Falcons coach Dan Quinn and his staff have been working to cut down the team’s untimely penalties.
The Falcons had a potential touchdown and an interception nullified because of penalties against Dallas. On a Desmond Trufant interception, linebacker/defensive end Vic Beasley jumped offside. On Tevin Coleman’s fourth-quarter 25-yard touchdown run, wide receiver Mohamed Sanu was called for holding.
“Those are ones that you don’t get a second chance,” Quinn said.
The Falcons have committed 57 penalties for 506 yards this season. Seattle has committed 94 penalties for 780 yards.
“One of the areas that we are really trying to dial in on is special teams,” Quinn said. “Specifically in punt return. If you go around the league, there has been a number of returns for touchdowns or long returns that have come back because of push in the back or a grab. It’s been an emphasis for the officials this year.”
The Falcons are dealing with both issues.
“We recognize there are going to be some aggressive fouls, but pre-snap (fouls) you can live without,” Quinn said. “We are coaching those as a team and we always trying to get those corrected.”
Beasley’s was a pre-snap foul, while Sanu was aggressively blocking.
“When they get you, like us in the case of the interceptions that have been nullified or a return like in the New York game where there was a foul, they are game-changers,” Quinn said.
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