DK Metcalf's taunting penalty on the opening drive — is he a liability at this point?
Steelers at Browns last night and Metcalf converts a 3rd-and-3 with a 7-yard catch, then drops the ball on top of safety Grant Delpit and gets flagged 15 yards for taunting. Same guy who got a two-game suspension earlier this season for going after a fan in Detroit. He is on a five-year deal worth over $150 million and he keeps costing the team free yardage. Browns won the game. At what point does the talent stop being worth the constant boneheaded penalties? Is this a real problem or just a Thursday-night overreaction?
1 answer
- Liability, but not for that drive
Two separate things are getting blended here. One: the drive survived the penalty — Rodgers hit Roman Wilson for a 12-yard touchdown on the same possession, so the 15 yards did not actually cost them points. The real cost is the pattern. Look at the numbers: $150M+ contract, a two-game suspension already this season, and a taunting flag on his second catch of the night. A receiver who draws a flag every other week forces the coaching staff to build margin for it into the game plan, and in a division as tight as the AFC North that margin gets expensive in December.