Edwards on NFL: 'They just hate the Vikings'

Ray Edwards said he will plead his case to the NFL after being fined $10,000 for two separate incidents in the Vikings' victory over the Detroit Lions on Sept. 26 at Mall of America Field.

Still, the defensive end isn't holding out much hope he will be successful. He seems pretty sure the NFL has it out for his team's defensive line.

"I think they just hate the Vikings," Edwards said Monday after the Vikings concluded their first practice since having time off for the bye. "Me personally, I'm watching games and guys are getting holding calls. You watch our tape and we get held more than anybody but we don't get those calls. I guess because we're the outlaws that's just how it goes."

Edwards has been fined multiple times in his four-plus NFL seasons and said he has never won an appeal. "I've lost every one of them," he said. "It's like you're getting grounded by your parents and you're trying to appeal to your parents why you shouldn't be grounded. You just try to win and hopefully they see something in the tape where they figure, 'Oh, we shouldn't fine this guy this time.'"

Edwards drew two $5,000 fines for his actions against the Lions. The first was for his involvement in a third-quarter fracas that involved several players and began when defensive end Brian Robison sacked quarterback Shaun Hill. Surprisingly, Edwards the only player to be fined.

The other incident involving Edwards happened in the fourth quarter when he struck Hill in the head area after being upended into the quarterback. "I jumped over the fullback trying to come cut me," Edwards said. "It's either my knees or me hitting the quarterback so I think I'm taking the quarterback every time."

The fine for taking part in the altercation seemed to upset Edwards more, given that he felt other players could have been fined as well.

Edwards was fined $25,000 during November 2008 for "two plays considered unnecessary roughness" in a 19-13 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also was fined $5,000 for a late hit on Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck in a preseason game in August and expects to hear a decision this week on whether he won his appeal.