Clayborn Cleared; Goodell Should Be Ashamed
October 9th, 2013
Joe can’t believe how screwed up Roger Goodell’s system of ruining football protecting players is.
Here’s a messy history for you:
1) Adrian Clayborn was fined $21,000 for an unnecessary roughness penalty on Drew Brees in Week 2. (See photo above) As a result, the Bucs had a recovered fumble overturned that may very well have cost Tampa Bay a win. Presumably, Goodell has a trained team of officials who study these hits closely and repeatedly before issuing fines.
2) At the time of the hit, former director of NFL Officials and current FOX analyst Mike Pereira agreed with the call. He even wrote about it the next day after further review.
3) Today, Clayborn is celebrating because his fine was overturned on appeal, per Rick Brown of the Lakeland Ledger.
So where does this leave Bucs fans?
To summarize, the game refs got the call wrong, league officials got it wrong on review, the leading expert in the media got it wrong, and Bucs fans took it where the sun don’t shine.
Clearly, Goodell’s system is extraordinarily flawed. Joe hopes a public apology is forthcoming.
Regardless, the Bucs need to play within the messed up system. Going high on a quarterback, especially a great one, is always the wrong move. Legal or not, it’s going to draw a flag.
October 9th, 2013 at 9:12 pm
AAHAAHA, you think they will let someone hit the golden boy, Drew Brees?!?!
October 9th, 2013 at 9:13 pm
If they are going to make these ridiculous calls that can GREATLY affect the game, then they have to be able to review it. This particular call would have given us the ball in the red zone. We would have likely been able to score at least 3 points, which by my calculation would have made a big difference in the outcome of the game. I’m not a fan of stopping the game for every call, but a call like this (that ended up taking away a turnover) should be reviewable so the refs can get the call right. Isn’t that the whole purpose of instant replay? Of course I’m not stupid enough to believe that’s ever going to happen, because it makes way too much sense.
October 9th, 2013 at 9:14 pm
That was an extremely close call. Although I don’t like it, I can’t blame the officials on the field for calling it.
But Goodell had the benefit of time and freeze-frame and there is absolutely no excuse for the NFL’s decision. I believe it was punitive in nature because of the previous infractions on the Bucs.
I strongly agree with Joe that especially the Bucs need to hit lower to assure a clean hit.
October 9th, 2013 at 9:14 pm
Thus is why I’m considering switching to hockey. That hit was right in front of where I was sitting at Ray Jay. If this continues, I will quit watching. Maybe the refs owe the Bucs one then. When they play the Saints next and Glennon gets hit call it roughing the passer or something. It still won’t take the sting away from a game the Bucs WOULD have won.
October 9th, 2013 at 9:16 pm
“If they are going to make these ridiculous calls that can GREATLY affect the game, then they have to be able to review it.”
Holy crap…we agree.
October 9th, 2013 at 9:30 pm
if you’re going to go high, knock him out for the season. Saints fans don’t deserve Drew Brees.
People forget this team was a pube hair away from being the “Los Angeles Saints” due to non support from the city.
October 9th, 2013 at 9:31 pm
“So where does this leave Bucs fans?”
somewhere between pissed and sh!t out of luck. whatever… its water under the bridge now. I wouldn’t hold your breath on that apology from the NFL.
October 9th, 2013 at 9:35 pm
Buc1987,
Like anyone can reach anywhere close to Glennon’s helment way, way, way up there.
October 9th, 2013 at 10:11 pm
Periera is a eunuch.. He agrees with any call a ref makes on the field no matter how absurd. I can’t believe FOX actually pays him money to review the plays. A blind person would be a better analyst.
October 9th, 2013 at 10:33 pm
I agree… It should be reviewable. Especially if the ball was coming out before the helmets hit each other.. Give us the ball and the penalty tacked on.
October 9th, 2013 at 10:57 pm
This whole season has been fd up simply because of wussy calls on out defense and bad play calling on our offense. The bad play calling on offense could have been negated if the fn refs wouldn’t have called bs penalties.
October 9th, 2013 at 11:09 pm
That was the best Bucs defensive performance I’ve seen since the Super Bowl days. They played heroicly and were robbed on that one. Should have been yet another TD set up by the D.
October 9th, 2013 at 11:32 pm
“I agree… It should be reviewable. Especially if the ball was coming out before the helmets hit each other.. Give us the ball and the penalty tacked on.”
Does anyone REALLY think that the field Officials would change that call , even if it WAS reviewable? Come on!
October 10th, 2013 at 12:39 am
If they let this call go in the game, we have the ball on the Saints’ 30, & that massively changes the game (a probable win), which means Freeman is still here (& he wins that Cardinal game), which means the Schiano mess isn’t really a problem, & it all means we’d just have our heart broken by Freeman in the playoffs (& down the road, because playoffs = contract extension), because even though Freeman is by the #’s the 2nd best QB the Bucs have ever drafted (#1 is Steve Young), Freeman just doesn’t have what it takes for the truly big time, IMO.
So I guess it all worked out ;o)
October 10th, 2013 at 2:07 am
Nice analysis Christopher lol
October 10th, 2013 at 4:28 am
It was a horrendous call and changed the whole complexion of the game. The Saints and the “elite” QB’s like Brees always seem to get protected by the officials more than the lesser renowned ones.
October 10th, 2013 at 8:01 am
So, doodell would rather a tackler go low and perhaps take a pansy.. err.. QB out with a knee injury? Man, he sucks ! Thanks doodell for turning a once great sport into Sissy Boy 101!
October 10th, 2013 at 8:36 am
Should necro the old post and make all of the supposed Bucs fans eat crow that was berating AC for the hit.
October 10th, 2013 at 8:51 am
“TV replays also were pretty clear; Clayborn broke the rule”
Joe’s take from the initial hit.
October 10th, 2013 at 8:52 am
Screw it, aim low and if the knee goes, the knee goes. If they think “tackling high is targeting, lol, just wait for those knee blows…..ask Theisman, or even my boy Lattimore.
Something has to change or at least adjust a little with these silly calls, or we might as well just stop wearing helmets and shoulder pads and stick pink flags on their waists!
October 10th, 2013 at 9:13 am
well they might as well start hitting them low to not worry about fines,but then the league would be complaining about all the leg injuries
October 10th, 2013 at 9:43 am
Good grief, I go back to read what I post at times, and seems Im styling some Dr. Seuss rhymes. Its not on purpose, I promise you all its just the way the words fall…..dang it did it again 🙁 sorry my friends.
October 10th, 2013 at 9:59 am
The call was due to the poor play of Freeman. If Glennon was the qb, the Bucs would have gotten the ball and scored. That darn Freeman cost the Bucs another loss!!!!!
October 10th, 2013 at 10:34 am
I believe the nfl should allow teams three challenges per game Also allow you to challenge penalties. This isn’t baseball nfl prides themselves with technology.
October 10th, 2013 at 11:31 am
Ever since the enormous numbers of calls have been going agains the Bucs, I have been contemplating not renewing my club seats (14 years in). I am just tired of the product I am watching. There is an arrogance by the officials that is endorsed by their supervisors, peers, and Roger Goodell. Being wrong here not only potentially changed the game, it cost us any shot at the division. It may have pushed out our coach and we know where Freeman is now. You can’t blame it all on one play. But how many plays have gone our way? Are they trying to move our franchise???
October 10th, 2013 at 4:16 pm
Wait a minute Joe. You went on record and railed about how this was an illegal hit. You went on about this hit. Many of us knew this was a horrible call but were chastised by you because rather than doing your own homework and making an actual judgement based on the actual hit you jumped on the nfl golden boy Drew Brees bandwagon. NFL is close to having the same Jordan rules that now makes the NBA unwatchable. Agree with Paul above you and other fans should’ve pulled your head out and called the call what it was, an abomination