Dominic Raiola got things started in the visiting locker room in New Orleans last Sunday. His Detroit Lions had just taken a 31-17 beating from the Saints -- Detroit's second consecutive loss and fifth in seven games.
"We're undisciplined, undisciplined, undisciplined," the veteran center told reporters.
It is a testy team the Vikings will face Sunday in Detroit.
After a 5-0 start, the Lions are struggling to stay in playoff contention at 7-5. And there have been meltdowns.
Take the Saints game. The Lions were penalized 11 times for 107 yards. Three of those were after-the-whistle specials. Lions coach Jim Schwartz benched rookie receiver Titus Young for most of the fourth quarter after a post-whistle shove to the face. Tight end Brandon Pettigrew was moved to issue an apology for his personal foul with 4 minutes, 7 seconds left in the game and the Lions down 14 points, a flag that flew after he shoved a defender and made contact with an official after dropping a pass. He was fined $25,000.
One thing Schwartz tried to do after taking over as coach in 2009 was give his team an edge, a toughness, that would help the franchise shake off seasons of losing. But there's a line between having an edge and going over it, isn't there?
"I have to agree with it from the last two weeks," Schwartz said Wednesday. "Because we had four penalties after the whistle the last two weeks. Now, up to that point, we had one the entire season. I'm not talking about stuff that happens during the play, a facemask or holding or defensive pass interference. ... Things that happen after the play are either stupid or selfish, and that's what we've had the last two weeks."
Schwartz was very vocal after the Saints game, demanding his players take accountability for their actions. He then met with team captains on the plane ride home.
"Discuss is probably a pretty mild term for what we did," Schwartz said.
But is he downplaying a bigger problem? It takes time to develop a reputation, and star defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has been a leader in this department as well. Even before his much-discussed foot stomp in the Green Bay game on Thanksgiving, and subsequent two-game suspension, Suh's play was under scrutiny. He had been fined three times for quarterback hits and another time for unsportsmanlike conduct since entering the league in 2010. He has nine personal foul penalties to his credit.
And then there was the brawl between the Lions and Bears near the end of a 37-13 Chicago victory at Soldier Field Nov. 13. After throwing his third interception of the game, quarterback Matthew Stafford grabbed D.J. Moore by the helmet and threw him to the ground during Tim Jennings' interception return. Moore retaliated and the brawl ensued, though only Moore was penalized.
"We're not really too concerned with what people think," Stafford said. "We're just trying to play football tough and hard and hopefully come away with some wins."
Still, the Lions' play hasn't gone unnoticed.
"Those guys are drawing all kinds of penalties," Vikings defensive tackle Kevin Williams said. "You can play tough between the whistles, but the league's not going to tolerate all that extra stuff after the whistle."
Safety Jamarca Sanford agreed, to a point.
"Some things they do are uncalled for, way after the play," Sanford said. "But one thing about them, they play all the way through the whistle. Sometimes they play too much through the whistle, but I like their attitude. ... They're just showing everybody they're not the Lions they used to be. They're trying to set a tone."
