Randall Cobb calls Seahawks “cheap” and “front-runners” following late hit by Jeremy Lane

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb got to participate in the largest beatdown of the Seattle Seahawks since mid-2011 on Sunday, but still found himself unhappy following a late hit on the part of Seahawks’ cornerback Jeremy Lane. Cobb called the whole team, “Cheap. Bunch of front-runners. That’s Seattle, for you,” and so on.

It’s certainly not the first time that the Seahawks have been called out for an unsportsmanlike play following another team running out the clock; a kneeldown situation at the end of Super Bowl 49 ended in a skirmish between Seattle and the New England Patriots. In that case, the Seahawks were about to lose the biggest game of the year, one they felt they should have won. In this case, Seattle was about to lose by their biggest margin in five years, perhaps equally frustrating and confusing for those players to be completely outmatch for four quarters.

There will not be any excuses made for Jeremy Lane here. Lane has played poorly for most of the season and only been brought up for negative reasons, with many of the complaints surrounding his temper on the field. Despite signing a $23 million contract in the offseason after only six starts in his four years, Lane seems to find himself more frustrated than most players. Lane was supposed to be the veteran factor at cornerback to support Richard Sherman, but instead has turned into a constant force of concern for fans, whether it’s because of coverage or being unable to control himself and avoid flags.

That being said, Cobb going after the entire team seems unwarranted and overly-serving to the narrative that the Seahawks are dirty. It’s one thing to be accused of being dirty while you’re losing, but another to be the bully who is just overmatching most of their opponents and may have a bad apple or two. Green Bay was the one bullying Seattle on Sunday where it mattered, but the majority of skirmishes are typical to all football teams and players, not just the Seahawks. If the Packers had won more games this season, would it be surprising to hear other teams accuse their players stepping outside of the acceptable realms of sportsmanship?

What Lane did is inexcusable, but that shouldn’t reflect on the team as a whole.