Though the NFL wasn't saying anything specific regarding whether Falcons coach Mike Smith will be facing discipline for his conduct during a sideline scuffle at the end of the first half of Sunday's game against the Redskins, league spokesman Randall Liu told the Associated Press on Monday that "any altercation of that nature is always reviewed for possible discipline."
Typically, however, coaches aren't disciplined because, typically, they aren't in the middle of the action.
But the atypical unfolded on Sunday.
The AP item suggests that a review of the video "doesn't help much" in sorting out the events, which makes us wonder whether the person from the AP who wrote the article actually bothered to watch the video. Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post has captured some of the still frames, and he seems to agree with our assessment that Smith was behaving in a manner in which NFL head coaches shouldn't be behaving.
It remains to be seen whether the league punishes Smith. Another possibility would be to take no action now but to pass a rule in the offseason requiring non-player personnel to stay out of the scrum, if for no reason other than their own safety.
But, in all fairness, if any players will be fined for the devilish behavior that went down in the Georgia Dome, Smith should be making a contribution to the Human Fund, too.
League is looking into Falcons-Redskins scuffle
Posted by Mike Florio on November 9, 2009 10:16 PM ET
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45 Comments 
Latest stories in: Atlanta Falcons, Latest News and Rumors, Legal, NFL Mobile Exclusives - Legal, Top Stories, Washington Redskins
Latest stories in: Atlanta Falcons, Latest News and Rumors, Legal, NFL Mobile Exclusives - Legal, Top Stories, Washington Redskins
Whever it is that Pacman Jones is sitting in a bar, wondering what happened to his NFL days, please let him know that Larry Johnson is on the way and that MeAngelo Hall won't be far behind.
Both Smith and the assistant coach (strength coach) should be suspended for one game. IMO, both caused the "scuffle" to escalate.
You have no idea whats being said, or what exactly is going on over there, Florio. The video and the still photos are no where near conclusive.
And on top of that you proclaim that the Washington Post agreed with you. Hmmm that's a surprise,
Hilarious! So Hall was there to help his teammate, who happened to be calmly walking away? Who woulda thunk that a Washington Post writer would be a homer for a Washington Redskins player?
"devilish behavior"
Did someone put me in a time machine to 1940 or is your grandma editing your posts? Gave me a good laugh, MF.
Heard you on that meatball Sid Rosenberg's show at 1230 today. Good stuff but you sure were soft on the Fins coaches who completely screwed the pooch on Sunday. I know you like Sid but he goes on and on about things non-football. You really should hook up with Joe Rose or Jim Mandich, both of whom have both testicles. As, apparently, does Mike Smith (had to get an article reference in somewhere).
It just as much appears Smith's arm is moving as a result of him refusing to be held back rather than a thrown elbow. I seriously doubt he wants to throw an elbow into a tightened face mask. Those thngs don't have much give in them.
And, why is MeAngelo still there at all? The other D-Back trotted back out with Ryan.
Again, Hall was gonna have to get on THAT sideline THAT day. Believe it.
..and of course, a DC site would be completely unbiased. They don't have an agenda at all.
Honestly, if some little punkass DB who everyone on your side of the field thinks is a thankless punk dares you to take a swing at him by saying" You piece of shit white haired old f*ck! Hit me! C'mon take a swing at me you white fat f*cker!"
How would you react?
Seriously, who gives a rat's ass (other than Meangelo finding something new to cry about)? No one was hurt, no harm no foul. Why would the NFL league office want to call more attention to this non-event?
Seriously, there's a coach out there who broke a man's jaw and beat his wife, and he's had no punishment, but you want Smith fined? How about some perspective here.
Have to agree. I expect players to occasionally go at it. They are in the middle of a game, adrenaline is pumping, and things can get hot. Coaches should exhibit a better control over themselves than this. We know that the fines the NFL hands out are, for the most part, ineffective. Time after time they come out and say it won't change the way they do things. It is time to start setting an example and suspending people. It would be a nice start by suspending Smith and Fish for their part in this. They should have been a calming influence, but were exactly the opposite. Heck, Smith, after throwing a punch, had to be dragged away by one of his own players (how stupid id it to punch a guy with a helmet on?).
Suspend them, and then announce that fights, as well as any other attempt to intentionally hurt another player, such as repeated UR calls, will be dealt with by issuing fines AND a suspension. Things will clean up fast. Better yet, make the coaches responsible for player behavior. If the player keeps falling out of line, and the coach doesn't deal with it, suspend the coach. You will see a quick end to the trouble makers in the league.
I'm sure Mr. Smith has already invited Mr. Hall to his Festivus party to make up for his potty mouth.
@Yulin . . .
the redskins likely would disagree fairly strongly with the notion that the post is in the tank for the home team.
WaPo is very biased - against the Redskins. Go and read their articles and blogs. No one bashes the Skins like the WaPo does.
I'll bet you there will be a 53 man contribution to any fine or suspension that Smith receives. He is more respected today in the Atlanta locker room than he was on Saturday and that's saying alot. He stood up for his player and he won't lose a dime. Count on it.
Where's DeAngelo Hall's post-game comments mentioned in here? Oh wait, what was that? That was in one of the other 6 nearly-identical postings about the Falcons/Redskins scuffle?
"you'll notice that Matt Ryan technically has zero feet out of bounds when contact is made."
Steinberg and his version of the Zapruder film are as pathetic as Hall. Ya, Ryan "really" wasn't hit late. What a fool. The man doesn't even remotely comprehend how to read a photo (and in this case, even worse a screen grab of a broadcast) and what can and can't be inferred, but ignorance never stops the Corrupt Media Establishment.
Even The Charlie Daniels Band is getting sick of that pun.
There's only one thing to say about this incident: Roadhouse!
Suspending anyone over this is dumb. Fine Hall for sure, and if they want to set an example make a rule or fine Smith.
Jeez Florio, always on the Falcons. I'm sure he still wishes he got more credit for breaking/pushing the Vick story.
We were there and it happened right below us. To us, it looked like Coach Smith was attacked/"approached" by the Redskins player. All moves by Coach Smith appeared to be defensive. We were shocked that a player would attack a coach. We have been football fans for a very long time and have never seen this happen before. We like clean games no matter who wins. This was not a cleanly played game by the Redskins. All football teams acquire penalties, but Coach Smith has kept the Falcons' penalties to a minimum. Apparently he likes clean games too. Good riddance to "MeAngelo" Hall (Falcons' first round draft pick when he turned pro). Great player with emotional problems. He's more trouble than he's worth.
I agree with Grendel-- nobody got hurt, no punches were thrown.. where's the punishable offense here?
Was it unbecoming of Mike Smith? After reviewing the tape, I'd say yeah, a little. Does the NFL have anything to punish him over? Not really, no.
There's a difference between doing something that isn't so classy, and doing something that's actually against the rules. I don't see anything in that video that makes me think Smith's behavior falls into the latter category, and I don't think this is as big of a deal as it's being made out to be.
so why was J. Peterman on the Falcons sideline, anyway? Doesn't he have an episode of Family Feud to host?
Meangelo got what he was looking for.......... A fight. So why is it when an ass is looking for a fight, and someone gives him what he's asking for, the wish grantor is under review by the league office?
Is this for real? Mike Smith is a HERO for what he did. The Skins wish they had a coach who would do the same. Was anyone actually hit or injured during this "melee". This is the most ridiculous cry-baby , sour grapes excuse for a complaint I've ever seen. Zorn should've been taking notes and maybe he'll have a job next season.
DeAngelo Hall runs to the Falcons' bench (and stays), conflict ensues and Hall has a legitimate complaint? I guess "FaceStomper" Haynesworth should've got the medal of honor for getting involved.
Smitty should get an extension for showing that Pansy-arsed team what's up.
The NFL should look into Beth Stern.
98.5 The SportsHub
Maybe da Prez will invite Smitty and MeAngelo over to da White House for some 40's and a BBQ.
I bet 'Chelle can grill up some MEAN-ass ribs.
Y'all know what I'm sayin'?
Oh man, if Tom Cable were there...holey moley.
Devilish? Nay I say! Churlish? Mayhap! Methinks a pox hast hobbled thine vocabulary.
Quick question, I noticed very little coverage of one team by this site.
Why does Florio hate the Falcons so much?
I will agree with everyone that comments with the clever MeAngelo misspelling to insinuate a hilarious pun. However, I found a youtube link and I actually agree with Hall in this situation. Everyone should judge for themselves I guess.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_guAW0CCmsQ&feature=related
I'm sure Hall was talking trash like normal but someone clearly grabs him and pulls him in to fight with him. People saying that this happens during football should realize that it should happen between the sidelines and not on them. That is why Landry got flagged on his hit on Ryan and why the league should look closely at this situation.
what hypocrites. if this was Belichick...... 3000 comments.
Is this how pussified our nation has become? Geezzzz it is not like anything really happened other than a bunch of shoving and cussing. It is called football and it is a violent game. If it sometimes spills over to the sideline so be it. That douche Hall needs his @$$ kicked anyway.......
Someone needs to sit J Peterman for a game. Fine him $50K. Maybe then he'll act more like a coach, less like a moronic thug.
Florio is allowed to have an opinion on what he saw...Mike Quick. Florios post is no different than the others that responded to him who actually have a somewhat educated opinion on the matter. You seem to have followed right after the mindless jerks who simply think it's cool to berate Florio just for the sake of doing it. Seeing those mindless replies week after week gets tiring. I certainly don't look to Florio for the be-all and end-all response to everything happening in football. He's simply posting what he feels...the same as any written commentary. Fine, disagree with him. But follow it with something sensible and worth reading.
Florio I've watched the video and I agree with the AP that the video is is far from clear. There are too many bodies in a tight space to know that Mike Smith did anything but yell at Hall for an illegal hit on his quarterback.
I'm going to rent a billboard near Redskins stadium:
My 60-something coach beat up your punk-a$$ DB
MeAngelo wanted to get into it on the Falcons sideline to show how tough he thinks he is...... wait for it...... and the head coach kicks his a$$
HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA
This would be the only reason for the League... or anyone else to watch that game.
Hall "launched" himself into this situation. He had nothing to do with the freaking play. He already has a reputation for this kinda crap. We already knew he was a POS. Now we know he is a cry baby too.
@ TheBigOldDog
Are you kidding me? Steinberg specifically says, "Sure, it was late, and LaRon Landry has a habit of doing this. Sure, it was a flag."... "It was a late hit, but it's not like Landry killed Mike Smith's puppy or anything." But nice attempt at selectively quoting the man to try and show bias that doesn't exist.
BC3- Mindless fans DO look at Florio as the end all be all, unfortunately. When he writes a story based on pure conjecture and presents it as fact, you're damn right I'll say something. It’s a habit of his that seems to be getting worse too. People need to understand that when it comes to contracts or CBA stuff Florio IS the man. On the flip side, when it comes to the actual game he is below average and should be taken with a grain of salt because he doesn’t know any more then your next door neighbor. Really anymore this place has turned into a place to over blow non stories, sell phones, and get hits (revenue).
Fine em both and move on. Hall should've stayed away from the Falcon's sideline, and Smith should've acted like a head coach and kept his ass out of the scuffle.
OK. I watched the replay over and over again on Youtube. Here's what happened:
When Matt Ryan ran out of bounds, LaRon Landry clearly hit him- even though it was right when Ryan's right foot touched out of bounds. But Ryan actually jumped out of bounds, trying to avoid a hit. Landry hit him anyway, therefore he was in the wrong.
The Falcons bench was there calling Landry out and as he was getting up, DeAngelo Hall came over to help Landry.
Landry however, made the late hit out of bounds and immediately left.
Meanwhile, Hall started to talk smack to some Atlanta players and didn't just retrieve Landry and leave, because Landry was long gone. He especially was in the face of Curtis Lofton- #50, linebacker of the Falcons.
Behind Lofton was an assistant coach for the Falcons. He was pushing Hall- attempting to get him from starting something on the Falcons' bench. Behind the asst. coach was Ryan- getting up, trying to avoid the fray.
Mike Smith saw that Hall was not leaving, and started pushing him away from the bench. Meanwhile, Lofton put his hands on Hall, and Hall pushed his hands away from him.
Now Mike Smith put one hand, his right hand, on Hall to push him away from his players. Hall threw that hand off his shoulder really hard- and then started to try to get into Mike Smith's face.
At that point, one of the Falcons' TEs went over to retrieved Smith. Around the same time, #20- Justin Tryon of the Redskins retrieved Hall.
And then you saw Haynesworth come in trying to start more trouble.
In short, Hall was on the Falcons sideline not to retrieve Landry, but to start trouble. Landry hit Ryan, but immediately bounced up and ran hurriedly back onto the field.
Plus, when other Falcons players and coaches tried to push him away from the Falcons bench, he would slap their hands off him. And when Mike Smith came over, put one hand on Hall and when Hall slapped it away; Smith's arm went across his body. But in real time, it looked kinda like a very slow right cross.
That's what I saw. There will be fines for Hall and Haynesworth as the instigators. Smith isn't going to get fined.
you guys talk all this smack because your pissed that Dan Snyder is willing to shell out the bucks for his team when you have a cheap owner who will not.
The main problem with this whole situation is that Mike Smith went over there and did nothing to try and stop the problem.
The strength and Conditioning coach should have never laid his hands on a player from the other team the way he did. Holding him there on the Atlanta sideline. My guess is if this was a player on your team you would be outraged as well.
But it was funny how the whole Atlanta team was pushing around Hall until Haynesworth came over and the entire team fell back like a bunch of kitty's.
Nebster21,
No one is jealous of the Redskins right now. They only won 2 games.
And yes, when Haynesworth came over to try to continue the melee, the Falcons bench went back. Why? Because they don't want to get fined and/or suspended.
And yes, they were pushing Hall because Hall was instigating violence on their bench. They were pushing him back on the field. Where Landry was.
And did you see who was right behind the asst. coach? Matt Ryan... their franchise QB.
I'm sorry, but Hall and Haynesworth were wrong here and they will be fined. No one's going to be suspended because no punches were thrown.
The idea that anyone would be fined for this incident (including Hall or Haynesworth) is ridiculous....it's a nasty, brutal game, folks. Let's not put ballet skirts on everyone just yet.....
However, I'm still trying to figure out how 2 guys in golf shirts "put their hands in a harmful way" on a guy in full pads and helmet.....wouldn't most men who make their living in a contact sport be embarrassed or ashamed to say that ?