If you find yourself complaining during the week about an opposing kicker after dropping your eighth consecutive game, you might be able to come to the understanding that this is one of the reasons you have dropped eight straight.
New York Jets special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey, who had this to say about a specific play last week against the Kansas City Chiefs (via NJ.com).
Well, it makes you sick, to be honest with you,” McGaughey said of the frustration over having a potential kickoff return touchdown taken away by a trip. “You put all the work in just to see it all kind of go all out with a trip. It screws with you a little bit.
The play in question took place when recently acquired Jets receiver Percy Harvin looked prepared to return a kickoff for a touchdown before he was blatantly tripped by Chiefs kicker Cairo Santos.
https://vine.co/v/OOHpw1FgmOe
Are we really now complaining about a kicker not getting fined?
According to McGaughey, sure we are.
It ain’t right,” McGaughey said. “It’s not fair. It’s the way the rules are now. So we’ve just got to play by the rules until they change it. That’s just the way the cookie crumbles.
Maybe taking out the equation that he’s a kicker (which is hard to do), yes this is actually a penalty that has drawn a fine in the past. But in reality, more often than not the league does not discipline players with a fine following a play like this.
It really is subjective by nature.
And while the league is about as inconsistent as it can get with fines, I am pretty sure most real football observers don’t believe it should have drawn a fine.
Maybe the Jets should concern themselves with actually winning a football game.