There's plenty of blame to go around on this Monday following a very tough loss at Arizona, and it's probably only fair to spread it as widely as possible.
Terence Newman deserves a scoop of it, for certain. On the fourth snap of overtime he was flagged for a nine-yard pass interference penalty while attempting to defend Andre Roberts. All those types of penalties are judgment calls on the part of officiating, but Newman may have exercised a lack of judgment of his own by even laying a hand on the Cardinals wide receiver.
After Arizona had been called for a holding penalty two snaps earlier, the Cardinals were in a very tough second-and-19 situation, and Kevin Kolb's pass to Roberts was only a nine-yarder. If Newman lets the receiver catch the ball then makes the tackle, the Cardinals still have a low-percentage down and distance situation coming up.
Newman, predictably, did not care for the flag.
"It got called, so I guess refs are pretty perfect, so I guess it was the right call," Newman said. "Once he grabs me, I figure I have the right to protect myself, to kind of brace myself against him. So, it was the call that he made. Nothing else."
Another two plays passed before Kolb hit Roberts for 16 yards against Newman. The receiver then completely blocked Newman out of the play on LaRod Stephens-Howling's game-winning catch and run.
In fact, Roberts got the best of Newman for most of the day, catching six passes for 111 yards, including one 40-yarder to propel Arizona's game-tying touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.
