The NFL has said that it will emphasize horse-collar tackling in 2012. And the emphasis begins with a $15,750 fine imposed against Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith.
According to Mike Fisher of FOXSportsSouthwest.com, Smith will have that amount deducted from a game check for pulling Giants linebacker Michael Boley down from behind. Boley (pictured) had intercepted a Tony Romo pass, and Boley was heading for the end zone.
The move saved a touchdown and gave the Giants only a couple of extra yards of field position, since the illegal tackle happened inside the New York 10. Then, thanks in part to a Dallas holding penalty that the replacement officials missed, the Cowboys held the Giants to a field goal.
Coach Jason Garrett has praised Smith for his “hustle, his determination, his will,” calling the penalty a “four-point play.”
If Garrett feels that way, maybe he should tuck $15,750 into the four corners of an envelope and leave it in Smith’s locker.