Reducing penalties tops Rams' to-do list/Wagoner

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September 7, 2014 at 5:07 pm #6645

RamBill
Participant

Reducing penalties tops Rams’ to-do list
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/11446/reducing-penalties-tops-rams-to-do-list

EARTH CITY, Mo. — An examination of what the St. Louis Rams must do after their 34-6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings:

What must the Rams do to improve after that debacle of a season-opening loss? I’m not sure we have enough space to cover it all here, so we’ll start with the most obvious: Cut down on the silly, field-position changing, momentum-killing penalties.

If that sounds like a familiar refrain, it’s because it is. There was much consternation around the league about the increased amount of penalty flags raining down during the preseason. The Rams call that a normal Sunday afternoon. The United Nations building is the only place you can find more flags flying than your typical Rams game.

With both Monday night games still to be played, the Rams have been the most penalized team in the league in Week 1, racking up 13 infractions for a league-high 121 yards. And those were just the penalties that the Vikings accepted.

Seemingly every preseason we hear from coach Jeff Fisher about how most of the penalties come from players who won’t be on the roster, then the season starts and nothing seems to change.

Against Minnesota, the Rams had eight offensive penalties, including an offensive pass interference against receiver Chris Givens and a face-mask penalty on fellow wideout Brian Quick that quickly put a halt to the team’s most promising drive. Four of the five offensive linemen had penalties, and defensive end Robert Quinn picked up two of his own (though his roughing-the-passer infraction early in the game was questionable).

“The penalties were certainly an issue for us,” Fisher said. “They killed drives, back-to-back penalties … I could go on and on. I’m not going to single everybody out, but that’s what happened today.”

But it didn’t just happen Sunday. It’s been happening for more than two years. Entering Sunday, no team has picked up more penalties than the Rams’ 253 over the past two seasons. That’s 17 more than the next closest team, the Atlanta Falcons.

Sure, there were some bad calls and non-calls made against the Rams by Ed Hochuli’s crew in the opener, but at this point, the Rams have a reputation that precedes them. To fix this problem, they’ll have to be even more diligent about coloring between the lines.

September 7, 2014 at 5:35 pm #6443

nittany ram
Moderator

Penalties continue to be a problem and now that we’re in the third year I think we should just resign ourselves to the idea that that’s the way it’s gonna be.

I don’t think they are a huge priority for Fisher. I mean, sure he’d rather not have them, but he doesn’t put the importance on them some other coaches would. He always sorta has a nonchalant demeanor when he’s asked about them. Sorta like ‘yeah, we’ll take a look at that…” A coach like DV would have been more adamant when asked about that.

Fisher is part of the Buddy Ryan coaching tree. I could be wrong but it seems to me his teams were heavily penalized too. Like Ryan, I bet Fisher desires his teams to play with a lot of emotion and recklessness. He’s probably prepared to sacrifice some discipline to achieve that.

September 7, 2014 at 5:42 pm #6446

zn
Moderator

nittany ram wrote:

Penalties continue to be a problem and now that we’re in the third year I think we should just resign ourselves to the idea that that’s the way it’s gonna be.

I don’t think they are a huge priority for Fisher. I mean, sure he’d rather not have them, but he doesn’t put the importance on them some other coaches would. He always sorta has a nonchalant demeanor when he’s asked about them. Sorta like ‘yeah, we’ll take a look at that…” A coach like DV would have been more adamant when asked about that.

Fisher is part of the Buddy Ryan coaching tree. I could be wrong but it seems to me his teams were heavily penalized too. Like Ryan, I bet Fisher desires his teams to play with a lot of emotion and recklessness. He’s probably prepared to sacrifice some discipline to achieve that.

The 7 most penalized teams last year were

Seattle 152

Denver 132

St.Louis 123

Tampa Bay 121

San Francisco 117

Oakland 116

Baltimore 112

September 7, 2014 at 6:01 pm #6452

nittany ram
Moderator

zn wrote:

nittany ram wrote:
Penalties continue to be a problem and now that we’re in the third year I think we should just resign ourselves to the idea that that’s the way it’s gonna be.

I don’t think they are a huge priority for Fisher. I mean, sure he’d rather not have them, but he doesn’t put the importance on them some other coaches would. He always sorta has a nonchalant demeanor when he’s asked about them. Sorta like ‘yeah, we’ll take a look at that…” A coach like DV would have been more adamant when asked about that.

Fisher is part of the Buddy Ryan coaching tree. I could be wrong but it seems to me his teams were heavily penalized too. Like Ryan, I bet Fisher desires his teams to play with a lot of emotion and recklessness. He’s probably prepared to sacrifice some discipline to achieve that.

The 7 most penalized teams last year were

Seattle 152

Denver 132

St.Louis 123

Tampa Bay 121

San Francisco 117

Oakland 116

Baltimore 112

A lot of good teams on that list, including perhaps the three best from last season. Yeah, reporters that continually ask Fisher about the excessive penalties his team commits should stop wasting their breath. They are not a priority for him and he’s just going to pay it lip service. He’s trying to build a team in the mold of the 9’ers and Seahawks (and the 85 Bears and Ryan’s Eagles). He’ll sacrifice discipline to achieve that. His players trash talk and try to intimidate. They play through the whistle. That’s what he wants.

September 7, 2014 at 6:10 pm #6455

zn
Moderator

nittany ram wrote:

zn wrote:

nittany ram wrote:
Penalties continue to be a problem and now that we’re in the third year I think we should just resign ourselves to the idea that that’s the way it’s gonna be.

I don’t think they are a huge priority for Fisher. I mean, sure he’d rather not have them, but he doesn’t put the importance on them some other coaches would. He always sorta has a nonchalant demeanor when he’s asked about them. Sorta like ‘yeah, we’ll take a look at that…” A coach like DV would have been more adamant when asked about that.

Fisher is part of the Buddy Ryan coaching tree. I could be wrong but it seems to me his teams were heavily penalized too. Like Ryan, I bet Fisher desires his teams to play with a lot of emotion and recklessness. He’s probably prepared to sacrifice some discipline to achieve that.

The 7 most penalized teams last year were

Seattle 152

Denver 132

St.Louis 123

Tampa Bay 121

San Francisco 117

Oakland 116

Baltimore 112

A lot of good teams on that list, including perhaps the three best from last season. Yeah, reporters that continually ask Fisher about the excessive penalties his team commits should stop wasting their breath. They are not a priority for him and he’s just going to pay it lip service. He’s trying to build a team in the mold of the 9’ers and Seahawks (and the 85 Bears and Ryan’s Eagles). He’ll sacrifice discipline to achieve that. His players trash talk and try to intimidate. They play through the whistle. That’s what he wants.

I think there’s some truth to that.

But then, last year, remember? Special teams started out being badly penalized in the first few games–and then settled down, to become the NFL’s best coverage units, ever. (That’s true, statistically.)

There’s playing with an edge that can lead to penalties…and then there’s being the only receiver in anyone’s memory who gets called for face-masking.

Leaving the skill players out of it, and looking at the blockers–to me, as a rule when you see someone like Kendricks false start a lot, there’s something else going on. To me…this team is rattled by losing Bradford. It needed a new, external jolt of confidence. To me, when you see a team play out of sync and full of mental errors on offense (still talking about the blockers), it will usually turn out to be a confidence/comfort kind of thing. They’re not comfortable and not confident.

September 7, 2014 at 6:24 pm #6457

PA Ram
Participant

They got Chris Long for offsides but the lineman clearly moved. Bad call.

"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. " Philip K. Dick

September 7, 2014 at 6:24 pm #6458

Winnbrad
Participant

zn wrote:

The 7 most penalized teams last year were

Seattle 152

Denver 132

St.Louis 123

Tampa Bay 121

San Francisco 117

Oakland 116

Baltimore 112

Teams like Seattle, Denver and Frisco have the ability to overcome penalties. Seattle’s D is excellent, and they have playmakers on offense. They do enough to win.

Denver has Peyton Manning. That’s all they need.

Frisco had a great D, and playmakers on offense. Kap, Gore, Crabtree, Davis, all good to great players.

The Rams have none of those positives. Penalties crush this team.

And now we have a 3rd string QB. The Rams offense was already a “struggle”, and penalties just make everything worse.

September 8, 2014 at 5:50 pm #6655

GreatRamNTheSky
Participant

I really think, that the main problem was it was Hochuli’s crew working the game. On some the replay’s where the offensive PI or pushoff was called, I really didn’t feel it was flagrant or would have been called in most games.

I would tell the receivers just to get more polished at doing it and less obvious, just like Anquan Boldin who gets away with it all the time.

Grits

September 8, 2014 at 6:32 pm #6660
Zooey
Participant
I just posted this in another thread before I saw this one, and it really belongs here.

Wagoner is right. This kind of crap just has to stop. The Rams are not good enough to overcome this showing. I expect more discipline than this in Year Three, even if the Rams remain the youngest team in the league. Every one of these penalties is on a veteran.

2-7-STL49
(11:25) M.Cassel pass short right to A.Peterson to STL 40 for 9 yards (R.McLeod). PENALTY on STL-R.Quinn, Roughing the Passer, 15 yards, enforced at STL 40. Penalty on STL-A.Ogletree, Defensive Holding, declined.
1-10-MIN9
(6:56) PENALTY on STL-C.Long, Neutral Zone Infraction, 5 yards, enforced at MIN 9 – No Play.
I just posted this in another thread before I saw this one, and it belongs here.
3-10-STL39
(12:39) (Shotgun) PENALTY on STL-R.Saffold, False Start, 5 yards, enforced at STL 39 – No Play.
1-10-STL48
(7:04) S.Hill pass short right to B.Quick pushed ob at MIN 31 for 21 yards (C.Munnerlyn). PENALTY on STL-B.Quick, Face Mask (15 Yards), 15 yards, enforced at MIN 31.
2-10-MIN41
(5:51) S.Hill pass short right to C.Givens to MIN 41 for no gain (C.Munnerlyn). PENALTY on STL-C.Givens, Offensive Pass Interference, 10 yards, enforced at MIN 41 – No Play.
1-10-MIN8
(4:39) A.Peterson right tackle to MIN 8 for no gain. PENALTY on STL-R.Quinn, Defensive Offside, 5 yards, enforced at MIN 8 – No Play.
1-10-MIN31
(12:03) PENALTY on STL-D.Joseph, False Start, 5 yards, enforced at MIN 31 – No Play.
G.Zuerlein kicks 72 yards from STL 35 to MIN -7. C.Patterson to MIN 12 for 19 yards (C.Reynolds). PENALTY on STL-D.Bates, Taunting, 15 yards, enforced at MIN 12.
3-6-STL24
(:46) (Shotgun) PENALTY on STL-J.Barksdale, False Start, 5 yards, enforced at STL 24 – No Play.
2-9-STL24
(13:44) (Shotgun) A.Davis scrambles right end ran ob at STL 25 for 1 yard (A.Barr). PENALTY on STL-S.Wells, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at STL 24 – No Play.
2-19-STL14
(13:29) (Shotgun) A.Davis pass short middle to J.Cook to STL 25 for 11 yards (C.Greenway). PENALTY on STL-J.Cook, Offensive Pass Interference, 7 yards, enforced at STL 14 – No Play.
4-4-STL42
(7:44) J.Locke punts 37 yards to STL 5, Center-C.Loeffler, downed by MIN-J.Robinson. PENALTY on STL-C.Reynolds, Roughing the Kicker, 14 yards, enforced at STL 42 – No Play.
1-10-STL28 (7:33) M.Cassel pass short right to R.Ellison to STL 6 for 22 yards (T.McDonald). Penalty on STL-J.Jenkins, Defensive Holding, declined.
1-10-MIN16
(2:14) (Shotgun) B.Cunningham up the middle to MIN 8 for 8 yards (A.Exum). MIN-S.Floyd was injured during the play. PENALTY on STL-C.Harkey, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at MIN 16 – No Play.
- This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by Zooey.
September 8, 2014 at 8:27 pm #6678

Agamemnon
Moderator

That has been at the top of the list for a long time.

Agamemnon
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