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(Another in a series of posts circling back on the 2012 season and some of our preseason themes.) Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz halted one of the training camp practices I covered last summer to, uh, remind players that he would have a low tole...

Let's address one of the secondary issues resulting from last Thursday's eye-opening penalty against Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz. Namely: What was the original intent of the rule that quashed the Lions' opportunity to challenge an obviously inco...

Let's take a moment to wrap up a loose end from the Detroit Lions' 26-23 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Here's where we left it in our Rapid Reaction post: What I'm curious to know more about: A pair of penalties on a fourth-quarter extra poi...

PHILADELPHIA -- Some thoughts at halftime from Lincoln Financial Field: I'm not sure what's more concerning for the Detroit Lions: The play of quarterback Matthew Stafford or their penalty total. We'll start with the former. Stafford is compl...

When it is legal for a defensive player to interfere with an eligible receiver once the ball is in the air? Many of you asked that question this week after referee Walt Anderson overturned a pass interference penalty on the Dallas Cowboys during the ...

We discussed a number of officiating issues over the past few days, from the Chicago Bears' penalty for 12 men on the field to the "double-sack" Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford endured. I didn't see the need for an additional Dirty Laundry...

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- In an unusual moment Wednesday morning, Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz called his team into a huddle near the far end of a practice field. The previous 75 minutes had produced one too many false starts and encroachment penaltie...

Green Bay Packers defensive end Anthony Hargrove has insisted on multiple occasions that a key piece of evidence against him in the New Orleans Saints bounty issue is a case of mistaken identity. Voice recognition analysis confirmed that Hargrove was...

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is waiting until at least Friday to rule on the appeals of four players suspended in the New Orleans Saints bounty case, including current Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove. ESPN.com NFL columnist Ash...

For the most part, we have focused our bounty coverage on Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove, who will be suspended for the first eight games of the season unless the NFL shortens or eliminates the penalty. After Hargrove's explosiv...

On Wednesday we noted that Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove received the second-harshest penalty among the four players suspended in the NFL's investigation of the New Orleans Saints' bounty program. In a news release, the league ...

Wow. We all knew that new Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove was a member of the New Orleans Saints during the time when the NFL says the Saints' well-discussed bounty program was in place. But I'm not sure any of us expected Hargro...

You've probably heard by now that a jury has found Minnesota Vikings cornerback Chris Cook not guilty on all charges related to a domestic incident last October. The NFL could still levy a penalty under its personal conduct policy, but Thursday's ver...

The Detroit Lions this season have provided anecdotal evidence of what has long been asserted through statistical analysis: Penalty totals don't necessarily correlate with winning percentage. The Lions ranked third in the NFL this season in accept...

Judge for yourself. Here is the photo evidence of a clear face mask penalty that occurred on the final play of the Detroit Lions' 34-28 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Lions linebacker DeAndre Levy sure seems to have a firm grasp of Vikings qu...

Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz has gone to great lengths this week to classify his team's penalty problems. He said Monday, in fact, that he is concerned about two kinds of penalties -- those that occur before the snap and after the whistle -- and ...