Score Update and Fine Blotter for Week 3

Score Update:

Week 3 average:  46.3125, about three-quarters of a point up from last year.  Highest Week 3 since 2008.

3 Week Scoring Average:  45.23, still almost 2 1/2 points down from last year.

And now to the other half of the desk, The Fine Blotter for Week 3:

• Cincinnati Bengals:  Vontaze Burfict is now a TWO-TIME LOSER for a double-shot vs. Green Bay.  $31,000 total.  $21,000 for a defenseless receiver, and another $10,000 for nailing a tight end in the family jewels.
• Seattle Seahawks:  Golden Tate is at it again, another $21,000 for another defenseless player infraction.  Seems to get a lot of those -- for a WIDE RECEIVER...
• Carolina Panthers:  Well, the report from Forbes finally nailed him:  Cam Newton was caught by Forbes Magazine wearing clips from Under Armour on his helmet.  That is a violation of the league's uniform policy, and Newton has been fined $10,000 as a result.  Newton's beginning to walk into Repeat Offender status as well -- that's his third Player Remittance offense since Week 16 of last year.
• Speaking of Repeat Offenders:  Detroit Lions:  Had a feeling we'd see Nick Fairley's name after an unnecessary roughness call last week.  That one dings him $10,000.  (No word yet on the appeal of Suh's $100,000 fine -- though Suh was neither fined nor suspended for a probable elbow he threw at a guy's helmet in Week Two.)  That's TWO-TIME LOSER for Fairley (pre-season offense was the other)  That's at least his fourth in less than two calendar years since he got off his rookie-year injury.
• Pittsburgh Steelers:  Jonathan Dwyer is the second victim of the new "can't battering ram with your head" rule -- $21,000, just like last week's.
• Another for the Steelers:  Antonio Brown, a late hit on a defensive player after an interception, $7,875.
• *sigh*  Dallas Cowboys:  Dez Bryant:  $7,875 for a throat-slash touchdown celebration.  Is anyone going to get this guy under control?  ANYONE?   Bueller??  Bueller???
• Philadelphia Eagles:  Alex Henery:  $15,750 for a horse-collar tackle.  What makes this worse??  HE'S THEIR KICKER!!!
• Houston Texans:  Whitney Mercilus:  $15,750 for a helmet-to-helmet on Joe Flacco.

Information on those from the weekly NFL.com listings.

These are from other sources, including the normal footballsfuture.com forum listings:

• Cincinnati Bengals:  Another fine in the Packer game.  George Iloka said he "played for free" after he got fined $15,750 for concussing Jermichael Finley.  As several sports sources have noted, this is the second consecutive week a Packer player was eliminated by a fine-level hit with a concussion -- that was not called in the game.  There were four other incidents (two for each team) in that game which could have drawn fines, but did not.
• Tennessee Titans:  A scuffle broke out, which broke out into a war of words between the Titans' Moise Fukou and San Diego's Jeromey Clary.  Fukou was fined $7,875 for punching Clary...
• San Diego Chargers:  ... and Clary was fined $7,875 for essentially trying to take Fukou's arm home with him.

AS A RESULT:

• Tennessee Titans:  Have reached the Level 2 threshhold with Fukou's fine.  That costs the team an extra $50,000.  Tennessee becomes the third team so sanctioned.

Surprisingly (especially to Terrelle Pryor), that appears to be the extent of it so far.

To date:              $1,109,625
Week 3:             $   171,750  (so far, will update if needed)
Titans Level 2:    $     50,000
Total:                  $1,331,375