When strong safety Dawan Landry was flagged for interfering with Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco in the first quarter of the Ravens' 17-7 loss to the Bengals on Sunday, CBS broadcaster Dick Enberg pointed out that the pass interference call was the defense's eighth one this season, which led the NFL.

Throw in a similar call on cornerback Fabian Washington in the same period, and the Ravens have been whistled for pass interference nine times. The defense has also committed three illegal contact and one illegal use of the hands penalties during passing situations.

Secondary coach Chuck Pagano said the unit doesn't need to interfere as often as it has.

"Certainly, if you’re beat on a double move pretty deep and you don’t want to give up a touchdown, that’s a last resort," he said. "But some of them, guys are in position and don’t have to do it. And when you watch and evaluate the tape the next day, once they see it on film, they’re like, ‘I’m in great position here. All I’ve got to do is turn, find the ball, and make a play on the ball.’ So a lot of them are unnecessary. They don’t have to do it. It’s kind of a panic situation. They’re in position and sometimes it could be just one of those days where flags are flying because when you look at some of them, I don’t know if I’d tell them anything different. … They understand and know the rules inside and out. So now it’s just a matter of turning, finding the ball, and making a play."

While acknowledging that cutting down on pass-interference penalties is a priority, Pagano said he won't emphasize that facet of the game at the expense of forgetting the other fundamentals of playing pass defense in the NFL.

"You’ve got to play," he said. "And I can do a better job of putting them in better situations."