Early in the second quarter Sunday night, the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons were locked up at 0-0 when Tom Brady threw an interception to Robert Alford in the end zone. But instead of the Falcons taking possession on offense, the play was negated by a dumb personal foul penalty on Adrian Clayborne, who took a shot at Brady after he released the ball.
Clayborne launched, helmet first, into Brady’s head/neck area. This is a no-no that every defender knows is a no-no. It’s something they’re being told constantly is a no-no, yet Clayborne couldn’t resist the chance to take a big shot on Mr. Big Shot, Tom Brady himself.
After getting a second lease on life offensively, the Patriots scored the game’s first touchdown two plays later to go up, 7-0.
That’s gonna leave a mark.