01-23-2016, 10:23 AM
Jerry Hughes
Buffalo Bills pass rusher Jerry Hughes finished the season second overall in total penalties with 14 against him. Those penalties included two unnecessary roughness calls, two unsportsmanlike conducts and one roughing of the passer.
Richie Incognito
Prior to the 2013 season, few NFL fans even knew who Miami Dolphins guard Richie Incognito was. Then, midway through the season, Incognito was accused of harassing and bullying by his then-teammate Jonathan Martin. An independent investigation by attorney Ted Wells revealed that Incognito regularly taunted Martin and other Dolphins employees with racial slugs and vulgar comments. Incognito just completed his first season with the Buffalo Bills.
Lane Johnson
Eagles tackle Lane Johnson led Philadelphia with 11 penalties called against him in 2015. Although most of those penalties were false starts, Johnson will need to clean up his play if he wants to remain as Philadelphia's top young lineman.
Adam Jones
He might not go by the nickname anymore, but the Bengals' Wild Card playoff game against the Steelers proved “Pacman” is still alive and well. Adam Jones was called for a late unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that basically gave the game away to the Steelers. Additionally, Jones said after the game that concussed Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown was faking his injury. He also smashed Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper's head against the ground earlier in the season. Jones is far from a class act.
Dre Kirkpatrick
Another Bengals player who can’t seem to play a clean game is cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick actually led the Bengals in penalties with 13, with calls ranging from pass interference to taunting the opposition.
Clay Matthews
Although he hasn’t made as much noise this season, Packers linebacker Clay Matthews seems to care very little for the safety of his opponents on the field. He has also been accused of taking banned substances in the past to improve his on-field performance.
Von Miller
Broncos linebacker Von Miller is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL, as well as one of its most unclean players. Miller was suspended six games by the NFL for attempting to cheat on a drug test in 2013 and has been fined over $20,000 for illegal hits. Fortunately for the Broncos, Miller didn’t draw any negative headlines during the 2015 season.
Brandon Meriweather
New York Giants safety Brandon Meriweather is another player who has earned the reputation of a head hunter. He has repeatedly endangered opposing players, himself and even his teammates with his reckless play, as he's been fined, suspended and publicly stated he would rather hit opposing players in the head area rather than in their lower extremities.
Greg Robinson
The second overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft, Rams offensive tackle Greg Robinson has serious trouble playing a clean game at the line. Robinson was called for 13 penalties in 2015, including a league-high 11 offensive holds.