Randall Cobb knows better. Aaron Rodgers told him as much. And on Saturday, the NFL levied a hefty fine against the Jets receiver for an illegal block.
Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reported that the fine was $13,889 for a first-quarter block Cobb made to get Giants defensive back Bobby McCain out of the way. On the field, officials called him for a blindside block. That’s a 15-yard penalty.
If you didn’t tune into last Saturday’s Giants-Jets game, here’s a taste of what the block looked like. Keep in mind, Bobby McCain suffered a concussion.
Rodgers chastised Randall Cobb in huddle for silly penalty
Did you also notice the Jets reaction to the Randall Cobb penalty? It made this week’s episode of Hard Knocks. And it re-lit what had been a brief, on-field feud between Rodgers and Giants defensive end Jihad Ward.
Rodgers played only two series in his preseason debut for the Jets. It was his first exhibition action since 2018, when he still played for the Packers. The Giants put on a big rush to test Rodgers. And the Randall Cobb penalty only increased the jawing between the two teams. Ward also thought the Jets laughed at McCain’s injury.
“Everybody going to get pi--ed off at that. The whole team was pi--ed off, you know what I’m saying?” Ward said via ESPN after he viewed the episode. “It’s preseason and all that stuff and you’re going to do some reaction like that?
“It’s cool, though. That’s how they roll. I think we play them soon, it is what it is.”
Rodgers then let loose on Ward in an interview the next day. “He thought we were laughing at his teammate?” Rodgers told ESPN. “That never happened and I think he’s making s— up. I don’t care.”
Then Rodgers explained the context of what happened in the huddle. Cobb, his long-time friend and teammate, made a big mistake.
“I couldn’t believe it. I’ve been around Randall Cobb forever,” Rodgers said. “We talk about smart players and doing smart things on the field. I don’t know what was in that. I was watching that in slow motion going, ‘No, no, no Cobby, what are you doing?’ We were laughing because that wasn’t a penalty when we started playing. It has been a penalty for a while. So, not the smartest play.” (And yes, the rules on the block did change).
“I said, ‘Bro, you’ve got a third kid on the way. You just took money out of your pocket. You’re going to have to buy [your wife] Aiyda something nice for that.’ “
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