Dominic Raiola must not think too highly of rookie Zach Moore and the New England Patriots.
It turns out Raiola’s dive at Moore’s knees on the final play of the Detroit Lions’ 34-9 loss to the Patriots wasn’t the center’s first cheap shot of the game. With 57 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Raiola hit Moore in the back of the head when the defensive lineman ran past the veteran Lions center.
The cheap shot stunned Moore enough to briefly knock him to the ground. (Something tells me Raiola wouldn’t have pulled either of these cheap shots if Vince Wilfork, not a 270-pound rookie, was playing nose tackle instead.)
Raiola told the Detroit media after the game that he dove at Moore’s knees because he was unhappy that the Patriots scored a touchdown with 1:53 remaining in the game rather than kneeling to kill the clock. The Patriots scored after the Lions gave them a new set of downs thanks to another personal foul, when defensive tackle C.J. Mosley hit long snapper Danny Aiken on a successful field goal attempt.
The 35-year-old Raiola should be expecting a hefty fine for one or both of his late-game transgressions.
