Penalties and preseason games go together like peanut butter and jelly, but it’s tough to believe many New Orleans Saints fans were satisfied by all of the fouls in their Week 2 exhibition win over the Los Angeles Chargers. The Saints were penalized 14 times for 141 yards (a couple of other infractions were declined), while the Chargers drew just 5 fouls for 26 yards.
Saints head coach Dennis Allen certainly wasn’t pleased, saying after the game that it’s an obvious area the team must clean up.
“I didn’t like the penalties, way too many, so that’s something we’ve got to get cleaned up,” Allen reflected, also pointing to the yards given up to Chargers quarterback Easton Stick and too many coverage busts on fourth down. “Look we won the game, and I’m pleased about that, but there is a ton of crap that needs to get cleaned up.”
The good news is that the Saints should have referees in attendance for practice this week; they didn’t practice with an officiating crew present all summer, taking the field with the zebras for the first time in two joint practices with the Chargers last week. While the Saints will not be hosting the Houston Texans for joint practices as planned, they should still have referees at the facility for the NFL-standard second week of work before the regular season starts in September.
But what about the penalties on Sunday night? Let’s break it down by each quarter and see if any patterns emerge.