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          New England Patriots

          Penalty watch: Pats tighten up

          • Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff WriterOct 11, 2010, 02:30 PM ET
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              Mike Reiss is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the New England Patriots. Reiss has covered the Patriots since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. You can follow Reiss on Twitter at @MikeReiss.
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          After opening the season with six accepted penalties apiece in their first two games, the Patriots have tightened things up.

          They were flagged for just three accepted penalties last Monday against Miami, and have been flagged for 19 accepted penalties in their four games. The 4.75 per game average is tied for eighth fewest in the NFL (through four weeks).

          Left tackle Matt Light (holding), cornerback Devin McCourty (pass interference) and Julian Edelman (false start) had the penalties against the Dolphins.

          Penalty count

          CB Darius Butler -- 2

          TE Alge Crumpler – 2

          TE Rob Gronkowski -- 2

          C Dan Koppen – 2

          CB Kyle Arrington – 1

          OLB Tully Banta-Cain -- 1

          WR Julian Edelman - 1

          LB Gary Guyton – 1

          TE Aaron Hernandez -- 1

          OT Matt Light - 1

          CB Devin McCourty - 1

          P Zoltan Mesko -- 1

          WR Brandon Tate -- 1

          DL Mike Wright -- 1

          Team – 1

          Penalties

          False start – 4

          Defensive pass interference -- 3

          Holding (offense) – 3

          Offensive pass interference -- 2

          Encroachment – 2

          Delay of game – 1

          Fair catch interference -- 1

          Illegal formation -- 1

          Illegal shift – 1

          Unnecessary roughness -- 1