Penalties are a BIG problem

[Screamin12th]

I know its preseason, who doesn't but lets be real here. 14 flags for almost 200 yard!?!?!?!?!?!? The Hawks continued to shoot themselves in the foot all night long. Wilson was playing lights out but always found himself in 2nd and 3rd and LONG because of stupid fouls. The fact that the Hawks were able to over come 14 flags for almost 200 yards and still hold the advantage in total yards and time of possession is beyond me. The Team was always behind on downs which force Wilson to make some throws he normally wouldn't. Preseason or not this was ugly.

354 yards of penalties people in 3 games. This is plain ugly and it did not get better, It has only got worse as the preseason has moved on. I wouldn't worry about it but after each game Pete says " We will work on it" yet those penalties keep climbing even after making it a main focus. 8 the first game 9 the second and 14 in this last one. The Hawks were 4th in the NFL for most penalties last season and this has not been fixed. I don't know maybe i am spoiled by the Holmgren days when the team wouldn't shoot itself in the foot all the time.

What is your take on this out of control and GROWING problem? Don't just say it's preseason because one trend that seems to follow teams in and out of preseason is turnovers and FLAGS.

 

[WizardHawk]

bah, I just posted this in the other thread 5 minutes ago.

The penalties are a concern no doubt, but I recall that as an issue every year in preseason. I do recall seeing too many in early season games as well in past seasons. I do agree that most of it will be cleaned up when the final roster is settled and players settle down into their rolls, but the overall aggressive style will probably always leave this team with more penalties than fans are comfortable with. Giacomini had way too many last year and I'm sure he will be a frequent flag target again this year. Sweezy might be another.

Is there really any way to be both a physical/aggressive team and be the lowest flagged team in the league? I'm sure it's just the price of doing business that way.

I'll add that the question is do you gain more with the aggressive play than you lose in added penalties. If yes then you can try to clean them up as much as you can, but you have to live with it and accept the upside. If you think you lose more yards than you gain then it's time to look at not being so aggressive. Do you want them to change their overall style?

My take is they need to constantly address it, but they will never get it as tight as a finesse team and I'm totally fine with it. The yards we save on sacks, hurries, wide open holes for Lynch, etc far outweigh the penalty yards that style produce.

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

Allot of tick tack call's.... Don't even get me started on the call against Wagner ... That ticked me off... Hit's him JUST Like they say in the chest and they call head shot vs a defenseless receiver...

 

[uwdawgfan]

Well hopefully we can be aggressive and smart at the same time. Those penalties last night were killers. I would rather see Wilson at 3 and 5 rather than 3rd and 13. I also would love to see more screen plays if they are going to constantly bring pressure all night. They blitzed a lot last night...

 

[WizardHawk]

Didn't we get 4 turnovers last night? If the aggressive play brings in that kind of turnover production, but also gives 100 yards in penalties isn't it still worth it? I'm not saying I expect that many in the regular season. Several of those calls were pure BS, but then when aren't there bad calls in the regular season too? I still see this team producing at least 7-8 penalties a game with a few games around 10+ and I'm ok with it if they keep on creating holes and turnovers with that style of play.

 

[Uhsplit]

The INT by our backup corner was a thing of beauty. Called back due to a weak PI call. Many of those flags should not have been thrown.
While I don't like the penalties I love the aggression. Cut down on the stupid stuff (Sweezy) and it will improve.

 

[Screamin12th]

Didn't we get 4 turnovers last night? If the aggressive play brings in that kind of turnover production, but also gives 100 yards in penalties isn't it still worth it? I'm not saying I expect that many in the regular season. Several of those calls were pure BS, but then when aren't there bad calls in the regular season too? I still see this team producing at least 7-8 penalties a game with a few games around 10+ and I'm ok with it if they keep on creating holes and turnovers with that style of play.

We got 2 turnovers last night and gave up 2, broke even. Add in the flags against a good team say like the 49ers and the Hawks lose 30-7. Put it this way. Hawks would have had close to 450-500 yards offense had they just removed 50% of those flags not to mention at least 2 more scores in my eyes. Pretty much just guess work on the scores but man oh man was it ugly. Sweezy seems to figure he doesn't have to hold himself accountable now that Moffitt was traded. If his Job being on the line from someone like Moffitt made him play better then trading Moffitt was stupid.

Very unhappy with what i saw on the penalty front. Had it just been one game it wouldn't bother me but its the FACT that they said after game 1 of the preseason " We need to work on cleaning that up" and it's got WORSE. The Fact that they pointed it out themselves and have regressed is what bothers me. Not good, not good at all.

 

[nflspense]

The Blackmon and Wagner calls got me a little fired up, just good football plays. However, the non-calls on holding against Mayowa and OBS were the worst.

I do like them calling it tight on the OL in the preseason, especially on Sweezy, hopefully it will keep him fired up to get better.

 

[Cave_Johnson]

I'm just glad that wasn't a regular season game last night or else I probably would have ruined my vocal cords screaming at the TV. Way too many careless penalties taking away big play. There were a lot of "unnecessary roughness" and "defenseless receiver" calls that appeared to be precautionary calls by the officials but take those away and there were still a lot of mistakes.

 

[HawkSquatch]

A lot of this had to do with being at Lambeau and what happened last year. Pete didnt have enough challenge flags for every situation. Like that obvious fumble. Or the dropped pass that was obvious too. I saw these clearly in real time. Pete could too. Why didn't the refs? You tell me.

 

[France_Steve]

Is there really any way to be both a physical/aggressive team and be the lowest flagged team in the league? I'm sure it's just the price of doing business that way.

QUOTE]

I remember the Panthers of 2004 being a really physical team. Ran the ball hard and played good defense. And they almost never had flags. I rmember they beat dallas in the playoffs and had no flags and no turnovers. So yes it is possible. If we stop those stupid penalties like diving on the pile and the refs stop calling penalties just for being physical we will cut our penalties is half.

 

[FirebreathingMonkey]

Here's another look at how flags might not hurt us as badly as we think.
Seahawks' penalties aren't a cause for concern - 710sports.com

My biggest concern is not the flags against the Seahawks but the flags in general. It's pissing me off watching clean hits where a player goes shoulder first into a guy and knowing its going to get a 15 yard flag because the guys head moved. Add to the fact that QB's are not to be touched and I find it harder and harder to watch the D.

 

[FirebreathingMonkey]

Are you serious? This seems to be quickly getting out of hand.

NFL to study hits to knees, eye rule change - ESPN

 

[NinerSickness]

Are you serious? This seems to be quickly getting out of hand.

NFL to study hits to knees, eye rule change - ESPN

You can't hit 'em high, and you somehow need to make your head disappear when you make impact. Pretty soon you won't be able to hit 'em low either.

Flag football here we come! Thanks you assholes suing the NFL over a BS concussion issue easy-buck grab.

 

[Screamin12th]

no hits to the knees on anyone that's not a ball carrier would be a upgrade in the rules in my eyes. Only dirty punks do that anyway.

 

[AceKeptic]

Even Coach Carroll isn't happy about this:
Coach Pete Carroll isn?t happy about penalty prone preseason: ?I?m not pleased right now? | Yardbarker.com

And he shouldn't be! Yes, we've been winning games, but with the lack of discipline (among other things), sooner or later, the penalties are going to cost us a game or two.

I remember how last year, Giancomo had to be benched for a while because of a few boneheaded personal fouls. Is that what it's going to take again?

I do look forward to another great season from these guys, but they do need to get their act together in this department.