Yes its pretty clear one is a penalty and the other isn't.

I mean I cut Gruden some slack he ran his mouth without really having time to look at the plays and study them to see what exactly the rule and calls were.

Besides that its over and done with and people still discussing it.

The other point is that some disagree... let them play football type argument but you can still play football and you don't have to be an idiot doing it. That has been a penalty for awhile now. You're going to get called on it. They could have called him for another penalty... SPEARING. He left his feet and lead with his helmet I'd argue that should be a crime.

No one wants to see anyone get seriously hurt playing the game and that is why some of the penalties are in place.

Gruden like a lot of teams - just depends on who is laying on MNF.

Chucky is a dick. Sorry just my opinion.

I think that is what Mike Pereira wanted to say - but couldn't say it in these exact terms

Gruden loves the Saints true. But if were calling all spades, spades. The refs have sucked this season like never before in the interest of safety. Many of what I would considered safe hits by defenders are still flags. When the defender lowers his target on bang, bang plays guess who risks more? What there actually promoting is more offense and less defense. I can understand actual defenseless reciever plays where you can see that the pass is incomplete and the defender still attempts to hit the offensive player, but bang, bang plays shouldn't automatically be 10-15 yrd penalties for the defense.

Thats the very argument that does not hold water in this case. Its is a penalty when you hit a player in the head who is trying to make a catch. That is hitting a defensive player. I am all for protecting a player... there really isn't any need for a player to lead with his helmet to hit another player its not even fundamental football. You can hit the WR trying to make a catch just not in the head area. This penalty could have been called may ways... "SPEARING", "Helmet to Helmet". It was a penalty that was in favor of the Saints. What Gurden was wrong about is the second questionable play that he thought should have been against the Saints but the Saint player did not hit the WR in the head area there is a BIG DIFFERENCE.

"DON"T LEAD WITH YOUR HEAD"... if you do you'll get a penalty EVERY TIME.

I come down on the side of the officials most of the time. I have some sympathy for them being asked to call games the way they're asked to call them by the league. The real demon in the whole thing is the NFL, not it's officials and certainly not the men coaching the teams, much less the broadcasters.

Gruden didn't do or say anything most fans don't do or say. There is no way the officials can be consistent at game speed when the NFL has clearly instructed them to error on the side of caution - to protect the key offensive players at all costs.

It's frustrating. Any of us can randomly watch any game on any given week and, within that game, we could find two or three BS calls. The fault of the official? I don't really thing so. I believe they are doing the best that they can do with the often silly playground rules the NFL is asking them to enforce on grown men playing a violent game at full speed.

Euph, I agree with everything you said about leading with the head. It's not good football. The problem isn't that call, is the hundreds of other calls for that foul that didn't happen. By that I mean when a player is called for that offense when he didn't commit it.

The only recourse for this issue is to make that call one that can be challenged, and we all know the NFL isn't going to do that. Their stance isn't completely void of a concern for safety, but I'd bet every penny I have that allowing for more scoring was equally considered where many of these "protect the player" safety rules are concerned.

No, you can't blame the refs. You can't blame the fans and the commentators for being baffled by the willingness the league has to flag a player for coming close to breaking a rule. It's maddening. Pereira clearly doesn't see the game from that angle.