Godfrey’s Big Mistake

Carolina safety Charles Godfrey broke one of the cardinal rules of football in Sunday’s game against the Lions, and he’s sure to hear about it for weeks to come. The rookie has been playing phenomenal football since his induction into the NFL, but on Sunday he made his teammates cringe by getting tackled by the opposing team’s quarterback.

In one of Sunday’s most crucial plays (with Detroit trailing Carolina 24-22), Godfrey hid behind the intended receiver as Detroit quarterback Daunte Culpepper launched the ball straight to him, jumping out and intercepting the ball – his first in the league. Instead of running the ball down the field, however, Godfrey ran right into Culpepper himself, getting tackled by the 260-pound quarterback. Godfrey explained his mistake, claiming, “I was like, ‘Man, he threw this ball right to me!’ I knew it was a big play. I kind of froze. My first interception – I kind of jibber-jabbered. But hey, I caught it.” While Godfrey’s teammates are giving him a hard time for being tackled by Culpepper, they are undoubtedly thankful for the safety’s interception in the first place.

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