False Starts And Offensive Holding: Breaking Down Bengals Penalties

+ Penalties. Penalties. Penalties. An offensive holding can stall a momentum-gathering eight-play drive that results in third-and-long. Mostly those situations result in a punt or, at worse, a turnover from a deep pass into eight-man coverages. A false start can be as damaging, considering that the penalties are generally the result from a lack of concentration. Teams will attempt to make up those lost five yards with a dump pass or a run up the gut, getting back on schedule, as Dave Lapham calls it.

A defensive pass interference provides a beautiful gift to the opposing offense that can reach 40-50 yards in penalty yards. Consider that unsportsmanlike penalties, players using the crown of their helmets to make missile-diving hits, are viewed as lesser infractions. The league's most subjective call can dictate the outcome of games, especially when they're called in overtime.

As if we didn't need to point out the obvious, this NFL.com post points out that of the top five most penalized teams, only the Philadelphia Eagles made the playoffs in 2010. What's worse is that a large percentage of the Bengals penalties are false starts and offensive holding calls; penalties that often result in stalled drives. During the team's 2010 season, the 4-12 Cincinnati Bengals committed 100 penalties (10 were declined). Of the 90 accepted penalties, 22 were false starts and 19 were committed offensive holding penalties.

Whitworth's eight penalties breaks down like this: three offensive holdings, two false starts and two illegal formations. Bobbie Williams committed five false starts, an offensive holding and a 15-yard face mask.

Dating back to 2003, 42.1% of the team's overall penalties result in an offensive holdings and false starts. A breakdown per season (FS+Holding = False Starts plus offensive holding).

If there's anything to take from this, the Bengals combined offensive holding and false starts reached their lowest percentage against total penalties during the Marvin Lewis era last season. Perhaps the players can work on this somehow during their players-only workouts during the lockout, if they've even identified it as a problem.