When it comes to committing penalties, no player in the NFL compares to New Orleans Saints cornerback Brandon Browner.
According to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, Browner has a league-high 21 penalties for 198 yards through 12 games this season. No other player has committed more than 14 or produced over 100 yards worth of infractions. In fact, his totals are the most at ESPN’s database since 2001, and there’s still four games left in the 2015 season.
The unofficial league record for penalties in one season is 22, although the NFL doesn’t keep individual totals for the statistic.
Browner’s taste for penalties isn’t a new one. He has 69 since the start of 2011, which is 24 more than the next most penalized player. He had an NFL-high 19 back in 2011. His 597 penalty yards also lead the NFL by a wide margin.
“I’ve been dealing with this,” Browner said back in November. “This is not new to me.”
The Saints have paid the price for Browner’s inability to avoid yellow flags. They’ve allowed a league-high 46 first downs via penalties, including an NFL-high 17 from Browner.
“[Browner’s] situation is that he doesn’t get it,” retired official Jim Daopoulos told Seifert. “He’s getting called so many times, and they’re legitimate calls. He doesn’t seem to understand the line and that someone is always watching him, especially defensive backs. There is an official assigned to each route. The best players know when to back off. They know where that line is and they don’t cross the line.”
Browner knows where the line is, and he continues to cross it.
He produced three more penalties against the Carolina Panthers in Week 13. He had a defensive holding on third down, a 15-yard unnecessary roughness call and a 15-yard facemask. Overall, nine of his 21 penalties in 2015 have given away 10 or more free yards.
Committing penalties can come down a few things. Most of the time, a lack of discipline or a lack of talent lights the way.
It’s a nasty mix of both for Browner.
At 6’4″ and 221 pounds, he’s a hands-on, in-your-face cornerback who has the size to matchup with any receiver in the NFL. But size can be negated in the passing game.
Through 12 games, Browner has allowed four touchdown passes and an opposing passer rating of 107.9. He’s also a starting cornerback on a defense that has given up 301.2 passing yards per game this season.
When a cornerback gets beat, it’s second nature to reach out and grab. Browner has 10 defensive holding penalties. When a cornerback can’t locate the ball in the air, contact is often made before the ball arrives. Browner has three defensive pass interference penalties. He also has three facemask infractions, an automatic 15-yard penalty.
Now, he needs just two penalties over the final four games to set a new unofficial record.
Even if he miraculously avoids making history, Brandon Browner is still the NFL’s undisputed king of penalties.