Denzel Perryman pokes fun at himself after misplay on TD pass

It would have been a heck of a play. So by no means was Raiders linebacker Denzel Perryman set up for an easy interception as he backed into the end zone defending a long heave from Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.

But the ball was there for the taking as it soared through the air at Allegiant Stadium during Sunday’s Pro Bowl game and began descending toward Perryman. As far as he and anyone else could tell, it was about to end up as an interception.

Only for Tampa Bay wide receiver Mike Evans to step in at the last second, jump and reach over Perryman to snag the ball for a 19-yard touchdown. A surprised Perryman, now on his knees, had to look back to see what happened.

At the end of the day, it was a simple case of physics. Perryman stands 5-feet-11 while Evans is 6-5. When it got right down to it, there wasn’t much Perryman could have done to overcome the decided height advantage.

It’s nothing Perryman hasn’t been dealing with his whole life. He’s always been too small or too this or that to compete with the big boys.

Not that it ever stopped him. From his high school football days in South Florida to the University of Miami to the professional ranks, he’s carved out a pretty good career for himself.

The payoff came this year when he became a Pro Bowler for the first time in his seven-year NFL career.

The good-natured Perryman laughs it all off as easily as he racks up tackles. He had 154 of them this year to lead the Raiders.

Not surprisingly, Perryman had some fun with the whole thing when he retreated to the AFC locker room, pondered what happened on the Evans touchdown and penned the following tweet:

“Lol i know i know, only if i was taller”

As usual, Perryman wasn’t too big to have some fun with himself.

The joke was fitting on a day that felt more like a bunch of buddies getting together for an afternoon of two-hand touch football than a game involving NFL players.

With injuries always a concern, there was an obvious gentlemen’s agreement to keep the physicality to a bare minimum. Rather than a football slugfest, it was a virtual seven-on-seven exhibition for which the matchups between receivers and pass defenders offered the most intrigue.

Tackling wasn’t just optional. It was nonexistent.

That meant a pretty easy day at the office for the Raiders Pro Bowl contingency, which consisted of Perryman, defensive end Maxx Crosby, wide receiver Hunter Renfrow and punter A.J. Cole.

Crosby was all over the place defensively while racking up five tackles, including three for losses, two sacks and three pass breakups. He earned Defensive MVP honors as a result.

Renfrow added five catches for 43 yards and a touchdown.

If you hoped to see Cole punt the ball, then Sunday wasn’t your kind of day. No one officially came out and said it, but it sure felt like the mere thought of kicking the ball away on fourth down was banned from Allegiant Stadium.

That is OK. So was tackling.

But as Perryman showed with his ability to laugh at himself, Sunday was more about having fun than playing an actual football game.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.