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Cowboy: 'We killed ourselves' with NFL-worst penalties; Miles Austin mum
11:18 PM CDT on Sunday, October 17, 2010
MINNEAPOLIS – For those inside and outside the Cowboys' organization who are agonizing over the 1-4 start, take a tip from wide receiver Miles Austin.
Don't worry. Be happy, like Miles.
Tug on your ever-so-stylish cap. Put on your headphones, and groove to the tunes. Leave the locker room without appearing as if you have a care in the world. You're Miles Austin, and everyone else is not.
And most of all, do not even think of stopping to explain your two penalties, part of 11 by the rules-breaking Cowboys. That would bring clouds into a sunny day, and everyone knows Miles Austin does not do cloudy days.
The carefree receiver left it to others to explain what happened.
"We killed ourselves," defensive end Marcus Spears said.
It was fitting the game ended with a penalty on the Cowboys for an illegal pass on a desperation, throw-it-around-the-field play. Their penalties ranged from the staple of false starts (two), to having 12 men in the huddle, to a fourth-quarter holding call on Alan Ball while blocking on a fourth-quarter punt return.
The Cowboys have had double-figure penalties in three games this season, losing all three. Detroit also has three games with double-figure penalties, and Oakland leads with four.
To be in the same neighborhood with Detroit and Oakland is not a good thing. Detroit, Oakland and the Cowboys are a combined 4-13.
The mind boggles at the thought of how many flags will be thrown on Nov. 21, when Detroit comes to Cowboys Stadium.
"All teams get penalties," owner-general manager Jerry Jones said. "We're getting more of them than the others are. They need to go back out and work and not shoot themselves in the foot."
Of all the self-inflicted wounds, Austin's second penalty hurt the Cowboys the most.
Early in the second quarter, with the game tied at 7-7, Austin broke clear to the inside against cornerback Asher Allen, moved up from third team to starter because of injuries. Despite having good position on Allen, Austin shot out his right arm to create more separation from the defender.
The punch knocked Allen off stride, and Austin broke free on what appeared to be a 68-yard touchdown catch. It was wiped out by an interference penalty on Austin.
It was Austin's second major penalty. In the first quarter, he picked up an excessive-celebration penalty for using Roy Williams, after his 15-yard touchdown catch, as a prop in a show of leap-frogging prowess. Unlike a week ago, when offensive tackle Marc Colombo's celebration penalty set up Tennessee's game-winning score, the Cowboys weathered this blunder.
As he did in the locker room, Austin vanished after the interference call. He had one catch, for eight yards, in the final 42 offensive plays.
Like Austin, cornerback Mike Jenkins had two major penalties. For the second consecutive game, Jenkins was called twice for pass interference. A year ago, he had only one pass-interference call. Now, he is tied with Green Bay's Charles Woodson for the league lead.
"I'm not going to change," said Jenkins, an aggressive defender.
unce
The Cowboys overcame the first Jenkins penalty. The second call, on a third-down play with 2:18 remaining, sealed the loss by giving Minnesota a first down. The Vikings ran off all but the final 13 seconds.
"It's not like the effort is not there," fellow cornerback Terence Newman said. "It's not like we don't know what we're doing. At times, we just shoot ourselves in the foot."
Those foot wounds are contagious, but not for Miles Austin. He had an extra pep as he merrily left the building.
Yellow flags
The Cowboys rank last in the NFL in penalty yards per game.
Team Penalty ypg Record
1. Dallas 80.8 1-4
2. Tennessee 76.8 3-2
3. Oakland 76.3 2-4
4. Detroit 71.5 1-5
5. Philadelphia 71.2 4-2
6. San Francisco 67.3 1-5
• • •
11:18 PM CDT on Sunday, October 17, 2010
MINNEAPOLIS – For those inside and outside the Cowboys' organization who are agonizing over the 1-4 start, take a tip from wide receiver Miles Austin.
Don't worry. Be happy, like Miles.
Tug on your ever-so-stylish cap. Put on your headphones, and groove to the tunes. Leave the locker room without appearing as if you have a care in the world. You're Miles Austin, and everyone else is not.
And most of all, do not even think of stopping to explain your two penalties, part of 11 by the rules-breaking Cowboys. That would bring clouds into a sunny day, and everyone knows Miles Austin does not do cloudy days.
The carefree receiver left it to others to explain what happened.
"We killed ourselves," defensive end Marcus Spears said.
It was fitting the game ended with a penalty on the Cowboys for an illegal pass on a desperation, throw-it-around-the-field play. Their penalties ranged from the staple of false starts (two), to having 12 men in the huddle, to a fourth-quarter holding call on Alan Ball while blocking on a fourth-quarter punt return.
The Cowboys have had double-figure penalties in three games this season, losing all three. Detroit also has three games with double-figure penalties, and Oakland leads with four.
To be in the same neighborhood with Detroit and Oakland is not a good thing. Detroit, Oakland and the Cowboys are a combined 4-13.
The mind boggles at the thought of how many flags will be thrown on Nov. 21, when Detroit comes to Cowboys Stadium.
"All teams get penalties," owner-general manager Jerry Jones said. "We're getting more of them than the others are. They need to go back out and work and not shoot themselves in the foot."
Of all the self-inflicted wounds, Austin's second penalty hurt the Cowboys the most.
Early in the second quarter, with the game tied at 7-7, Austin broke clear to the inside against cornerback Asher Allen, moved up from third team to starter because of injuries. Despite having good position on Allen, Austin shot out his right arm to create more separation from the defender.
The punch knocked Allen off stride, and Austin broke free on what appeared to be a 68-yard touchdown catch. It was wiped out by an interference penalty on Austin.
It was Austin's second major penalty. In the first quarter, he picked up an excessive-celebration penalty for using Roy Williams, after his 15-yard touchdown catch, as a prop in a show of leap-frogging prowess. Unlike a week ago, when offensive tackle Marc Colombo's celebration penalty set up Tennessee's game-winning score, the Cowboys weathered this blunder.
As he did in the locker room, Austin vanished after the interference call. He had one catch, for eight yards, in the final 42 offensive plays.
Like Austin, cornerback Mike Jenkins had two major penalties. For the second consecutive game, Jenkins was called twice for pass interference. A year ago, he had only one pass-interference call. Now, he is tied with Green Bay's Charles Woodson for the league lead.
"I'm not going to change," said Jenkins, an aggressive defender.
unceThe Cowboys overcame the first Jenkins penalty. The second call, on a third-down play with 2:18 remaining, sealed the loss by giving Minnesota a first down. The Vikings ran off all but the final 13 seconds.
"It's not like the effort is not there," fellow cornerback Terence Newman said. "It's not like we don't know what we're doing. At times, we just shoot ourselves in the foot."
Those foot wounds are contagious, but not for Miles Austin. He had an extra pep as he merrily left the building.
Yellow flags
The Cowboys rank last in the NFL in penalty yards per game.
Team Penalty ypg Record
1. Dallas 80.8 1-4
2. Tennessee 76.8 3-2
3. Oakland 76.3 2-4
4. Detroit 71.5 1-5
5. Philadelphia 71.2 4-2
6. San Francisco 67.3 1-5
• • •
