It's a cultural thing due to the fact the players obviously don't take it seriously and they haven't for a long time. Penalties have been a problem for years in this program through a number of changes in players on the field. Sure, they are higher this year than they have been. But, that doesn't mean they weren't a problem before.
Riley's past penalty problems are a concern of mine. That doesn't mean it's not a cultural problem here.
Most penalties are a result of not paying attention to detail. When a tackle is flagged for being too far off the LOS which causes there to be 5 players in the back field, that's not because the coaches failed to tell him...."hey...you need to be in a certain position to not get flagged." It's a mental issue to not pay attention to that detail. The mentality that allows that to fester in the entire program is a cultural issue. Discipline is a cultural issue.
Not trying to be a jerk but are you intentionally ignoring the fact that we've gotten significantly worse in this area? Why would the culture have suddenly gotten so much worse? Were we not paying attention before but now we're REALLY not paying attention?
I really didn't think my comments would be very controversial. I acknowledged Riley's pas penalty problems in the post you quoted and said they are a concern of mine. Are we now saying that penalties weren't a problem before he got here? I thought that was a common theme of complaint over the last number of years under Pellini. They may have improved a little in the last couple of years, but, they were still a problem.
This argument I have found myself in feels like arguing if an alcoholic gets drunk 5 nights a week it's not an addiction problem because he's not getting drunk 7 nights a week.