Still, the flag was just one more indication of the lengths the NFL is currently traveling to protect its quarterbacks. This one, though, seemed to make little sense as Brown's hit was a shoulder pad to the torso of Bengals quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

"I really don't want to get into officiating," Brown said. "My job is to play the game. I don't play the game to be dirty. I don't play the game to hurt people. I just play it through the whistle. The league will probably see it that way . . . I think I hit him with the shoulder pad. We wear shoulder pads for a reason."

The referee, Tony Corrente, indicated that Brown ducked his head when he made the hit. They have lots of rules and interpretations about this stuff now. If Brown launched himself at the quarterback, that's now a no-no. But it was hard to see that, really. And he did not appear to lead with his head.

The penalty moved the Bengals to the Eagles' 34-yard line on their final drive. They could maneuver only 5 more yards, though.

"I was just thinking at the time that it could be a play that hurt the Football team," Brown said. "I really don't know anything. I really don't care about the call. I'm just thinking about the severity of the call."

Again, as it turned out, the play didn't cost the Eagles anything but some anxiety. But it could have been disastrous, and it really seemed a play better suited for a non-call.

"I believe in protecting the quarterback - I do believe in that," said Brown, which is farther than most defensive players will go. "And I do believe in protecting players. But when it's crunch time, this situation is almost like a basketball game where they let the tick-tack foul go and they let the players determine [the outcome].

"But . . . when it's happening fast, the official has a job to do. He's going to call it like he sees it. I can't argue that."

For whatever it was worth, Eagles coach Andy Reid declined to discuss the penalty. *