Patriots linebacker Adalius Thomas has been fined $5,000 for his fourth-quarter hit on Bills quarterback Trent Edwards Monday. Thomas received a roughing-the-passer penalty on the play. The NFL fined Thomas for unnecessarily slamming Edwards to the ground after the whistle. "I don't know, either you got to have a fast whistle or the guy is going to get taken to the ground," Thomas told the Boston Globe, which reported that he plans to appeal the fine. "I didn't think I slammed him to the ground, nothing like that. Right before I got ready to swing him down or whatever, or tackle him, my feet are off the ground and I'm on his back kind of. You don't really know what to do. You're stuck between a rock and a hard place. Do you let the guy go and let him throw the ball?"