New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh made clear on Monday that he did not agree with the unnecessary roughness penalty assessed to running back Cam Skattebo in the first quarter of Sunday’s 27-21 overtime win over the Houston Texans.
Skattebo was flagged for lowering his helmet and initiating contact with the crown while running through safety M.J. Stewart. The personal foul wiped out a seven-yard gain with the Giants leading 7-3 and created a first-and-20.
Harbaugh was shown on the broadcast confronting officials immediately after the play.
“Did you see me after the play? Did they show me expressing my opinion? That’s how I felt about it,” Harbaugh told reporters. “I understand the idea, but I also understand human physiology and anatomy and the way the body works. Skatt runs low. You have to run low. You have to run low to protect the football. You have to run low to protect your body. You can’t run in there and give tacklers your chest. When you run low, your head’s down there, too. You can’t move your head off your shoulders. It’s a physical impossibility.”
Harbaugh said he is confident Skattebo was not attempting to use his helmet as a weapon or battering ram. He described the running back as leading with his shoulder while keeping his head in a strong position, with his pads low by design.
“He runs low to the ground. That’s a good thing, that’s football. That’s the way you’re supposed to run. That’s how you protect yourself and the football,” Harbaugh said. “So, I didn’t have a problem with the technique personally at all, but we haven’t heard from the league. Maybe they’ll be able to enlighten us a little bit on it in terms of what they want us to teach, and that would be great.”
The flag also caught Harbaugh off guard. He noted that similar plays are more commonly addressed with fines after the fact rather than a live penalty. Skattebo had already been fined earlier this season for illegal helmet contact on a run against the Tennessee Titans.
Despite the early call, Skatt finished with a career-high 124 rushing yards and a touchdown.
The Giants have not received further clarification from the league on the play.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants' John Harbaugh wants NFL clarity on Cam Skattebo penalty