National Football League

Penalties pile up for Lions in another ugly loss

Published Dec. 6, 2011 12:58 a.m. ET

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The Detroit Lions are losing again - and they aren't doing it quietly.

After a 5-0 start, Detroit has dropped five of seven, and each defeat has included some element of controversy. The latest loss came Sunday night at New Orleans, where the Lions were penalized 11 times for 107 yards while falling 31-17.

''Obviously, everything on the field is a reflection of the organization, it's a reflection of the head coach, it's a reflection of all the coaches, it's a reflection of the players,'' coach Jim Schwartz said Monday. ''It's not a presentation we want. It's something that puts a team in a bad position, and selfish play won't be tolerated.''

Detroit was playing without star defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who began serving a two-game suspension for roughing up a Green Bay offensive lineman in the Lions' previous game, a Thanksgiving loss to the Packers. Less than two weeks before that, when Detroit lost 37-13 at Chicago, there was a brief melee toward the end of the game.

Earlier in the season, Schwartz had an altercation with San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh following Detroit's loss to the 49ers, and after the Lions lost to Atlanta, the Falcons accused Suh and defensive lineman Cliff Avril of taunting quarterback Matt Ryan while he was briefly injured.

Now it's penalties the Lions are having to answer for. They were hit with three offensive pass interference calls and a personal foul on tight end Brandon Pettigrew for making contact with an official who was trying to get between him and Saints safety Roman Harper after the whistle.

An unnecessary roughness call on rookie receiver Titus Young deep in Saints territory forced the Lions to settle for a field goal in the third quarter. In the fourth, punt returner Stefan Logan was called for unsportsmanlike conduct.

''There's stuff that's part of the play. I don't consider a facemask a selfish play, I don't consider a defensive pass interference a selfish play, an offensive holding a selfish play,'' Schwartz said. ''But an unsportsmanlike conduct is a selfish play. It makes one player feel good, and everybody else pay the price.''

The Lions became a feel-good story around Detroit because of their impressive start, and they still have a decent chance to make the playoffs, but they've struggled to keep their composure on the field.

Back in their season opener, the Lions beat Tampa Bay, but they had to withstand a late rally that was aided by an unnecessary roughness penalty on Detroit offensive lineman Gosder Cherilus.

Schwartz said those types of penalties weren't much of a problem again until recently, and he said his team has actually done a good job avoiding other infractions like presnap penalties.

Schwartz also said there were moments Sunday when his players kept their cool.

''We had a lot of incidents in this game of guys walking away from things,'' he said. ''They had a defensive lineman that took a swing at one of our offensive linemen. It's as blatant as it can get during the play, and our guy doesn't retaliate. Flag never gets thrown.''

Players weren't available to the media Monday, but Schwartz said he doesn't think there's a link between the team's aggressive attitude and any lack of discipline on the field.

''We want to play as hard and as physical as we can from the snap to the whistle, and anything that's after the whistle, we don't need to be any part of,'' he said. ''I don't think that has anything to do with being a physical team or trying to instill any kind of attitude or anything else. Anything that happens after the whistle is strictly a selfish play. It has nothing to do with anything. It has nothing to with any kind of attitude or attempt to play tough or anything else.''

Schwartz didn't sound concerned about possible additional discipline for Pettigrew after his penalty.

''The official on the sideline said, `Hey look, I stepped in between two players and he didn't know that was me,''' Schwartz said.

The Lions (7-5) will play Minnesota (2-10) at home next weekend, and they figure to be favored, perhaps by a significant margin. It will be a chance for Detroit to show it can take care of business with a lot at stake against a struggling opponent.

It's also a chance for the Lions to prove they can cut down on the mental mistakes that are costing them yardage - and maybe some respect.

''It'll continue to be addressed,'' Schwartz said. ''And players that do those things won't play.''

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