Yet another frustrating moment arrived for Cam Skattebo during the New York Giants’ face-off against the Houston Texans. Skattebo did not receive any carries or any targets in Week 6. And now in Week 7, he got flagged for unnecessary roughness. Someone had to speak up, and it was legendary quarterback Drew Brees’ turn.
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“In between the tackle, are you kidding me?! Textbook tough physical run!” he wrote, expressing his frustration on his Instagram story, sharing a clip of the play.
Skattebo is known for his signature style of running hard and crashing into defenders. But on October 25, according to the officials, Skattebo went too far while trying to truck over the Texans’ safety M.J. Stewart. While the Giants running back was immediately shown the flag for lowering his helmet, Brees’ frustration comes from serious confusion.
It is difficult to determine what Skattebo could have done to avoid the penalty. After all, helmet-to-helmet contact is not unusual in the NFL, but penalties are commonly associated with hits on defenseless players or defenders leading with their helmets during tackles. In Skattebo’s case, it’s a reverse scenario.
After receiving a handoff from J.J. McCarthy, with 5:17 left in the first quarter, Skattebo ran through the gap and lowered his shoulder into Stewart.
That’s when the officials penalized him for unnecessary roughness after he led with his helmet, wiping out what would have been a seven-to-eight-yard gain and costing the Giants 15 yards.
But what frustrates others about the ruling is the fact that running backs often run hard to gather some extra yards. In that process, they often lower their shoulder to oomph up the power.
The decision did not sit well with head coach John Harbaugh, who immediately confronted the referees. Off the field, Brees is not alone in taking a stand for Skattebo. The former San Diego Chargers fullback, Jacob Hester, was also frustrated by the call.
“Cam Skattebo getting called for unnecessary roughness as the BALL CARRIER is wild,” he tweeted. “You’ve got 11 dudes coming downhill with bad intentions trying to put you on the ground. But when you truck somebody in the hole, it’s a penalty? Nah, that ain’t it.”
In the post-game presser, the frustration was clear in Skattebo’s interview, too. Initially, he refused to share what he told the official on the field.
“But I will say, man, the NFL loves to post [about] me when I do stuff like that — but then also wants to take stuff from me. I’m going to run the ball like I want to run the ball. And if I’m going to continue to get flagged for it or fined for it, man, I guess I’m going to play for free,” he shared his blunt take. “I’m going to do what I can to be on this team, to give everything I’ve got. And if they’re going to punish me for that, then I’m just going to keep doing it and keep playing hard.”
For Skattebo, he has already tasted the penalty this season. He is potentially facing his second NFL fine for illegal helmet use in October. He was fined $7,073 on October 2 following an impermissible helmet-use violation during the Giants’ Week 3 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
What fuels the frustration is the fact that the NFL seldom calls unnecessary roughness against running backs. According to NFLPenalties.com, Skattebo is the third player at the position to draw the penalty this season, following Brady Russell of Seattle and LeQuint Allen Jr. of Jacksonville.
While the fine arrives, Skattebo’s job just got harder. Moving forward, he will need to balance his physical running style with greater awareness of how he uses his helmet.