MNF crew crows about roughing penalty, disregards whistle

Week 1: Bills at Patriots

In the middle of the fourth quarter (gamebook), Patriots linebacker Adalius Thomas sacked Bills quarterback Trent Edwards for a ten-yard loss. In the process of tackling the quarterback, Thomas pulled Edwards to the ground, drawing a 15-yard roughing-the-passer penalty.

The Monday Night Football crew all thought this was a particularly questionable call on replay. However, each replay was shown without sound. The quarterback was called in the grasp, and the play was whistled dead. In the continuing action after the whistle, Thomas drove Edwards to the turf. The roughness call was not because of the severity of the takedown, but that Thomas continued after the quarterback clearly after the whistle had blown.

The call, in this case, was correct. Referee Scott Green (in his AFL Legacy orange Creamsicle uniform) was covering on the play.