AP

Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman figured prominently in one of the biggest moments in Monday night’s game when he crossed the line of scrimmage early on a field goal attempt and barreled into Bills kicker Dan Carpenter on a play that was blown dead.

Sherman was not flagged for roughing Carpenter unnecessarily despite hitting him on a play that had been blown dead, something that earned referee Walt Anderson a rebuke from his boss Dean Blandino after the game. Sherman disagreed with Blandino’s belief it should have been a penalty, telling Lisa Salters of ESPN that he went for the ball and not a kicker who didn’t have to go through with the play if it was stopped by officials.

“It wasn’t a dirty play. I’m a pro,” Sherman said, via Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com. “I’ve been in this league long enough. I know how hard it is to play. When you go for a block, that’s what you do. You go for a block. Even if I was offsides, you still stop the play. You’re not going to let him just kick the ball freely and let him have a free play. He could have made the decision not to kick the ball. He saw the flag before I did. He has a better vantage point than any of us.”

Sherman also said that he felt that he made contact with the ball, which would take away a penalty. That would be the case if the play was progressing as normal, but hitting another player when the ball is dead is a penalty. That’s not up to Sherman to call, obviously, and Blandino’s comments make it clear his intent shouldn’t be a factor in the way the play is officiated.

Sherman also exchanged words with Bills coach Rex Ryan later in the game with Ryan saying that he told Sherman “you’re too good a player to act like an ass” during the exchange.

“I didn’t say anything,” Sherman said. “I just looked at him. He’s one of those coaches that likes to talk. It’s fun to see what he has to say.”

The Bills didn’t enjoy the way things unfolded on Monday, but at least Sherman was able to find some fun in the NFL again.