Despite flag, Antrel Rolle provides spark for NY Giants' defense

PHILADELPHIA — The minute Antrel Rolle did it, he knew it was a “bonehead" move, but it was too late to stop the flags from flying. So he did the only thing he could do.

He went straight to his coach and apologized before Tom Coughlin had a chance to yell.

He earned points from his coach for that, and no harm was done since the Giants won, but Rolle knew he made a bad mistake in the first quarter when he celebrated his interception of a Michael Vick pass with a little dance. When some of his teammates joined in, it cost the Giants 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct.

It’s a mistake Rolle vows he will never make again.

“Oh yeah, yeah, I felt horrible about that,” Rolle said after the Giants' 15-7 win over the Eagles. “I kind of got myself in a little mode. I intercepted (a pass) last week and did a little dance and I got away with one. I said, ‘Maybe they’ll let me get away with it again.’

“Definitely not a smart thing to do. Being a veteran player, being a captain of the team, it was definitely not a smart thing to do.”

What made it worse is that Rolle was on a roll in the first quarter. The interception of a pass intended for tight end Brent Celek was just the start. On the Eagles’ next drive, Rolle sacked Vick on the first play, which helped set the tone for the Giants’ defense. In all, Rolle was outstanding. He had five tackles, the sack — which came with a forced fumble that Vick recovered — and the interception.

His play has been a huge reason the defense hasn’t allowed a point over the last two weeks.

“Well, he’s been there as a solid factor all the way through,” Coughlin said. “It’s just obviously noticeable now with the last couple of weeks.”

The celebration penalty certainly was noticeable. “Yeah, he came right over and apologized to me,” Coughlin said. “You make a great play like that you've got the ball where you think you’ve got it and (then), ‘Ooops, wait a minute, it’s 15 yards back.’ … Territory we’ve already covered. We didn’t want to have to retake it.”

The Giants were forced to start that drive on their own 21 instead of the 36, but they ended up with three points anyway on the first of five Josh Brown field goals. But Rolle knows it could have been worse, which is why he went straight to Coughlin to say “I’m sorry.”

“Because I knew it was a bonehead move on my behalf,” Rolle said. “It was something that won’t happen again.”


(nydailynews.com)