"The Jaguars' two aggressive young safeties, Don Carey and Courtney Greene, were both fined by the NFL on Thursday for illegal hits in the Dallas game last Sunday. Carey said he was fined $12,500 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, and Greene said on Twitter he was fined an undisclosed amount for a horse-collar tackle. Carey said he was worried he would get fined more because of the league's crackdown on helmet-to-helmet hits, but his hit didn't injure Witten, but he suffered a sore neck on the play. Another factor is that Carey makes $320,000 as a second-year player, or just under $19,000 a game, so a larger fine would have cost him his game paycheck. "I was never going for a head shot in the first place," Carey said as he noted that Witten lowered his head just as he went in for the tackle. "At the end of the day, I barely even touched him, but his head snapped back. I've got to lower my target." Carey said he will have to adjust or risk more fines. Coach Jack Del Rio defended Carey at his Monday news conference. "It was kind of interesting because when I walked out there, Witten saw the flag, and he goes, 'I can't believe he threw that flag. There wasn't anything cheap there.' And then I saw it on tape, and if anything, it was just awkward how Don ended up coming in there, but it definitely wasn't a vicious blow," Del Rio said. After trying several other combinations earlier in the season, the Jaguars paired Greene and Carey at safety two weeks ago and are pleased with their progress. "They are improving quickly, and that gives us a chance because they are athletic, and they are eager, and they are hungry, and they compete on every play," Del Rio said." read more: http://jacksonville.com/sports/foot...book-safeties-don-carey-courtney-greene-fined
