New York Giants offensive tackle James Hudson III had an inglorious start to his Week 2 matchup versus the Dallas Cowboys.
Midway through the first quarter, the five-year veteran committed four penalties in six plays. The flag parade began with Hudson being called for a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty in which Hudson slapped edge rusher James Houston on the back of the head on a run by Cam Skattebo.
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Perhaps not coincidentally, Hudson allowed a sack by Houston on the previous play.
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Surprisingly, Hudson wasn’t ejected from the game. But like we saw with Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Teair Tart in Week 1, Hudson used an open hand to slap Houston rather than throw a punch or strike with a closed fist. Tart wasn’t ejected for slapping Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce in that instance.
The Giants then got an 11-yard completion from Russell Wilson to Wan’Dale Robinson. But then Hudson was whistled for a false start. Two penalties in three plays, costing the Giants 20 yards.
On the very next play, Wilson connected with Robinson on a 50-yard pass. Yet after the play, Hudson was flagged again for unnecessary roughness.
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Wilson scrambled for two yards on the next play. Then Hudson was called for another false start. Four penalties in six plays, all on the same player.
Somehow after all that, the Giants kicked a field goal with Graham Gano hitting a 38-yarder. However, that was it for Hudson, who was benched after his performance on the drive and heard plenty of feedback from his teammates on the sideline.
Hudson got the start because Andrew Thomas is inactive with a foot injury that also sidelined him for Week 1. Rookie Marcus Mbow (a fifth-round pick out of Purdue) replaced Hudson at left tackle.
After emotions settled down, backup quarterback Jameis Winston was seen offering some counsel to Hudson. Based on body language, Winston was apparently emphasizing that the offensive lineman can’t conduct himself like that on the field and cost his team so much yardage.
According to the Fox broadcast with Joe Davis and Greg Olsen, that was the “first time this century” that one player has had four penalties on same drive. It appears very likely that Hudson won’t get an opportunity to repeat such a performance.
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The Giants signed Hudson to a two-year, $12 million contract in free agency. He played his first four NFL seasons with the Cleveland Browns, appearing in 49 games.
Hudson may have ignited a trend among the Giants players. At the very least, he appears to have ratlled the entire team.
The Giants committed five additional infractions during the first half, giving them nine accepted penalties — their most in a half in 20 years — for 80 yards. The NFL record for penalties in a game came when the Oakland Raiders committed 23 accepted penalties in 2016 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.