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The Oakland Raiders were long known for their ability to rack up penalty flags on any given Sunday, but the Silver and Black's newfound discipline this season leaves them as one of the least penalized teams in the NFL, according to the San Jose Mercury News' Jerry McDonald.
The Raiders hold the NFL record with 163 penalties and 1,358 penalty yards in a single season. But through three weeks of the 2012 season, Oakland is ranked 29th in penalties with just 14 and 30th in penalty yards with 102. They had 59 pre-snap penalties a year ago for an average of 3.7 per game, but have only six in three games this year. And in their tally of personal fouls, the Raiders have improved from 30 last season to just one so far this season.
Head coach Dennis Allen has his guys on point, with much of that stemming from the change in mindset around the club:
"I think our guys are buying into being a disciplined football team and doing things the right way, and it's a continual work in progress. We've had three games, so we've got a long way to go ... I would attribute it our players understanding more what they need to do than I would anything external."
The Raiders head to the Mile High city this weekend to take on Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, which should prove to be a tough test for these Raiders. Hopefully the lack of yellow flags continues on the road for the Silver and Black.