Wow, I was disappointed in Maurkice Pouncey at the time for his 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty in the final minutes of the first half last Sunday, but never did I think that he would be fined for the infraction.
To refresh your memory, with the Steeelers trailing 10-0 in the second quarter of their Week 4 loss to the Texans, Mewelde Moore scampered inside the Texans' 10 yard line. After the play, Pouncey came flying in and was called for a late hit that moved the ball back from the 6 yard line to the 21. The Steelers had to settle for a field goal instead of finishing off the drive for a touchdown. Of course, Shaun Suisham then had his FG blocked and the Steelers went into halftime having left points on the board.
According to Scott Brown of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, Pouncey will appeal the fine. I don’t blame him. The penalty was somewhat questionable to begin with, and even if ‘unnecessary’, it did not seem to be an egregious infraction that put a defenseless player at risk of injury. Just one more piece of evidence that suggests the NFL is becoming a softer and more heavily-regulated league.
The Steelers look to get back above .500 this Sunday when they host the Tennessee Titans at Heinz Field.