Does clay get fined or suspended this week?

[Forget Favre]

I am honestly and seriously still amazed hours after the game that he did not get flagged for that shove out of bounds on Smith.
I really am.

 

[yooperpackfan]

THis isn’t about players making the correct adjustment as much as the referees making the correct judgement and the league reversing momentum.
I believe Rodgers getting hurt directly cost the NFL huge last year.. viewership was down and I believe this is the result of a monetary decision. IMO “Protecting the QB” is being used as a cover up to “protect viewership”. Which = “protect the NFLs pocket books”.
What the NFL has become centered on is not us fans or player safety..that’s a ruse and they don’t think us fans are smart enough to read between the lines. IMO The NFL has proven multiple times that it has increasingly become a monetary Giant and is in the beginning stages of ultimately losing its way. You can’t say the word NFL without it costing you $. This not the NFL of 1980.. it’s not the NFL of 1990 either.. these poor business decisions by themselves are not fatal, but the precedent they set have already secretly set an avalanche into position.
I worked for the Corporate Giant Circuit City in its hey day.. it was a Monster too, ranking #1 in the NY 500 during the entire 1980’s decade (yes #1) I also similarly watched it dismantle itself with poor corporate decisions that eerily parallel what I’m watching today in the NFL.
It is alienating its fan base (customers) and this is no longer a tackle football friendly sport. That sounds ridiculous but what’s more ridiculous is this is just the beginning of what’s about to happen when fans take the silent vote. There won’t he a survey either that can fix this fans will vote with their 2 feet.
I’m personally about a micro milliliter from turning away from the sport I used to love. I’m not alone either.. my brother, my step brother and now my father in law have already walked (3 different teams) I know many others that have been aggravated to the point of exhaustion.

After threatening to walk over the last several years, I walked last week.
The NFL will never get any more of my time or money.

 

[Dieseljunkie12]

I am honestly and seriously still amazed hours after the game that he did not get flagged for that shove out of bounds on Smith.
I really am.

He was still.in bounds at that point and a runner with no whistle yet. With that being said and to go with it you are going to get flagged or fined anyways do we think that the unwritten rule about blowing up the qb when he jogs near the sideline is off the table now. Any game, any week the defenses allow the opposing qb to give himself up and walk out of bounds. Do we think defenders now will change that and give them a good shove or make a good angle tackle and hit them near the sideline? At this point they are considered a runner so fair game right? Which in reality Rodgers was last year when he got hurt, outside of the pocket and scrambling.

 

[Dantés]

I am honestly and seriously still amazed hours after the game that he did not get flagged for that shove out of bounds on Smith.
I really am.

It wasn’t out of bounds.

 

[PackerfaninCarolina]

He was still.in bounds at that point and a runner with no whistle yet. With that being said and to go with it you are going to get flagged or fined anyways do we think that the unwritten rule about blowing up the qb when he jogs near the sideline is off the table now. Any game, any week the defenses allow the opposing qb to give himself up and walk out of bounds. Do we think defenders now will change that and give them a good shove or make a good angle tackle and hit them near the sideline? At this point they are considered a runner so fair game right? Which in reality Rodgers was last year when he got hurt, outside of the pocket and scrambling.

Tony Dungy was speaking of this last night on the pregame show.

 

[Guacamole]

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[Mondio]

It wasn’t out of bounds.

Not even close

 

[PackAttack12]

Regardless, at the end of the day, it's a garbage rule being implemented in a way that's detrimental to the game of football. The rule needs to be changed. I'm all for protecting quarterbacks to a certain degree, but this is ridiculous.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I am honestly and seriously still amazed hours after the game that he did not get flagged for that shove out of bounds on Smith.
I really am.

Had Smith immediately taken a swan dive or crashed hard into the benches, which Aaron Jones saved him from doing so, I think we would have seen a flag.

Refs seem to react more to "shock and awe". Someone grabs a bit of jersey during a block and the player crumples to the ground or contorts their body to emphasize they are getting held....flag. I mean I get some of it, the refs are looking at a lot of things and can't catch it all, so some things will stand out a lot more than others.

https://www.sbnation.com/2018/9/23/17893402/clay-matthews-nfl-roughing-the-passer-rule-packers

 

[easyk83]

What the NFL is doing to him right now is deplorable. They are not only suppressing him from playing to his best abilities-but they are trying to punish him after the fact for things either he wasn't made accountable for when they "occurred"/don't directly apply to him (PEDs/dirty hits on QBs in the past/Aaron being knocked out for the year by Barr).

At this stage in his career Clay simply isn't Von Miller or Khalil Mack. He doesn't have the ability to affect an OL/QB/offensive protection scheme with sheer athleticism. He is playing on technique and will right now. But dammit-HE'S A PACKER. I got excited when I saw him burst through the line and put Alex Smith on his *** with authority-I hadn't seen him do that in A LONG TIME. And as soon as I saw that flag drop after his hit I was infuriated-not just because all the years I'd strapped up a helmet/studied the game tells me without prejudice that was a solid, non-malicious football play but also because that penalty was a huge microcosm of alot of things over time/recently that shows me Green Bay gets the short end of the stick by the NFL.

Fail Mary comes to mind.

We all as fans are subjective-but doesn't it seem like the Packers are normally the team that loses close calls over other teams when it matters? I know I'm not the only sensible fan that has been bothered by feeling that way in the last 5 years.

Today-I felt like alot of Cheeseheads-we didn't deserve to win but the refs still jobbed us. And it ****** me off.

For the rest of this season-regardless of my thoughts/opinions on #52's current abilities/future with the team-I will be rooting for him with spirited vigor.

Clay-if they're gonna use you as a scapegoat to take away clean/fair physicality from football-then I will not be against you anymore. You play for my favorite team-and you made one of the biggest plays in our franchise's history that helped us capture our 2nd modern era Super Bowl Championship in 2010. I would never take that away from you nor forget that.

Screw this bs-I ride for my guys!

Go get 'em-even if it means we gotta eat some flags. If you can make plays like the one you were flagged on consistently I won't complain a peep. GPG...

First Clay has not been flagged much for roughing the passer, he really isn't a repeat offender despite a couple questionable hits on Prime Time like hitting Kaepernick out of bounds or grabbing Jay Cutler's helmet once. Second as for coming through the line with authority, he did that last week against Minnesota and even his late hit against Chicago, which wouldnt have been a late hit a couple years ago, came off a big time pass rush that forced Trubiesky to scramble and throw an incompletion. Clay Matthews has made an impact play at a big moment in each of the first 3 games.

I think some people overreacted to what was admittedly a bad game against Chicago, and then clung to their narrative during weeks 2 and 3.

 

[DarkHelmet]

Clay's sack was a perfect form tackle. If the league wants that sack to be illegal then it wants sacks to be illegal.

The NFL and its apologists have no credibility with me at this point. They continue to defend last year's (late) hit on Rodgers by Barr, and they continue to insist that when Clay Matthews makes a perfect tackle on a sack that it's a penalty. Garbage.

 

[easyk83]

Clay's sack was a perfect form tackle. If the league wants that sack to be illegal then it wants sacks to be illegal.

The NFL and its apologists have no credibility with me at this point. They continue to defend last year's (late) hit on Rodgers by Barr, and they continue to insist that when Clay Matthews makes a perfect tackle on a sack that it's a penalty. Garbage.

That was the first time that I just walked away from a Packer game. I actually turned the tv off.

 

[PackerDNA]

Interesting stat. Clay has been flagged 3times in 3 games for roughing the passer. He was flagged for same 4 times in his first 9 seasons.

 

[Mondio]

They are proving a point with him and GB and I think it’s obvious. It’s not just the rule either, it’s about showing who has the power too.

 

[rmontro]

Refs seem to react more to "shock and awe". Someone grabs a bit of jersey during a block and the player crumples to the ground or contorts their body to emphasize they are getting held....flag.

We're likely to see a lot of flopping, like they used to do in the NBA.
McCarthy's going to have to start scheduling acting classes as part of the week's practice.

They continue to defend last year's (late) hit on Rodgers by Barr, and they continue to insist that when Clay Matthews makes a perfect tackle on a sack that it's a penalty. Garbage.

The refs are deciding the games now. At this point, they might as well not even play, and just have the refs come out at the beginning and declare who they want as winner.

Vikings fans have accused the league of favoring the Packers, but that appears to be well in the past. I'm not sure how, but we've stepped in it somewhere along the line, and we are on the **** list right now, and they are letting us have it.

 

[MadCat]

Clay's sack was a perfect form tackle. If the league wants that sack to be illegal then it wants sacks to be illegal.

The NFL and its apologists have no credibility with me at this point. They continue to defend last year's (late) hit on Rodgers by Barr, and they continue to insist that when Clay Matthews makes a perfect tackle on a sack that it's a penalty. Garbage.

Exactly. And to top it off, they just keep spinning it. Several of the talking heads have said Packer fans shouldn't be complaining since it's a result of Rodgers and his injury last year and referring to it as the "Rodgers Rule." How is he responsible for the new rule? Rodgers didn't break his own collarbone. At least call it the "Barr Rule", since it barrs us from sacking any QBs.

 

[AKCheese]

On two out of 3 of CM3 sack flags, he got flagged because he was stupid. He himself admitted the Chicago hit was a stupid penalty. The hit yesterday once again he got carried away, forgot or disregarded the rules, and got flagged. People are saying “he’s a 10 year vet you can’t expect him to change”.... actually.... yes you can. They used to say the same thing about players who habitually lowered their head and led with their helmets while tackling. Noe it’s “our guy” who’s having a hard time conforming. At the end of the day, Clay Mathews has to start playing according to the rules established by the owners (and explained and coached in detail during the off season), or he needs to retire... his public statements of confusion and dismay are going to do about as much good as people wailing and gnashing teeth here (or bidding farewell to football LOL). At the end of the day, the Green Bay Packers lost to a team not expected to make the playoffs... by TWO TOUCHDOWNS.... hopefully going forward they are focusing on things they can control rather than lamenting new rules ownership (including their own) put in place.

 

[Forget Favre]

He was still.in bounds at that point and a runner with no whistle yet. With that being said and to go with it you are going to get flagged or fined anyways do we think that the unwritten rule about blowing up the qb when he jogs near the sideline is off the table now. Any game, any week the defenses allow the opposing qb to give himself up and walk out of bounds. Do we think defenders now will change that and give them a good shove or make a good angle tackle and hit them near the sideline? At this point they are considered a runner so fair game right? Which in reality Rodgers was last year when he got hurt, outside of the pocket and scrambling.

It wasn’t out of bounds.

Not even close

The point is not where Smith was.
It's that the refs gave Clay a break where before they didn't in the previous games where he made clean tackles on the QBs.
I mean, wow! They let him get away with touching a QB?

 

[Forget Favre]

Clay's sack was a perfect form tackle. If the league wants that sack to be illegal then it wants sacks to be illegal.

The NFL and its apologists have no credibility with me at this point. They continue to defend last year's (late) hit on Rodgers by Barr, and they continue to insist that when Clay Matthews makes a perfect tackle on a sack that it's a penalty. Garbage.

Something isn't right.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

What is this thread even about? He's obviously in line for a contracting fee from the NFL for demonstrating all these "textbook" examples of how to not sack the QB. See, you are allowed to sack the QB so long as you are coming at him in a looping fashion that allows you to gently place him upon the ground like you would a porcelain teacup. Just running into the QB in a straight line is blatant rulebreaking!

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Problem solved.....no touching the players in the red Jersey.....I guess teams wearing Red, will have to give their QB's pink Jersey's. Win win for the NFL....they get more royalties for all the new jerseys sold!

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[Pokerbrat2000]

Another fix, if they are afraid of NFL QB's getting hurt, tackle the ref in any possible way you can, play is dead.

There must be a million refs out there that they can keep running in for replacements as they are carted off the field.

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[Viper556]

In my opinion this kind of crap is going to kill the NFL long term. I'm already sick of the political BS with the media making such a big deal out of Kap and kneeling. I want to be entertained and get away from the political BS for just a little bit each week, but NO now they have to go and throw that in our faces too.

Now this. I've already lost a ton of interest in the NFL and this is pushing me even further away.

At this rate they might as well just get rid of the pass rush all together. Just contain the QB behind the line and put more DBs out there to cover.

 

[gonzozab]

Looks like I was wrong. Clay suspended two games.

http://dailysnark.com/breaking-clay...-the-nfl-for-jimmy-garropolo-tearing-his-acl/

 

[sschind]

I think both. They seem keen on making an example out of him, and he is playing right into it by voicing his thoughts post game.

Ive done my fair amount of clay bashing of late, but if that wasn't the way to get after the qb, then there isn't a way to do it effectively and definitively any more.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned is that last week, before clay got penalized, I think either Kenny Clarke or Mike Daniels pulled up on a sack dead to rights, and the Cousins ran up the field like 20 yd.

Which would/should the D do? This is going to be a BIG issue if the league doesn't fix it.
I don't think they will, bc they are incapable of a mea culpa needed to say they are wrong and need to course correct. They proved it by immediately putting data out last week and today to explain the call in real time.

Thoughts on the hit and on what defenders should do moving forward?

If the QB slides he is giving himself up and the play is whistled dead. Now we need a rule that if the defender thinks he is going to get a penalty he gives himself up and the play is whistled dead. In other words Clay is rushing towards the QB and if he thinks he may get a penalty he slides and then gets credit for a sack because he gave himself up to protect the QB.


I think Shannon Sharpe has it down. As the rule is written Clay's hit yesterday was as illegal as you are going to see ...but... its a stupid rule and IMO those should not be illegal hits. What makes it so bad is the inconsistent way it is going to be called. One thing I am certain of is it is not going to let up. You are either going to start seeing everything close being called or you are going to see some being called and some not. As long as it is called consistently I will have less of a problem with it. I still don' think they should be penalties but the rule says otherwise so call them all.

It was not a ******** call its a ******** rule.