Instant Scratch-Off Trivia: The Horse Collar Edition

Dallas will be without Roy Williams on Saturday against the Carolina Panthers due to his third violation of the “ROY WILLIAMS RULE.” Mind you, when I said yesterday that he ought to be suspended, I wasn’t thinking that it would actually come true. Nevertheless, I feel about as bad for him as I would feel for: (a) someone who can’t seem to quit drinking and driving, or (b) former Dallas tackle Erik Williams, who couldn’t quite bring himself to quit violating the “ERIK WILLIAMS RULE.”

Anyway, here’s more from the Cowboys’ official site:

Roy Williams’ third violation of the NFL’s illegal “horse-collar” tackle rule this year has earned him a one-game suspension without pay, the league announced late Monday.

The Cowboys’ Pro Bowl safety will not be eligible to play in Saturday’s nationally-televised game at Carolina (7:15 p.m. CST) on the NFL Network (Channel 27 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area) after NFL director of football operations Gene Washington’s swift ruling.

Williams received a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty for his horse-collar tackle on Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb in Sunday’s 10-6 loss to Philadelphia. The play marked Williams’ third violation this season, and the fourth in the past two seasons.

The one-game suspension will cost Williams $35,000, or 1/17 his $595,000 base salary.

The NFL already has fined Williams $27,500 this season for a pair of horse-collar tackles, an illegal technique that includes “grabbing the inside collar of the back of the shoulder pads or jersey, or the inside collar of the side of the shoulder pads or jersey, and immediately pulling down the runner,” according to the NFL’s definition.

Williams was fined $12,500 for tackling Bears tight end Desmond Clark in Week 3 and another $15,000 two weeks later for collaring Bills running back Marshawn Lynch. In 2006, Williams coughed up $10,000 for using the horse-collar technique on former Giants running back Tiki Barber.

[Incidentally, I am not one of those who thinks we should (or could) trade or release Williams. I simply think that the penalty was about as stupid as it gets. Just my opinion.]

So in honor of Roy’s one-week hiatus, here are some trivia questions about the All-Pro safety.

Question #1: When Williams did not take the field to start the Thanksgiving Day game against the Jets, it ended a streak of how many games that Williams had started?

Question #2: During which season did Williams injure Terrell Owens’ leg with a horse collar tackle, and what was the outcome of the game?

Question #3: In addition to Williams, which other players have been named as finalists in the Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP contest?