Mayfield, flags would’ve been flying as though the league was celebrating a holiday.

But, alas, the quarterback was named Mason Rudolph, who had been belted around like a rug before the invention of the vacuum cleaner.

Why a kneel down wasn’t called in the waning moments of a game that was lost (unless a special 14-point play was installed that I’m unaware of) is befuddling, but, hey, Rudolph tossed a little, harmless swing pass.

Garrett didn’t viciously toss Rudolph to the ground, but he could’ve given Rudolph a two-hand shove in the shoulder pads and been done with the whole deal.

So, Rudolph has this hulking man atop him, and reacts as most folks would do in a similar situation and try to remove the defender away.

Referee Clete Blakeman has one large responsibility in an NFL game and that is to protect ALL quarterbacks, yet he stood there as the wrestling match escalated. Blakeman did not throw a flag until Garrett went ballistic and ripped off RudolphĢƵ helmet. So, apparently, the other garbage wasn’t in violation of the rules?

Then, Pouncey, who was watching the end of the pass play, turns to see his quarterback not very intelligently charge the large man who de-helmeted him and then get bopped in the noggin with said head protection.

Pouncey throws around a bunch of roundhouse punches, most ineffectively, but nary a flag until he auditions as the emergency placekicker.

Then, really under the radar, the field is cleared for one final offensive play and, lo and behold, who takes the knee but Rudolph. I guess getting belted in the head with your own helmet is not worthy of concussion protocol.

What happened to Clete and the Boys? Apparently not much because they worked the following Sunday on late game.

Lost in the shuffle was announcing any discipline/fines for Damarious RandallĢƵ ejection for his egregious hit to Diontae JohnsonĢƵ head and the horrendous no-call that knocked JuJu Smith-Schuster out of the game.

The NFL best be careful or it might lose its status as 

“AmericaĢƵ Game.”

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A reminder the annual Turkey Trot is less than a week away. Check the Uniontown Salvation ArmyĢƵ website or contact the office for details on the Thanksgiving Day race.

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