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http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/355166p-302708c.html
Every NFL cornerback plays with an imaginary bulls'-eye on his back; it's an occupational hazard. Ty Law is carrying an extra target - so he believes - and he's not happy about it.
The Jets cornerback, who already has been called for five contact-related penalties (by far the most on the team), claimed yesterday that officials are singling him out in the continuing crackdown on illegal contact.
"I guess if they tagged it after me, I'm the one they're looking at," Law said.
Unofficially, it's known as the Ty Law Rule, a reference to the way Law and his former Patriots teammates roughed up the Colts' wide receivers in the 2003 AFC Championship Game. The Colts made a stink, and as a result, officials were instructed last season to place more emphasis on the illegal-contact penalty, which basically is this: Any contact with a receiver beyond five yards from the line of scrimmage is a no-no.
"(The Colts) complained so much about it that it should've been tagged after them - I mean, the Peyton Manning Rule or something like that," Law said. "It's making the job harder for the rest of the defensive backs around the league. It's no fun when you have to go out and play with those types of restrictions.
"It's like, man, pretty soon every game is going to be like the Pro Bowl," he continued, meaning high-scoring games with footballs filling the air. "That's what I'm afraid of as a player. This is still football. This isn't track or basketball or shirts and skins. I think they're taking away the nature of the game."
Law, one of the NFL's most accomplished cornerbacks, relies heavily on his aggressiveness while covering receivers. The stricter rule enforcement, combined with a serious foot injury last season with New England, prompted many to wonder if the Jets would ever see the vintage Law when they signed him in August.
By his own admission, Law isn't there yet, but he leads the Jets with two interceptions and appears to be approaching his past form. His 43-yard interception return was one of the biggest plays in last Sunday's win over the Bucs, but he also cost his team an interception, negating a pick by David Barrett with an illegal-contact penalty.
In five games, Law has five penalties for 43 yards, not counting a holding call that was declined. No other player on the defense has more than two penalties. Herm Edwards, a former cornerback, has talked to Law about getting picked on by the officials, and the coach's message was blunt: Get used to it.
"I told him, 'It's your rule. They're going to look at you harder than anybody else,'" Edwards said. "'As soon as you walk on the field, they're going to know your number. You can't even sneeze on a guy. You can barely touch a guy. If they don't call it on you, why implement the rule? They're sending a message to the rest of the guys. That's how this league works.'"
Law said he has no intention of changing his style unless it starts hurting the team. Former teammate Lawyer Milloy, who will face the Jets on Sunday as a safety for the Bills, said he'd be shocked if Law went finesse.
"He's going to play the way he plays, and that's that," Milloy said in a phone interview. "You can't let rules dictate how you play. If you do, you'll be out of this league. I think Ty takes it as more of an honor that they'd make a rule because of the way he knocked out those Colts receivers."
Perhaps, but Law claimed the amount of penalties leaguewide is "outrageous. That's something I think will have to be dealt with come the offseason at the owners' meetings. I think it's taking away from the game."
Every NFL cornerback plays with an imaginary bulls'-eye on his back; it's an occupational hazard. Ty Law is carrying an extra target - so he believes - and he's not happy about it.
The Jets cornerback, who already has been called for five contact-related penalties (by far the most on the team), claimed yesterday that officials are singling him out in the continuing crackdown on illegal contact.
"I guess if they tagged it after me, I'm the one they're looking at," Law said.
Unofficially, it's known as the Ty Law Rule, a reference to the way Law and his former Patriots teammates roughed up the Colts' wide receivers in the 2003 AFC Championship Game. The Colts made a stink, and as a result, officials were instructed last season to place more emphasis on the illegal-contact penalty, which basically is this: Any contact with a receiver beyond five yards from the line of scrimmage is a no-no.
"(The Colts) complained so much about it that it should've been tagged after them - I mean, the Peyton Manning Rule or something like that," Law said. "It's making the job harder for the rest of the defensive backs around the league. It's no fun when you have to go out and play with those types of restrictions.
"It's like, man, pretty soon every game is going to be like the Pro Bowl," he continued, meaning high-scoring games with footballs filling the air. "That's what I'm afraid of as a player. This is still football. This isn't track or basketball or shirts and skins. I think they're taking away the nature of the game."
Law, one of the NFL's most accomplished cornerbacks, relies heavily on his aggressiveness while covering receivers. The stricter rule enforcement, combined with a serious foot injury last season with New England, prompted many to wonder if the Jets would ever see the vintage Law when they signed him in August.
By his own admission, Law isn't there yet, but he leads the Jets with two interceptions and appears to be approaching his past form. His 43-yard interception return was one of the biggest plays in last Sunday's win over the Bucs, but he also cost his team an interception, negating a pick by David Barrett with an illegal-contact penalty.
In five games, Law has five penalties for 43 yards, not counting a holding call that was declined. No other player on the defense has more than two penalties. Herm Edwards, a former cornerback, has talked to Law about getting picked on by the officials, and the coach's message was blunt: Get used to it.
"I told him, 'It's your rule. They're going to look at you harder than anybody else,'" Edwards said. "'As soon as you walk on the field, they're going to know your number. You can't even sneeze on a guy. You can barely touch a guy. If they don't call it on you, why implement the rule? They're sending a message to the rest of the guys. That's how this league works.'"
Law said he has no intention of changing his style unless it starts hurting the team. Former teammate Lawyer Milloy, who will face the Jets on Sunday as a safety for the Bills, said he'd be shocked if Law went finesse.
"He's going to play the way he plays, and that's that," Milloy said in a phone interview. "You can't let rules dictate how you play. If you do, you'll be out of this league. I think Ty takes it as more of an honor that they'd make a rule because of the way he knocked out those Colts receivers."
Perhaps, but Law claimed the amount of penalties leaguewide is "outrageous. That's something I think will have to be dealt with come the offseason at the owners' meetings. I think it's taking away from the game."