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June 9th, 2008 by Rafael Vela
The 5 to 10% Solution — Penalty Edition
Bill Parcells brought a reputation for well-disciplined, intelligent football teams to Dallas. It was maddening therefore to see his last two teams struggle with penalties. His ‘05 team, which just missed the playoffs, was one of the best offenses for penalties, ranking 25th worst in total penalties and 30th in offensive yards forfeited, with just 739.
The defense was another story, ranking last (or 1st in this case) in penalties taken, with a league high 142.
The trends were reversed in ‘06. The defense was much better, cutting its number of flags from 142 to 93.
Those gains were relinquished by the offense, which went from having the third fewest penalty yards in ‘05 to having the 8th most in ‘06. I’m sure people recall the meltdown in Washington, where the Cowboys racked up 153 yards in penalties in a 22-19 loss.
Wade Phillips‘ first team improved on both sides of the ball, cutting overall penalty yards by 234 from ‘06. That said, the offense continued to take too many needless penalties. Look at Dallas’ biggest defeats and you’ll see games where discipline broke down.
In the Patriots loss Dallas committed 12 penalties worth 100 yards. The Cowboys prevailed in the second Giants game at the Meadownlands, but committed 10 penalties, some of which prevented an early blowout. Fans may remember a taunting penalty on Kevin Burnett that gave the Giants a field goal before the half. That fore-shadowned a Jacques Reeves 15-yard facemask penalty that helped the Giants score before the half in the playoff loss. The Cowboys were flagged another ten more times in that game.
One of the biggest challenges for new offensive line coach Hudson Houck will be to improve his linemen’s discipline. The Cowboys line under Tony Sparano was one of the most penalized in the NFL from ‘04 through ‘07. Cutting the miscues will help the Cowboys take the next step.
June 10th, 2008 by Rafael Vela
Penalties Updated.
Update: Yesterday I discussed team penalties and how OL coach Hudson Houck has a chance to improve the offense’s overall standing.
Check out this blurb from Ed Thompson’s latest Fox story:
Colombo has no excuse. He did play on a gimpy ankle for a good part of ‘07 but by year’s end he was rolling out of his stance early, trying to get into his backpedal against good speed rushers.
A new coach and better health should cut this penalty total down, or so we hope.
The 5 to 10% Solution — Penalty Edition
Bill Parcells brought a reputation for well-disciplined, intelligent football teams to Dallas. It was maddening therefore to see his last two teams struggle with penalties. His ‘05 team, which just missed the playoffs, was one of the best offenses for penalties, ranking 25th worst in total penalties and 30th in offensive yards forfeited, with just 739.
The defense was another story, ranking last (or 1st in this case) in penalties taken, with a league high 142.
The trends were reversed in ‘06. The defense was much better, cutting its number of flags from 142 to 93.
Those gains were relinquished by the offense, which went from having the third fewest penalty yards in ‘05 to having the 8th most in ‘06. I’m sure people recall the meltdown in Washington, where the Cowboys racked up 153 yards in penalties in a 22-19 loss.
Wade Phillips‘ first team improved on both sides of the ball, cutting overall penalty yards by 234 from ‘06. That said, the offense continued to take too many needless penalties. Look at Dallas’ biggest defeats and you’ll see games where discipline broke down.
In the Patriots loss Dallas committed 12 penalties worth 100 yards. The Cowboys prevailed in the second Giants game at the Meadownlands, but committed 10 penalties, some of which prevented an early blowout. Fans may remember a taunting penalty on Kevin Burnett that gave the Giants a field goal before the half. That fore-shadowned a Jacques Reeves 15-yard facemask penalty that helped the Giants score before the half in the playoff loss. The Cowboys were flagged another ten more times in that game.
One of the biggest challenges for new offensive line coach Hudson Houck will be to improve his linemen’s discipline. The Cowboys line under Tony Sparano was one of the most penalized in the NFL from ‘04 through ‘07. Cutting the miscues will help the Cowboys take the next step.
June 10th, 2008 by Rafael Vela
Penalties Updated.
Update: Yesterday I discussed team penalties and how OL coach Hudson Houck has a chance to improve the offense’s overall standing.
Check out this blurb from Ed Thompson’s latest Fox story:
Dallas Cowboys offensive tackles Marc Columbo and Flozell Adams both finished in the top five of the league for false starts last year.
Columbo’s 10 false starts put him in a tie for the most in the league along with Raiders offensive tackle Barry Sims. Detroit Lions offensive tackle George Foster tied Adams for second place, as did Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive guard Arron Sears.
I talked to a source about Adams a year ago and he told me Adams has severe hearing loss in his right ear, which makes it hard for him to hear the quarterback. He also told me Adams has never used a hearing aid in his helmet, a rumor you see from time to time and that the team puts up with his false starts because he’s been an effective left tackle and those are hard to find. “So long as Adams is the left tackle,” he said, “you’re going to see some false starts, especially on the road.”Colombo has no excuse. He did play on a gimpy ankle for a good part of ‘07 but by year’s end he was rolling out of his stance early, trying to get into his backpedal against good speed rushers.
A new coach and better health should cut this penalty total down, or so we hope.
