Brian Schottenheimer thought he had the fix. With minutes left on the clock, he pulled one of his biggest defensive stars off the field for an earful. That should have ended the penalty problem, at least for the Cardinals game, right? Instead, on the way to a 33-30 overtime loss, it only got worse.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
When the league released its Week 8 accountability list, the Cowboys didn’t have just one or two names on it. They had a season-high three players fined.
Sure, Schottenheimer says the team is taking measures in practice to deal with it. “There are penalties in practice that we remove guys, and you take them out and things like that. Just because the unfortunate part is the penalties hurt the entire team.”
But if the fines are anything to go by, the team’s troubles are far from over.
Rashan Gary
Gary was supposed to be one of the biggest additions of the offseason. An edge rusher coming off back-to-back 7.5-sack seasons should have been huge for the defense. But against the Cardinals, his two tackles couldn’t make up for the penalty that cost Dallas the game.
The league fined Gary $17,911 for a hit on the quarterback, specifically a “blow to the head/neck.”
It stemmed from a moment late in the fourth quarter. Facing third-and-10 at the Dallas 29-yard line, Gardner Minshew threw an incomplete pass. That should have forced Arizona to settle for a field goal, but Gary was flagged for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Minshew. The 15-yard penalty moved the ball to the Dallas 14, and it took Minshew a single pass to find the end zone.
Schottenheimer wasted no time pulling Gary off the field. “We pulled him out, talked to him about it, addressed it. We addressed it today again in the meeting. RG is aware. It’s a big play in the game, but it’s not the only play in the game that affected the outcome of the game, but he was removed and it was discussed.”
Gary went back in for 11 more snaps, but the damage was done, and the edge rusher knew it. “I feel like I let the team down,” he said. “I got to be smarter. It comes down to locking in and being consistent in those type situations. It’s really focusing and playing smart ball.”
And Gary’s mistake wasn’t the last. The team didn’t learn from it, and the costly hits kept coming.
P.J. Locke
With the Cowboys’ starting safeties dealing with injuries, P.J. Locke has been getting playing time. But on Sunday, his mistake nearly cost him his spot in the Week 9 lineup.
We’re talking about a helmet-to-helmet hit in overtime that drew a $19,444 fine. Cardinals running back Tyler Allgeier was on a short carry when Locke crashed in helmet-first. Allgeier shrugged off the hit and kept running while Locke went to the ground. Officials didn’t throw a flag, so it cost no penalty yards, but when the league reviewed the game, it sent a clear message.
What’s puzzling is Locke’s willingness to take that kind of hit, given his history. Three years ago, when Locke played for the Broncos, a helmet hit caused serious problems for the safety. Along with chest pain and trouble speaking, he had to travel to road games by car instead of by plane on doctors’ advice.
For a safety who knows what the consequences of a hit like that can be, Locke’s decision to risk it all seemed more desperate than necessary to stop the Cardinals’ offense. He had to pass concussion checks before being cleared to play against the Colts in Week 9.
DeMarvion Overshown
Overshown spent the first few weeks on the sidelines, but he has been racking up tackles over the last two games. Against the Cardinals, however, he was fined $9,528 for a hit earlier in the game.
Late in the second quarter, with about 20 seconds left in the half, running back Bam Knight caught the ball over the middle, trying to pick up another first down. Overshown came charging in and lowered his shoulder for the hit. The force was enough to knock the ball loose before Knight went to the ground.
Interestingly, there was no flag on the field, but the league still fined the hit. Overshown led with his shoulder, but his helmet made contact with Knight’s. The hit forced the Cardinals to take Knight out of the game with a concussion, and he’ll miss Week 9 against the Seahawks.
Where do the Cowboys stand on penalties?
Schottenheimer pulled Gary off the field and has addressed the problem in practice, but the team needs a long-term solution. The Cowboys have racked up 60 penalties in eight games.
Schottenheimer might need to consider tougher consequences, even if that means benching players or setting internal fines. The Cowboys need to keep it clean on the field.