Where the Bad Call Bar is Set

In the Cowboys' hard-hitting 20-16 win over the Eagles in Week 9 there was one fairly astounding tackle that stood out above the rest.

Philly's (generously-listed) 185-pound All-Pro corner Asante Samuel found himself one-on-one in space with the Cowboys' (conservatively listed) 222-pound Marion Barber. Incredibly, Samuel dropped Barber in his tracks.

Now when a guy is bracing to get run over by a freight train and winds up knocking the train off the tracks instead, you might expect him to be a little hopped up. Sure enough, Samuel did some woofing as he helped Barber up, and Barber acknowledged the little fella's efforts with a slap on his helmet.

The one guy who completely misread the interaction? Why, the nearest official, of course, who flagged Samuel for taunting, thereby negating the open-field tackle. The league and its officials will not rest until all of the players are joyless, emotionless electronic football drones, banging into each other with no reaction whatsoever.

Boo.