So Flozell Adams was fined $7,500 for trying to trip Julius Peppers last week (footage of the offending play can be viewed here.) Adams plans on appealing the fine. Should he lose that appeal, I have no doubt he’ll try and trip the league official hoping to file his fine invoice on their way to the mailbox. That makes two games in a row where Flozell deliberately attempted to trip a defender. He has racked up $25,000 in fines. We should use Illustrator to make a fun chart recording his fine totals. It could have a strongman bell at the top.
Justin Tuck called Flozell out as a dirty player, and offensive line coach Hudson Houck defended Adams from that label. Personally, I don’t particularly care if Flozell is a dirty player. I care much more that he is an exceptionally STUPID player, who has been more penalized over the past two years than any other lineman. And he’s not even a Raider. The trips on Peppers and Tuck were done in clear view of everyone on Earth. This isn’t new territory for Adams. Back in 2007, he was the SEVENTH most penalized player in the league. His entire career is a litany of braindead false starts, holding calls, trips, leg whips, and illegal blocks in the back. And he seems incapable of learning from his mistakes.
So I think it’s fair to ask: Why does Adams still have a job?
Adams has been to five Pro Bowls, true. He’s apparently a very solid player when he’s not tripping or holding people. BUT HE’S ALWAYS TRIPPING OR HOLDING PEOPLE. And Adams doesn’t just hold on random plays. No, no. He has to cherry pick the very WORST time to do it, holding or tripping a defender only when said penalty it certain to negate a gain of 30 yards or more. So that when you jump out of your chair all jazzed that the Cowboys are in the red zone, you immediately get the rug pulled out from under you. GAHHHHH FLOZELL AGAIN!!!!
Doug Free serves as Adams backup. I’ll admit right now I’ve never seen Free play a down of football. Yet people seem to think he’s okay...
"He played against the same people Flozell played against some and I thought he did a good job," Phillips said. "Couldn't really tell the difference. Now we had some good protection. Flozell had good protection and so did Free. And I thought his run blocking was good."
And did he NOT attempt to donkey punch any defender who passed him? Because if not, I wouldn’t mind seeing what he can do. Being a good offensive lineman sarts with not costing your team ten yards every time you step back to pass block.
