Last week we learned the NFL fined Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward for wearing eye black honoring his late father, Craig "Ironhead" Heyward.
Cam wore the "Iron" and "Head" eyeblack once again Sunday against the Cardinals. Clearly, he did not learn his lesson: you can't honor cancer victims unless you're wearing – exclusively in October – a pink item intended to attract female fans, the NFL can take a cut and only a small portion of the profits from it actually goes towards fighting cancer.
Craig died in 2006 after a recurring battle with cancer. He also underwent radiation therapy in the late '90s and fought the disease for about seven years.
His son is simply trying to honor him, not make an offensive personal statement. Unfortunately, the league's rigorous and unfeeling rules do not make exceptions. So, Cam will likely be fined in excess of $11,000 after being fined nearly $6,000 last week.
Cam's message won't be suppressed regardless of how much money the league wants to take from him. He'll continue to wear the eye black.
"There have been others, and I'm not going to name any names, that have worn it to support cancer. I don't want to get involved in it, but it's bigger than me," Cam said, via ESPN.com. "I'm not going to shy away from the fight against cancer, and I'm going to support them in any way possible."
Smith Quickly Resurfaces with Dallas
Just three days after making his NFL debut with the Seahawks, the team waived Rod Smith.
It's not that Seattle was so disgusted with his two carry, five yard effort against Cincinnati and felt compelled to get rid of him. Rather, Marshawn Lynch returned from a hamstring injury, backup Thomas Rawls adequately filled in for Lynch and they wanted to keep 34-year-old Fred Jackson for some reason.
No worries, the Cowboys had an opening on their roster. Dallas claimed Smith off waivers as a response to the season-ending injury to Lance Dunbar. Smith's presence will also help in case head coach Jason Garrett continues to be displeased with starter Joseph Randle, Darren McFadden gets hurt again or Christine Michael fails to stick.
Play of the WeAk
It's my third year writing this weekly feature and I'm not sure I've ever seen a Sunday completely lacking notable plays from former Ohio State players.
One lowlight though, and it comes from "Pro Bowl" safety Donte Whitner. His displays of non-tackling and poor angles have been pretty embarrassing throughout the year.
This is a completely different level of humiliation – 39-year-old Peyton Manning, who now flops like he's on the Italian national soccer team when a defensive lineman is near him, did this to "Hitner":
How They Fared in Week Six
| Player | Team | Position | Stats/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Adams | Pittsburgh Steelers | OL | Starting LT Kelvin Beachum tore his ACL, Adams might fill in if healthy |
| Will Allen | Pittsburgh Steelers | S | Missed game vs Cardinals due to ankle injury |
| Michael Bennett | Jacksonville Jaguars | DT | 2 tackles, 0.5 sacks in loss to Texans |
| Alex Boone | San Francisco 49ers | OL | Accused of a "coward move" by Giants' Jon Beason |
| Philly Brown | Carolina Panthers | WR/KR/PR | 2 carries, 15 yards, 2 receptions, 22 yards in win over Seahawks |
| Kurt Coleman | Carolina Panthers | S | 8 tackles, Ricardo Lockette rips INT away in win over Seahawks |
| Nate Ebner | New England Patriots | DB/ST | 1 tackle, also surprised by the Colts ridiculous 4th down play in win |
| Reid Fragel | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | OL | Bucs on bye |
| Ted Ginn Jr. | Carolina Panthers | WR | 1 reception, 18 yards in win over Seahawks |
| Johnathan Hankins | New York Giants | DT | Plays tonight vs Eagles |
| Brian Hartline | Cleveland Browns | WR | 0 receptions on 3 targets in OT loss to Broncos |
| A.J. Hawk | Cincinnati Bengals | LB | Did not record a tackle in win over Bills |
| Boom Herron | Buffalo Bills | RB | 2 receptions, 17 yards in loss to Bengals |
| Cameron Heyward | Pittsburgh Steelers | DE | 2 tackles, both for loss in win over Cardinals |
| Carlos Hyde | San Francisco 49ers | RB | 21 carries, 55 yards, 2 receptions, 5 yards in win over Ravens |
| Malcolm Jenkins | Philadelphia Eagles | S | Plays tonight vs Giants |
| James Laurinaitis | St. Louis Rams | LB | Rams on bye |
| Corey Linsley | Green Bay Packers | C | Credits health and improved play to jumping rope |
| Nick Mangold | New York Jets | C | Neutralized Terrance Knighton in win over Washington |
| Jake McQuaide | St. Louis Rams | LS | Rams on bye |
| Jack Mewhort | Indianapolis Colts | OL | Struggled a bit vs Patriots, although he's a top-10 graded guard |
| Andrew Norwell | Carolina Panthers | OL | Ranked among the top 32 guards in the NFL by Pro Football Focus |
| Mike Nugent | Cincinnati Bengals | K | 2 for 2 on field goals, 4 for 4 on extra points in win over Bills |
| Bradley Roby | Denver Broncos | CB | 2 tackles in OT win over Browns |
| Ryan Shazier | Pittsburgh Steelers | LB | Inactive again due to shoulder injury |
| John Simon | Houston Texans | LB | Started in place of Jadeveon Clowney, recorded 2 tackles, 1 sack |
| Devin Smith | New York Jets | WR | 0 receptions, 0 targets in win over Washington |
| Rod Smith | Dallas Cowboys | RB | New team on bye this week |
| Jake Stoneburner | Miami Dolphins | TE | 0 receptions, 0 targets in win over Titans |
| Donte Whitner | Cleveland Browns | S | 6 tackles in OT loss to Broncos |
