PENALTY FLAGS can be the deadly to the efforts of ateam that draws too many (Shutterstock).

For some people, it’s hard to keep their mouths shut when they should.
And for some people – who are paid millions to do otherwise – they can’t seem to keep their bodies still.

I watched the game between the Chargers and the Seattle Seahawks, which the Bolts lost to fall to 0-4, which should make coach Jim Harbaugh start to get a little nervous.

But a big part of the problem is not injuries, or offensive schemes, or those nasty Seattle fans who scream so loud you can’t hear an audible.

The problem is that the Chargers keep shooting themselves in the hooves with penalties … and not always the kind that spring from excessive zeal in trying to make a tackle.

They were slapped with 15 penalties for 130 yards. Admittedly, the C-Hawks were flagged 14 times for 150 yards, but, hey, they’re 3-1 and in second in their division and LAC is dead-last in theirs.

Many of the flags that flew were from movement errors. Lining up in the neutral zone. Offsides. Encroachment. Etc.

What could be more basic than not crossing that invisible line until the ball is snapped? That rule is not a suggestion. It’s been in place since those multi-million dollar athletes were in pee-wee football. It contains no ambiguity.

Maybe it is a coaching or scouting problem after all. The NFL combine, tryouts, practices, etc. should emphasize that sort of discipline and punish – or pass over – players with too much “happy feet.”

Does it really matter how fast you can sprint or how much you can bench press if you can’t resist the urge to run on your own schedule and not that of the rest of the football world?