Allen Lazard is ready to hit back at the NFL if he gets fined for his relatively tame finger-gun celebration.
A Jets receiver was given a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty Sunday for spinning the ball and “firing” his hands after making a 12-yard catch.
The flag changed from first-and-10 at the 18-yard line to first-and-10 at the 33-yard line, after which the Jets failed to advance beyond 22 yards and settled for a 40-yard field goal.
“I haven't received any explanation from the NFL,” Lazard said before Wednesday's practice. “Now the coaches have come over and talked to me individually. It's very unfortunate that I was the victim of this situation. But it is what it is. It's part of the NFL and entertainment It's part of the element.”
Lazard has not sought clarification from officials or the league through Jets coaches or the NFL Players Association.
I'm willing to bet that things will change if he gets fined, but he will appeal it.
“If I were [fined]they are definitely going to waive it,” Lazard said. “It makes no sense to fine someone for something you didn't warn them about.” [about]. It's like introducing new driving rules. If I'm driving down the road with only one hand, I never said I only have two hands to drive. That's not fair. In that sense, it is not a legitimate democracy. ”
Lazard points out that while driving with one hand on the steering wheel is not illegal, it can lead to miscontrol of the vehicle and cause a traffic stop.
“That's very stupid,” Lazard said. “Given the history of these situations, I expect the NFL to fine me.”
QB Aaron Rodgers (knee) did not participate in the stretch period and was listed as limited on the injury report.
He came out of the facility and threw with the other quarterbacks before practice, which was closed to the media.
Head coach Robert Saleh said Rodgers is “receiving treatment” but intends to practice fully and is “not concerned” about the quarterback's availability.
LB CJ Mosley (toe) was also limited, and RT Morgan Moses (knee) and LT Tyron Smith (rest) did not practice.
DT Leki Fotu (hamstring) has three weeks to return to practice and return from injured reserve, otherwise he would be forced to sit out the season. He was injured midway through training camp.
When the regular season began, Saleh dropped his training camp practice policy of ejecting players who commit penalties after one snap.
He doesn't believe in old-fashioned punitive push-ups or lap running as a way to curb bad habits.
“They are men. They want to be treated like men,” Saleh said. “They already know that they failed. They don't need to be embarrassed. They need to know how to fix it. And doing push-ups teaches men to fix it. I don't think it's about telling people how to do it.”
The Jets committed 15 penalties (13 allowed) against the Broncos.
