New York-Tennessee Taking It Personal: Penalties Pile Up in Week 3 Matchup

There are many things to take away from today's game between the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans.  Quarterback Vince Young has made some excellent throws, threading passes into coverage in the third quarter especially.  Similarly, Eli Manning has been almost perfect...except on a pair of freak interceptions.  Chris Johnson has been contained by the Giants defense, while Ahmed Bradshaw has been hammering the Titans defense.  Mario Manningham, meanwhile, has a pair of outstanding catches that have the fans on the edge of their seats.

All of that, though, is overshadowed by dirty play and flared tempers.  The further along this game has gone, the more violent it has become as both teams have combined for four personal fouls and two unnecessary roughness penalties before time expired in the third quarter.

The Titans have been repeat offenders for coming in on late hits, diving in on Giants players already on the ground.  In fact, at least twice before the flags started flying, Tennessee players were shown finishing tackles on players after the play was over and done.

The Giants have started to retaliate, further escalating the problem.  Brandon Jacobs reacted to a late hit by Jovan Haye, starting a full team scuffle and drawing a pair of offsetting personal fouls.  Later, Ahmed Bradshaw drew a personal foul in the end zone, pulling in two points for Tennessee as the foul brought about a safety.

Near the end of the third quarter, Giants offensive tackle David Diehl snatched cornerback Cortland Finnegan's helmet following a lost Giants fumble.  And now that the game has progressed into the fourth quarter, we've seen another personal foul come following a missed Lawrence Tynes field goal, as offensive tackle Kareem McKenzie pushed a Titans player back to the ground as a referee attempted to separate the two.

Football is a very intense game, and can bring about plenty of emotions. But play like Giants and Titans fans have seen today does nothing for either side except beg for an injury.

I guess it really is all fun and games until someone pokes an eye out.