In the loving afterglow of a Falcons win, the most unfortunate moments often fade away. We're not being given the luxury of forgetting the Monday Night Football near-brawl, though.

Ray Edwards has been fined $8,000, according to Pro Football Talk, which sounds about right after he went off the reservation a little bit. For those who don't recall, a fight erupted after a fumble recovery got a little rough and the replacement referees did what they do best, which was watch with mounting fear and panic as things got rapidly out of control.

Edwards' part in the little fracas was simple: He started jawing with Kevin Vickerson of the Broncos, took a swing and knocked the hat off a replacement ref. At this point, the team realized that Edwards was mildly out of control, and they backed him toward the sideline. Mike Smith had a few choice words for him after that.

This fine isn't a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but the Falcons have now seen two of their "best" players not produce through the first two games and do something knuckleheaded. I don't think that's a trend, but in an otherwise feel-great start to the season, it's just not necessary. I hope if a similar situation arises in the future, Ray takes himself out of it. Live and learn, right?

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