Trueblood fined $5,000 for Bears scrum

UPDATE, 4:02 p.m.: We've now learned from the NFL that Donald Penn was also fined $5,000 for a separate incident that resulted in his being flagged for unnecessary roughness in the first quarter.

Specifically, Penn unnecessarily struck an opponent in the head area, according to an NFL spokesman.

-- Stephen F. Holder

12:50 p.m.: Bucs tackle Jeremy Trueblood was fined $5,000 by the NFL for his involvement in an altercation with Bears defensive lineman Adewale Ogunleye in the Bucs' 27-24 overtime win over Chicago last Sunday.

Trueblood said it's the sixth time has has been fined during his career. It matches the $5,000 fine the league slapped on Bears defensive back Charles Tillman for his personal foul on Bucs receiver Michael Clayton -- a play that extended Tampa Bay's game-winning drive. Clayton said Friday he has not been notified of any impending fines.

Trueblood, who was not penalized on the play, was accused of being 'dirty,' by Bears defensive lineman Tommy Harris earlier this week. Trueblood said he was set off when an unidentified Bears player grabbed his groin on the play.

Meanwhile, Bucs defensive end Greg White was fined $7,500 for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan Sept. 14.

Comments

[Vince]

You've got to love the "don't take no mess" attitude that the Tampa offense is portraying. Dare we say, they are a game away from an official "Swager"?

[Joe]

Is White getting suspended? Mack got fined and suspended for a hit on Ryan. I think Goodell has a dartboard with penalties on it. The front office confuses me as well as the refs. I do think Ryan will leave on a stretcher in our next meeting.The fine on trueblood is total B.S. Goodell has a god complex and is trying everything in his power to keep the bucs from being a dominant force

[Bucsfan]

Vince: Personal foul penalties & league fines are not ingredients for "swager". How about practicing run blocking. Throwing the ball 67 times a game isn't going to result in many wins.

[Jay]

You know, if you went down the street to Nebraska Ave, you could get a lot more than just a cheap feel in a pile of men for $5,000. The NFL needs to stop gouging their players! For that much money he should gotten at least a kiss at the door.

[Vince (different Vince)]

Bucsfan:

"Throwing the ball 67 times a game isn't going to result in many wins"

It is against a team that puts 8-9 guys in the box. Have you been watching the Bucs? You realize we are a running team, right?

[Other Vince]

I think you guys mean "swagger."

[DR]

A running team with Gruden? haha. yeah right. You could put Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders with the best O-line ever in the backfield and Gruden would still find an excuse to pass the ball.

[skp]

Bucsfan-

Simple math. If you have 5 (or 6 or 7) guys run-blocking against 8 or 9 guys, you are not going to be successful....and so you change the play and throw to a guy in many coverage. But I guess their god-awful 6 or so yards per carry going into the game is all the evidence you need to say we can't run block.

[bobbyd]

Wow. It's like people don't even watch the games. This is the most dominant offensive line I've ever seen in Tampa. They are very good in both run blocking and pass protection. They play with purpose and attitude and they certainly don't take any crap.

It was a chippy game in Chicago and both teams... say it with me... BOTH teams got punchy, and players on BOTH teams got personal fouls and fines. In the past, the Bucs line would have laid down and taken their beating. This line is stepping up and I'm excited about it.

Anyone who questions why the Bucs passed the ball so much against Chicago has less football knowledge than my second grader. He kept pointing out how many Bears defenders were standing at the line of scrimmage and asking me how the Bucs were going to run if there were so many guys "in the way". The Bears played a "one dimensional" defense, forced the Bucs to beat them with the pass, and they got burned. Lesson to future opponents... the Bucs can beat you with the pass AND with the run.

Prediction: Bucs put up 150 yards rushing against this Packers Defense. Bucs 27, Packers 13. Aaron Rogers throws two picks.

[Graham]

DR- you might want to go back in Gruden's history books and re-educate yourself. His rushing tandem in Oakland put up some pretty decent numbers and a significant amount of carries. This team, contrary to popular opinion has been very run-based during his time here. But you can't just run-run-run, especially when other teams know you like to run and don't expect your pass. You have to make them pay and the Bears did....

[jason]

"Throwing the ball 67 times a game isn't going to result in many wins"

Well it did in this game, and oh yeah...67 pass attempts without a single sack. 6 yards per carry going into this game, 67 pass attempts without a single sack...um yeah this O line sucks.

[John]

I'm tired of this protecting the quarterback crap. Many quarterbacks are bigger than the defensive backs. If they can't take the hit, they shouldn't be on the field

[Vince]

DR:

What team was Caddillac on when he had his shoes placed in the HOF? How many yards did he run for? Who coached that team?

Every West Coast offense -- Gruden's included -- is a run first offense.

DR -- do you still believe that the Bucs paid Denver $7 Million for Jake the Snake?

[james]

Times, you should be ashamed of yourselves. We could all imagine how Matt Bryant feels and how he would be beside himself in these terrible times for him and his family, the last thing anybody needs is for your slum reporters to dig up a picture of him on the bench contemplating something bad only to allow the fan to connect the dots and give us a picture at how he must look like sitting on the edge of his bed crying because he just lost a son unexpectedly. Shame on you, shame on your garbage paper for allowing such trash to be placed on the world wide web. f'n clowns!

[DR]

Alright Vince, I was wrong. It isn't the first time and probably won't be the last. My question for you is, do you believe the Bucs traded for Plummer to gain money or did they think that Plummer would actually play for Gruden? The Bucs were arrogant. plummer said he would only play for one coach, Kubiac, and the Bucs actually thought they could get Plummer to show up to camp.

[Vince]

DR -- My point is that you hate Gruden/Allen so you blindly criticize them for everything, regardless of the facts. Even you should praise the Bucs for some things. Your mindset is so anti-Gruden & Allen that you shape the facts to fit your world-view. This diminishes the credibility of everything you say.

The Plummer trade was one example because all the Bucs did was make a very low-risk investment in the opportunity (small as it may have been) to get a quarterback that was perfect for their offense. Allen did a great job of not overreaching so the Bucs actually came out ahead even though they did not get the player.