Colts trending in good direction with penalties
Since the Colts drew 23 penalties worth 194 yards in back-to-back games against Baltimore and at Green Bay, they've done good work cleaning things up.
They were flagged five times for 35 yards against Tennessee and in last week's win over New England they had only one penalty -- and it didn't cost them a yard, but a 10-second run-off that ended the first half.
"It's concentration and it's being technically sound, to a certain extent, and trying to do things right," coach Tony Dungy said. "It was a big part of us winning the game."
In 12 seasons leading the Buccaneers and Colts, Dungy's teams have ranked in the top 10 in penalties every season and have been in the top three five times.
If the Colts are going to piece together a better second half of the season after a 4-4 start, they will have to continue to play cleaner, starting Sunday in Pittsburgh.
Even with the recent improvements, Indianapolis is on pace for 104 penalties. That would be the second-highest total of a Dungy-coached team and 37 more -- or 2.3 more a game -- than the Colts committed last season.
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Paul Kuharsky
Kuharsky joined ESPN.com in 2008 after 12 years covering the Oilers/Titans and the NFL for The (Nashville) Tennessean. The New Jersey native and Columbia graduate lives in Nashville with his wife and son.