Technically -- as the rule is written -- Roy's penalty should NOT have been called. And neither should the other two.
Here is the exact rule -- "All players are prohibited from ... d) grabbing the inside collar of the back of the shoulder pads or jersey, or the inside collar of the side of the shoulder pads or jersey, and immediately pulling down the runner. This does not apply to a runner who is in the tackle box or to a quarterback who is in the pocket."
The rule prohibits grabbing the "inside collar" of the jersey or shoulder pads and immediately pulling the runner down. I just watched the replay, and Roy did not grab the inside collar. He grabbed the jersey on the outside, at Clark's nameplate.
Now, if the NFL wanted to avoid having players injured by that type of tackle, they shouldn't have stipulated what got grabbed. Whether you grab the back of the jersey, the collar, the top of the shoulder pads or the hair sticking out the back of the helmet (which is where Barber was grabbed), it's the action of being pulled down immediately backward that causes injuries, not the grabbing of the collar. On two of Roy's three infamous horse-collars that brought about the rule, he didn't have his hands inside the collar, either.
