Crime and Punishment in Big D

November 05, 2008

Nolan Bennett

Crime and Punishment in Big D

Crime and Punishment in Big D

You don’t have to be a die-hard fan to know that the biggest reason for the Cowboys’ recent struggles has been Brad Johnson. As bad as the offensive line and defensive secondary have played at times, the fact that the former Super Bowl quarterback hasn’t looked like he could throw a stone in the ocean this season has to be Wade Phillips’ worst oversight since coming to Dallas two years ago.

That being said, and I felt like it needed to be, the next most troubling aspect of this season has been the endless parade of yellow flags upon the field. Far too often this year, the lack of discipline on the team has both sustained opponents’ pivotal drives and negated game-changing plays by the ‘Boys. Would it surprise you to learn that we lead the league in penalties? With 71 such infractions, we’re ahead of second-ranked Arizona by nine! Well-coached teams like the Patriots (even though it pains me to give them their due) might total nine penalties over the course of three full games. That’s right, New England has just 24 penalties this year. They’re also 5-3 with a backup quarterback playing the entire season—and if you point out that lowly Matt Cassel could probably pass left-handed and still hit his receivers with better accuracy than Brad Johnson, I’ll throw something at you.

Now, if you’re like me, you’ll want to know which knuckleheads are most responsible for the penalty fest that has been this season. Well, I’ve gone back over every game and recorded the names of all the guilty parties. Here is what I’ve found:

MOST PENALIZED COWBOYS PLAYERS IN 2008