Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
Rodney Harrison ran away with dirtiest-player "honors" in our recent survey of NFL head coaches. Perhaps we should have asked coaches to name their dirtiest peers.
| Coach | Personal fouls since 2001 | Games | Most per game | | Bill Callahan | 44 | 32 | 1.375 | | Marty Mornhinweg | 43 | 32 | 1.344 | | Steve Spurrier | 41 | 32 | 1.281 | | Dave Wannstedt | 66 | 57 | 1.158 | | Jon Gruden | 129 | 112 | 1.152 |
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In analyzing personal-foul data on Harrison dating to 2001, ESPN researcher Benjamin Lerner broke down personal-foul penalties by coaches across the same era.
I took the numbers and calculated them on a per-game basis, leaving former Oakland Raiders coach Bill Callahan holding the yellow hanky. His teams committed 1.375 personal-foul penalties per game during his two seasons on the Raiders' sideline, most in the league among the 66 full-time and interim head coaches to walk sidelines for NFL teams over the last seven seasons. Call his teams dirty or call them undisciplined, but don't forget to call them AFC champions, too.
Note: The yellow chart shows coaches whose teams committed the most personal fouls per game since 2001 (minimum 32 games).
Marty Mornhinweg's Detroit teams averaged 1.34 personal fouls per game, second-most among the 66 coaches. Steve Spurrier's Washington teams were next at 1.28 (not counting a couple of interim coaches with three games on their resumes).
| Coach | Personal fouls since 2001 | Games | Fewest per game | | Gary Kubiak | 15 | 32 | 0.469 | | Mike Holmgren | 57 | 112 | 0.509 | | Sean Payton | 17 | 32 | 0.531 | | Brad Childress | 20 | 32 | 0.625 | | Eric Mangini | 20 | 32 | 0.625 | | Tony Dungy | 80 | 112 | 0.714 |
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Gary Kubiak's Houston teams have committed the fewest personal fouls per game since 2001 (.47, or 15 penalties in 32 games). Travis Johnson's
taunting penalty for standing over a fallen Trent Green should carry extra weight, and some defenders have taken offense with the
blocking scheme Kubiak favors. But we're sticking with measurables here, and the Texans have kept the personal-foul calls to a minimum over the last couple seasons.
Note: The blue chart shows coaches whose teams committed the fewest personal fouls per game since 2001 (minimum 32 games).
Mike Holmgren's Seattle teams are next at fewer than .51 per game (57 in 112 games). No NFL coach since 2001 comes close to such a low rate over such an extended period. Holmgren's teams are generally among the least penalized in the NFL, so the low personal-foul numbers come as no surprise. His sideline fury might serve as a deterrent against costly penalties. The next time you see Holmgren get mad, watch how much room the rest of the team gives him on the sideline. Sometimes you won't see a guy within 10 yards.
