Did Cowboys Get Discipline 'Wake-Up' Call In Time For 49ers Showdown?

We have often spoken of the Dallas Cowboys' ill discipline over the years, and on Sunday, it reared its ugly head again.

In total, Dallas had a whopping 14 penalties, which now puts it at 74 for the year, the third-most in football.

Many of them were on the offensive side of the ball, as the Cowboys simply couldn't get out of their own way and nearly lost the game as a result.

But since this issue isn't new, it makes us wonder whether players actually see that they have committed penalties and are working hard to fix it. Otherwise, why is this team so heavily penalized year after year?

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Well, for tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford, who himself had two penalties called on Sunday, he's using it as a wake-up call to better himself as a player.

"Yeah, a super big emphasis especially myself, I had two," Spann-Ford said. "Obviously, that's unacceptable, but you got to take accountability for it and move forward and be able to improve in that area. So, sometimes it can be a good thing. It can be a little wake-up call.

"Just tells me I need to be better on my hand placement, my technique, and helps anyone who's gotten a hold or anything that's been combative, just kind of harps on the details of blocking and fundamentals."

So Spann-Ford, it appears, is taking what transpired on Sunday as a little personal shot at his game.

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He knows that he messed up twice, and is using it as fuel to make sure that he betters himself as a player, so that he doesn't make that mistake again.

Penalties are a part of the game, don't get me wrong, and sometimes, there are even "good" penalties to have, such as stopping a touchdown by tackling a defender.

But on Sunday, a lot of them were bad, and most were on offense.

Spann-Ford, to me at least, has the ideal mentality in how to approach this situation. 

We know that penalties have plagued Dallas for years, but to my recollection, this is the first time I've heard a player call it a wake-up call for deficiencies in their game.

Hopefully Spann-Ford's mindset catches on with the rest of the locker room.