Cam Skattebo fined $7,073 again for helmet hit on Texans

This is the run that cost him. Skattebo put his helmet into Stewart on a carry against Houston, and the officials threw a flag on it right there.

Mike Garafolo

@MikeGarafolo

#Giants RB Cam Skattebo was fined $7,073 for use of the helmet on this play, the second time he’s been fined that amount, which is the discretionary amount under the fine schedule of $23,882 for first offenses and $47,762 for the second.

Look at the number. $7,073 is not what the fine schedule says. The schedule says $23,882 for a first offense and $47,762 for a second. $7,073 is the discretionary amount, and the league has now picked it for Skattebo twice. According to Yahoo Sports, the first one came back in Week 3 on a helmet-first run against the Titans. So the NFL is technically treating him like a repeat offender, then charging him like he barely did anything. It's a weird kind of mercy, and nobody seems sure if it's a message or a shrug.

The flag is what really hurt the Giants. The 15-yard personal foul wiped out a 7-yard gain in the 1st quarter. New York won anyway, coming back to beat Houston in overtime, and Skattebo finished with 124 rushing yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. Stewart didn't get off clean either.

Aaron Wilson

@AaronWilson_NFL

And #Texans safety M.J. Stewart fined $11,667 for illegal hip drop tackle

So the guy who got trucked got fined more than the guy who trucked him. Stewart's $11,667 was for a hip-drop tackle, which is the other rule the league keeps saying it's serious about. The bigger issue is how badly the helmet rule gets enforced on game day compared to the Monday tape review.

ProFootballTalk

@ProFootballTalk

Of the eight illegal use of helmet violations in Week 7, only Giants Cam Skattebo was flagged. (He was fined $7,073; Broncos LB Alex Singleton was fined $47,662.) t.co/IPlOq2vKH2

That's the problem. 8 players got hit for illegal use of the helmet in Week 7 and Skattebo was the only one who got a flag. Broncos LB Alex Singleton took $47,662, his second straight week fined for using his helmet, and Denver S Brandon Jones and Detroit S Brian Branch each took $23,882. None of those plays got flagged in real time. ProFootballTalk's guess is that the officials called Skattebo because the hit looked so violent. Stewart got flattened and everyone in the stadium saw it. The rule ends up taking a lot more money from players than it takes field position from their teams.

Skattebo isn't changing anything. He pointed out that the NFL loves to post his highlights on social media and then turns around and fines him for the same runs, and he said he's going to keep running the ball the way he wants. If more flags and fines come, his line was that he guesses he'll just play for free. With two fines already and a body-first running style the Giants' offense is built around, keep an eye on whether the league finally bumps him up to the full $47,762 next time, or keeps going with the discount.