For the Raiders to have the fewest penalties in the league is…unusual. To say the least. Classically that was certainly not the case. They were once seen as the NFL’s bad boys and racking up flags and penalty yards came along with that.
Well, since Antonio Pierce took over as head coach, the Raiders have had one of the best defenses in the league. Something they used to be known for back in those ‘bad boy’ days. But haven’t been known for in some time.
And yet somehow, while their defense is fierce, they’ve been playing pretty clean in the Pierce era. That goes for the entire team, actually, which has been the least penalized team in the league over the past 12 games under Pierce.
How does Pierce explain this?
“I think being unselfish,” Pierce said. “I’m going to give credit to the coaches and the players. We do a lot of individual, we spent 20 minutes at the beginning of practice on individuals and fundamentals and technique and just kind of buying in.
“Really to me the biggest thing is pre-and-post-snap penalties. That is what you want to avoid. Sometimes in football things happen, you get a little touchy, a little grabby, holding, that’s the nature of the beast. But I think really it’s a credit to our guys on how to win games. And being the least penalized team is one of those ways.”
Being unselfish, practicing good technique, and preaching discipline.
Being selfish means playing for yourself. Like being one of those players looking for the big hit or getting the stat, instead of playing team football.
Maintaining good technique is how you keep from getting penalties during the play. Whether it’s a dirty play or the penalty you commit to make up for missing the tackle or having poor footwork or missing the block.
And discipline is how the pre-snap and post-snap penalties often happen. Like lining up wrong, not knowing the snap count or just jumping early. Or after the whistle, not having late hits or personal fouls.
That’s not to say the Raiders have been choir boys here. Jack Jones was ejected from the season opener for fighting. and Tre’von Moehrig was flagged for a late hit last week against the Ravens. Nobody’s perfect. The Raiders have just been closer to it than the rest of the NFL since Pierce took over.