"wait! theres a flag on the field."

[powda]

texans' stats

2002

total penalties: 2nd worst with 136

total penalty yards: 4th worst with 1011 yards



2003

total penalties: 7th worst with 121

total penalty yards: 11th worst with 961

what more would you expect from an expansion team with limited game time as a unit ,and needless to say there's been some improvement...BUT...i think we have reasons to be concerned...

1. inexperience as a team

2. new left tackle

3. new left guard

4. new right tackle

5. new offensive line blocking scheme

6. rookie cb (robinson)

7. allegedly new audible responsibilities for carr


with all of the offensive line adjustments i expect plenty of holding calls. with a rookie cornerback in robinson i expect some unwaranted pass interference calls (especially with renewed attention by the nfl)---and perhaps i should expect the same from babin with very limited coverage experience--and with carr...if his leash has infact been lengthened by palmer and capers, i would expect plenty of delay of game calls while he adjusts plays at the line of scrimmage.

i think this has to be a consideration by the coaching staff.

to me theres just nothing more aggrivating then watching your team steadily shoot themselves in the foot with penalties.

plays never have a chance to happen.
field position is ripped away.
moral is declined.
the home field fans become a more limited factor.
gains (and sometimes even touchdowns) become negative yardage.

one of the benifitts to having a disciplinarian like capers is making penalties a more limited factor ,but i think we have a lot to overcome in regard to penalties this year...what do you guys think?

 

[JustBonee]

Have you guys seen this yet?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=1840261

From that article:
"The downside is that the first month of the season may be ugly because of the number of penalties that will have to be called to break the habits of physical cornerbacks"

 

[powda]

great link sassy.

In one part you had the new language reading: "If the receiver attempts to evade the defender, the defender cannot chuck him or extend an arm(s) to cut off or hook him, causing contact that impedes and restricts the receiver as the play develops."


But there was also a passage that was inserted for fairness to the cornerback or safety in coverage who banged into a receiver and it read: "Beyond the five-yard zone, if the player who receives the snap remains in the pocket with the ball, a defender may use his hands or arms only to defend or protect himself against the impending contact caused by a receiver."
-
why do i feel the need to make a direct comparission to a charging foul in basketball? i dont think it will be that much diffrent i guess.

-the advantage is clearly in the favor of the reciever.

-this penalty adjustment was a direct result of the division confrence playoffs.

-i think this renewed vigor for pass interference may impeed the trend of aquiring bigger physical recievers.

-i mentioned robinson earlier as a prime suspect ,but now i'm also starting to think glenn may have just as many flags due to his more ingrained habbits...

and in the link clayton suggest more man coverage to combat the pass interference but wouldnt the opposite be true? it seems to me a cover 2 or zone scheme would infact be a better adjustment should this become a signifigant factor...

 

[NoBullTexan]

Most of the penalties can be avoided by good coaching and attention to detail.
In the case of David Carr going to audibles, that should not be that much of a factor, as this is his third year. He should be able to recognize defenses if he and the QB coach do their homework properly.
True it will take the revamped offensive line awhile to get their timing down, but that is what pre-season is for.

 

[flawedout]

first this team is not as inexperienced as you may think.
-the entire offense has atleast 1 yr experience.
-todd wade might be new to the team but he is one of the best run blockers in the league.
-our guards can play both guard and tackle.
as for the new blocking scheme, new audiles, and and new players on offense, well there is a reason why you practice, believe me if our guys cant handle these new responsiblities in practice i doubt our coaches would let it happen in a game.

as for robinson, yea he will need help, but thats why we have coleman over top if he gets beat(which he will on some occasions).

cant say anything about the penalties.
we do need to work on our discipline.

 

[JustBonee]

This only opens up another can of bad calls for the officials who cant get it right in the first place. However the db's that can adjust to this will be hailed as a true shut down corners, as the acrobatics will become thrilling to watch.
The heartburn of watching penalties called on stuff that hasnt been called in the past will make us all buy lots of pepcid ac, tums and rolaids..and yell a lot.

 

[Ibar_Harry]

Except for AJ our receivers are not known for being physical. Even AJ has his share of unwanted attention. I believe this rule may be a blessing in disguise for our team and its receiver core. Gaffny may benifit the most, but AJ might also. I think Glenn will prove to be even better under the new rule. Speed and agility will be a premium under the new rule. This rule will have a lot of impact on the rushers, because I believe more receivers will be open sooner. It will be interesting to see what happens.