Rams defensive end Robert Quinn speaks with the media during the bye week.

http://www.rams-news.com/rams-de-robert-quinn-we-have-to-keep-pushing-video-2/

Eugene Sims putting penalties in the past
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/12121/eugene-sims-putting-penalties-in-the-past

EARTH CITY, Mo. — It’s highly unlikely that NFL officials have it out for St. Louis Rams defensive end Eugene Sims. But over the past two weeks, it certainly seems that way.

Earlier this week, Rams coach Jeff Fisher made it abundantly clear that he didn’t agree with at least four penalties called against the Rams in last week’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys. At the center of Fisher’s complaint was the defensive holding call on Sims late in the game.

On the play, Sims briefly grabbed Dallas receiver Terrance Williams as he came out of the backfield before leaving Williams to drop quarterback Tony Romo for an apparent sack. The flag soon followed and instead of a big loss and impending third and long, the Cowboys had a first down.

It was a call amongst a handful that Fisher was still fuming about when asked how his team could reduce penalties Wednesday.

“Well, we just get them to call penalties, and not throw flags when there’s no infractions,” Fisher said. “That’ll significantly reduce it.”

Another way to reduce it would apparently be for Sims to send some nice gifts to officials all over the league. For whatever reason, he seems to have a knack for being on the wrong end of some costly penalties.

Sometimes, those penalties are his fault, such as the two horse-collar tackles he had against Tampa Bay in Week 2 which earned him a pair of 15-yard penalties.

“I’m probably one of the most hated players by the referees,” Sims said. “I don’t know what it is. They made two bad calls. I guess from the Tampa game they saw I had two horse collars so I guess they had an eye out for me so every little thing I did they probably wanted to flag it.”

Sims’ defensive holding wasn’t the only call that he, Fisher and the Rams took umbrage with in the Dallas game. Earlier in that meeting, Sims was called for roughing the passer when the official apparently saw him make contact with Romo’s helmet with his hand. Sims clearly hit Romo’s shoulder on the play and any contact with the helmet was far from “forcible,” which is the standard that must be met for that particular penalty to be called.

“I was just trying to make a play and the position I was in, I was in good position to make the play,” Sims said. “I guess the position he was in, he saw other way. But it is what it is.

“I won’t let that take me out of the game. I love the game, I respect it and just keep playing.”

This isn’t the first time Sims has been on the wrong end of some questionable calls. He was fined for unnecessary roughness last season for a hit he made on New Orleans running back Darren Sproles and again for the same infraction in the season finale against the Seattle Seahawks.

To be sure, Sims might be something of a marked man in part because of his propensity for penalties. He had nine penalties in 2013, seven on defense and two more on special teams, good for a total of 74 yards. Those nine infractions tied for fifth-most in the league with a host of other players.

Despite the flags, Sims has been and remains an integral part of the Rams defense. With Chris Long out because of an ankle injury, the onus falls on Sims to provide production all over the line. It’s a work in progress but aside from the penalties, he’s offered some solid work so far.

“I feel good,” Sims said. “I have got a lot to improve. Got a guy down like Chris Long so that’s on me (to fill in). I look at it as now I have to step up and be there for my team and be accountable.”

St. Louis Rams OK with early bye
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/12107/st-louis-rams-ok-with-early-bye

EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams are one of six teams first up in the rotation for a bye with no game scheduled this week.

It’s only Week 4, and we’re still in September, which could make for an especially brutal grind over the final 13 weeks of the season. But the Rams aren’t complaining.

“Coaches never complain about the bye weeks when they come, they never do,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “It is a little unusual. This is probably the earliest I’ve ever had one. So you make the most of it. We’ve got an opportunity to get some guys back.”

If nothing else, getting some injured players, guys like receiver Tavon Austin (knee), cornerbacks Trumaine Johnson (knee) and Brandon McGee (foot), offensive lineman Barrett Jones (back) and quarterback Shaun Hill (thigh), back after the bye would be a positive result from the week off. It’s unlikely that all will return to the field next week but Austin and Hill are close, and the others are “closer” according to Fisher.

As dictated by the collective bargaining agreement, players must have four full days off. After practice Wednesday and Thursday, the Rams are off until next Tuesday.

In the meantime, everybody has a different idea of what they plan to do with the time off. Tight end Lance Kendricks, for example, is planning to get away from it all with a trip to Jamaica.

Oft-injured offensive lineman Rodger Saffold, in a moment of self deprecation, said he plans to do very little.

“Out of everybody in here, you know that I need to be the one to relax,” Saffold said. “I’m not trying to jinx myself or hurt myself. Put myself in bubble wrap. I’m not trying to get any colds, sickness, none of that stuff.”

Saffold plans to spend his weekend in his home theatre watching football, playing video games and hanging out with his pregnant wife. Defensive end Robert Quinn has similar plans.

“I’ll probably be in St. Louis doing a whole bunch of nothing,” Quinn said. “I don’t do much. I’ll kick my feet up with the wife and dog and call it a day.”

Of course, the bye week would be a more enjoyable experience for all parties had the Rams not blown a 21-point lead on the way to a 34-31 loss to the Dallas Cowboys last week.

With the extra week off before playing at Philadelphia on Oct. 5, the Rams had more time to stew on the loss. And though they’d much rather get back on the field in a hurry to wipe away the taste of that defeat, they’ll take the rest and relaxation as it comes.

“You hate bye weeks after a loss because you are really chomping at the bit to go and play another game and get that sour taste out of your mouth,” Saffold said. “But at the same time, I think that’s going to be the fire that continues to help us really work during this bye week.”

Under the Lights: Rams LB James Laurinaitis

Get to know more about St. Louis Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis.

http://www.rams-news.com/under-the-lights-rams-lb-james-laurinaitis-video/

Ethan Westbrooks adjusting to expanded role
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/12091/ethan-westbrooks-adjusting-to-new-role

EARTH CITY, Mo. — As part of the St. Louis Rams’ effort to replace injured defensive end Chris Long, they’re leaning on three players to step in and fill the void.

As you’d expect, William Hayes is the starter and Eugene Sims is the primary backup. But there are still snaps to be had and undrafted rookie Ethan Westbrooks has been tasked with picking up the slack.

Westbrooks spent the first week as a pregame inactive, stuck behind the team’s eight other defensive linemen who were available against the Minnesota Vikings. But when Long suffered the ankle injury that landed him in surgery and the injured reserve with the designation to return list, the opportunity to get Westbrooks involved arose.

Against Tampa Bay in Week 2, Westbrooks got his first taste of regular-season playing time, handling 17 snaps and posting one tackle according to Rams’ coaches review. Last week, Westbrooks played 16 snaps and fared better in the coaches eyes with four tackles and a tackle for loss against Dallas.

Although Westbrooks has the versatility to play all over the line, he’s worked exclusively at Long’s spot at left defensive end so far.

“He’s averaging 15-20 plays a game which is good,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “He’ll help to keep Will fresh. We need that. Will played very well last weekend and part of that is because he’s fresh and that allows him to do that. He’s coming on. He’s got the versatility. We didn’t move him around inside like we did in the preseason but Mike (Waufle)’s done a good job with him.”

To this point, Westbrooks said the biggest adjustment to playing in the NFL has been playing in the bigger, more crowded stadiums. He’s also made it a point to lean on Long for advice when he needs pointers throughout the week.

“I’m getting more acclimated with the whole defense, the speed of the game,” Westbrooks said. “Really starting to put an emphasis on my technique from Coach Wauf and Chris. Even though he’s out, Chris has been helping me a tremendous amount in the room and on the field.”

Rams wrap up work week
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/12100/rams-wrap-up-work-week

EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams officially began their time off Thursday after completing afternoon practice.

It was a mostly uneventful practice but Rams coach Jeff Fisher didn’t hesitate to mix things up a bit to start the day. During the individual portion of practice, Fisher mixed and matched position groups with different position coaches.

For example, the wide receivers worked on defensive line drills under the guidance of line coaches Mike Waufle and Clyde Simmons. Linebackers coaches Frank Bush and Joe Bowden worked with the running backs. And so on.

Fisher said that’s something he likes to do over the bye just to change things up a bit.

“We do that every bye week the last practice where you just switch positions where the receivers will go down and learn some of the tricks of the trade of the defensive line,” Fisher said. “So it’s a nice way to start off the last practice of the bye week.”

As for the practice itself, the Rams continued to find extra reps for a variety of players as they went through the workout. Once again, cornerbacks Trumaine Johnson (knee) and Brandon McGee (foot) did not practice.

Offensive lineman Barrett Jones (back) also did not practice but again did some extra work on the side with the team’s training staff. Receiver Tavon Austin (knee) did some limited work and defensive end William Hayes also sat out though it’s not believed to be injury-related.

Elsewhere, defensive end Chris Long did away with the large cast on his left leg as well as the scooter he used to get around. He’s now in a walking boot with crutches.

The Rams also made a small roster move, tweaking the practice squad by releasing tight end Brad Smelley and re-signing receiver Justin Veltung.

From here, Rams players are off until Tuesday as mandated by the collective bargaining agreement. They play next on Oct. 5 at Philadelphia.

Casey Phillips catches up with Rams legend Isaac Bruce.

http://www.rams-news.com/one-on-one-with-rams-great-isaac-bruce-pt-1-video/

Three Plays That Defined the Rams’ 34-31 Loss to the Cowboys
By Anthony Stalter

http://www.101sports.com/2014/09/24/three-plays-defined-rams-34-31-loss-cowboys/

When a team blows a 21-0 lead like the Rams did Sunday in their 34-31 loss to the Cowboys, there’s always plenty of blame to go around.

For starters, give Dallas credit for sticking with the run despite facing that early deficit. It could have been easy for Jason Garrett and Co. to throw out their game plan at that point and compound the issue by being one-dimensional. Instead, following Janoris Jenkins’ 25-yard pick-six to give the Rams a three-touchdown lead, the Cowboys went on an eight-play, 80-yard drive that consisted of DeMarco Murray doing whatever he wanted to the Rams’ defense. As it turned out, that drive was one of the turning points in the game.

Despite not practicing during the week, Tony Romo’s back looked fine when he found Dez Bryant wide open on a 68-yard touchdown right after halftime to cut the Rams’ lead to 21-17. Jenkins was supposed to be man-to-man with Bryant the entire game, and until that point, he had more than held his own while facing the Cowboys’ best receiver. But thinking he was supposed to pass Bryant off to safety Rodney McLeod, he came off Bryant and jumped a crossing pattern, which is exactly what McLeod did as well. The end result was Bryant catching a touchdown pass from Romo, who said following the game that that was the most wide open he’d ever seen a receiver.

From Bruce Carter’s pick-six to Jared Cook’s drop in the end zone that would have given the Rams a 28-0 lead, there were other moments of missed opportunities or crucial mistakes that plagued the Rams throughout the day. A botched Scott Wells snap and two horrendous penalties called on Eugene Sims didn’t help matters, either.

But considering the Rams held a 21-0 lead and scored 31 points on the afternoon, this loss falls on the defense and, by extension, the coaching staff. All offseason, the talk was about how the Rams just needed to get to the fourth quarter with a lead and the defense would take over from there. Instead, the run defense has been an issue since preseason, and the team has just one sack in three games. The identity of this team is its front four, and yet that unit has also contributed to many of the Rams’ problems through three games.

Below are three plays that defined the Rams’ 34-31 loss to the Cowboys. As I’ve highlighted, there were huge plays throughout the course of the game that contributed to the loss. But in sticking with the theme, all three of the plays below were part of a series in which the defense couldn’t generate a stop despite the team clinging to a four-point lead early in the fourth quarter.

PLAY 1: The Romo Scramble.

Cook drops an easy touchdown pass that would have extended the Rams’ lead early in the fourth quarter to 28-20. Instead, the Rams settle for a field goal, and their defense is tasked with stopping a Dallas offense that has scored on both of its second-half possessions.

Following an illegal blocking penalty on tight end Jason Witten, a 1-yard Murray run, and a 3-yard reception to Bryant, the Cowboys faced a third-and-13 from their own 13-yard line. Dallas comes out in an empty back, 3×2 spread formation with three receivers to the play side and two to the boundary. From a coverage standpoint, the Rams play it perfectly. On the boundary side, Jenkins reads the No. 1 receiver and covers his outside area while McLeod reads the No. 2 receiver and covers the inside area. On the three-wide side, E.J. Gaines stays outside on the No. 1 receiver while T.J. McDonald stays over the No. 2 receiver, and James Laurinaitis and Lamarcus Joyner stay underneath that same receiver, who runs a fly route.

The problem occurs when Kendall Langford drops into coverage to trail Witten, who is the inside receiver on the three-wide side. As Witten takes off up the seam, Langford follows him, allowing left guard Ronald Leary and center Travis Frederick to double-team Michael Brockers at the snap. Right guard Zack Martin is also free to help right tackle Doug Free double-team William Hayes, and while Robert Quinn beats Tyron Smith to the outside and forces Romo to step up into the pocket, it also creates a domino effect that favors the Cowboys and causes the entire play to break down for the Rams.

Initially Romo tries to escape to the outside where Quinn just vacated, but Brockers does a good job mirroring Romo and quickly cuts off his path. This causes Romo to cut back inside, where there’s nothing but green grass in front of him because Langford is up the field in coverage.

Realizing that Romo has broken the pocket, Alec Ogletree runs up to make the tackle. But Romo somehow jukes Ogletree and runs an additional five yards before falling down at the 29-yard-line, where he’s touched down by Joyner. The end result is a 16-yard gain for Romo and a first down for the Cowboys to keep the drive alive.

PLAY 2: Williams Finds a Soft Spot.

On that same drive, the Rams once again do a great job on first and second down to force a third-and-14 at the Dallas 25-yard-line. This time the Cowboys line up in a 3×1 formation with three receivers (which includes Witten detached from the line) to the play side, while Bryant matches up one-on-one with Jenkins to the boundary. Murray is the lone back with Romo, who lines up in shotgun.

At the snap, McLeod and Joyner blitz from opposite edges while Laurinaitis and Ogletree drop into coverage. Jenkins stays with Bryant while Gaines covers his quarter and Cody Davis flows over the top to help combine with Gaines to cover Gavin Escobar, who runs a fly route. McDonald, who walked down on Escobar at the snap to help cover for the blitzing Joyner, drops into coverage.
Lamarcus Joyner

That’s where the play breaks down on multiple fronts. While keeping his eyes on Romo, McDonald thinks that Romo wants to throw outside the numbers, so he breaks for the sideline. But just as he does that, Terrence Williams cuts inside and finds a soft spot in the zone over the middle of the field.

Why wasn’t anyone underneath? After Laurinaitis shows blitz and then drops into coverage, his eyes go to Romo, whose first read was to Bryant on the right side of the formation. Laurinaitis bites on Romo’s pump fake, and by the time he gets back to the play side where Williams is, Romo has already slid in the pocket to open up a perfect passing lane to hit Williams for a first down.

If McDonald doesn’t break outside, he probably has a play on the ball. If Laurinaitis doesn’t bite on the pump fake, then maybe he gets enough depth in coverage to force Romo to either hold onto the ball or throw it into double coverage. If Romo doesn’t fake and tries to force the ball to Bryant, then Laurinaitis might be in perfect position to intercept the pass underneath.

Either way, the end result was a 20-yard completion to Williams and another first down to keep the drive alive.

PLAY 3: Cowboys Take First and Last Lead.

On that same drive, a pass interference call on Jenkins sets the Cowboys up with a first-and-10 at the Rams’ 20-yard-line. Following a Murray 3-yard run on first down and a five-yard reception on second down, the Cowboys face a third-and-2 from the Rams’ 12-yard line.

On third down, Romo lines up in shotgun and is flanked by Witten and Murray. He has two receivers to the play side, and Bryant once again lines up as the lone receiver to the right against Jenkins to the boundary. Witten then goes in motion, and the Rams tip their hand as Ogletree follows Witten into the slot.

Romo now knows the Rams are in man-to-man coverage with safety help over the top of both Bryant and the three receivers to the play side. At the snap, Williams (the outside receiver on the play side) runs a quick slant underneath Cole Beasley (the middle receiver on that side) and Witten. Gaines, who can’t navigate through the traffic in order to cut him off, helplessly watches as Williams catches an easy touchdown pass over the middle. There’s nothing Gaines or any of the Rams’ defenders can do on that play.

These three plays are just some of the chess matches that can make or break teams on Sunday. The Cowboys dialed up the right play calls at the exact right times, and it led to the Rams’ demise.

Bye week gives Rams a little breathing room
• By Joe Lyons •

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/bye-week-gives-rams-a-little-breathing-room/article_5ef22e68-99d7-5e30-9bae-e9726a1996c4.html

The Rams join the Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns as the first teams in the NFL to take their 2014 bye this week.

But at Rams Park, it’s business as usual — at least for a couple of days.

The Rams practiced Wednesday and will work out again Thursday before taking a long weekend, returning on Tuesday to begin preparations for their return to action Sunday, Oct. 5 against the Eagles in Philadelphia.

“It’s an unusual week,” coach Jeff Fisher said following Wednesday’s practice. “We got everything corrected yesterday. Came on the field, worked some things out. They were a little fussy yesterday, as you can imagine, but they’re back (and) we had a really good session today.’’

Wednesday’s practice included some preparation work for the Eagles as well as a return to football fundamentals for the Rams, who are off to a 1-2 start.

“We’re working on a lot of individual stuff,” quarterback Austin Davis said. “Whether it’s footwork or progression reads, those things tend to get lost as you go through a long season, so this is a good time for us to get back to some of the basics.”

Guard Davin Joseph, in his ninth NFL season, agreed but said that having the early bye takes some getting used to.

“You feel like you’re just starting to get into a rhythm, but we can definitely use the time,” he said. “We have a few guys banged up. We need to use this time to improve, to get back to basics and try to get a deeper understanding of the offense.”

The Rams are hopeful that the week off will allow wide receiver Tavon Austin (knee) and quarterback Shaun Hill (thigh) to get healthy enough to practice fully next week. In addition, center Barrett Jones (back) and cornerback Trumaine Johnson (knee) continue to work their way back after getting hurt in the preseason.

Fisher also will use the bye week to get some added practice time for the younger players on the roster.

“You kind of handle everybody a little differently this week,” the coach said. “What typically happens is you get going (and) the backups don’t get the reps (they need). So this bye week is a good time for them to get some reps.

“This week, basically, is about the guys that need the rehab work get the rehab, guys that need to recover get the recovery time and the guys that need the reps, the technique work, (they) get that.”

Fisher said that the bye in Week 4 takes some adjustment.

“Coaches never complain about their bye weeks when they come,” he said. “It is a little unusual, probably the earliest I can remember having one. But you just try to make the most of it. We’re looking at some things we need to do better, but once we finish up here tomorrow, it’s about getting away from football. Go back to your alma mater, watch the game, do something, but get away because we got a lot when you come back. It’s about recharging, and getting refreshed and coming back ready to work.”

Following the bye, the Rams will face a murderers’ row stretch of the schedule that includes games at Philadelphia (3-0) on Oct. 5, at home against division rival San Francisco (1-2) on Oct. 13 (Monday), at home against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks (2-1) on Oct. 19, at the Kansas City Chiefs (1-2) on Oct. 26, at San Francisco on Nov. 2, at the Arizona Cardinals (3-0) on Nov. 9, at home against the defending Super Bowl runner-up Denver Broncos (2-1) on Nov. 16 and at the San Diego Chargers (2-1) on Nov. 23.

“This league is tough enough when you go week to week. You can’t afford to get to look ahead,” linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “Looking at a schedule, you never know how things are going to play out. In my career, I’ve made it a habit to never look at a team in the NFL and think of that game as a gimme. In this league, if you make enough mistakes, anyone can win.”

In his sixth NFL season, Laurinaitis has tried to help prepare his young teammates for the upcoming grind.

“What I tell the young guys is to get into a routine and stick with it,” he said. “It’s easy now because it’s only a few weeks, but late in the season, when it’s dark and cold, you’re not going to want to go into the cold tub — all you want to do is get something to eat and get home and sleep — but no matter how tired you are, how cold you are, you have to stick with the routine of the cold tub and the stretching because those are the things that will help get you through the long season.

“Quite frankly, I think that’s how you avoid hitting the (rookie) wall; you stick with your routine.”

And the key during a bye week is to take advantage of the time off.

“It’s a little strange, having it come so early, but you learn to appreciate the break,” Joseph said. “For me, it’s a chance to go home (to Tampa Bay), to see my kids and get in a little fishing.

“The bye gives you a chance to catch your breath, reflect on the season so far and to hopefully come back here focused and locked in because we know that we have some really important games ahead of us.”

Watch St. Louis Rams wide receiver Brian Quick mic’d up during the Week 3 game against the Dallas Cowboys. Part 2

http://www.rams-news.com/rams-wr-brian-quick-micd-up-vs-the-cowboys-part-2-video/

ESPN Rams reporter Nick Wagoner talks about the Rams figuring out how to stop the run, the team’s lack of a pass rush and the quarterback situation. (1:07)

http://www.rams-news.com/wagoner-rams-have-issues-heading-into-bye-week-video/

Strauss: Sack City has lost its luster
• Joe Strauss

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/joe-strauss/strauss-sack-city-has-lost-its-luster/article_c93e5a9d-21a5-528d-b0a0-0eaa93243991.html

We’re not even to October and the Rams have taken the city and its irritable fan base on a roundabout trek from the Absurd to the Inspirational to downright Confounding.

Surprising as it is that former third-string quarterback Austin Davis is averaging more than 150 yards passing per half, it’s even more jarring that a defensive front seven that includes first-round draftees Robert Quinn, Michael Brockers, Aaron Donald and Alec Ogletree in addition to second-rounder James Laurinaitis so far has offered the consistency of tapioca pudding against the run.

The Rams also supplemented their prodigious on-field talent by importing transformative defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, a wizard whose effective blitz-intensive schemes outweighed his controversial recent history as Gregg the Bounty Hunter.

Coming off a week in which 31 points weren’t enough to win, the Rams are surrendering about the same yardage per game as during their 7-9 team of 2013. The manner is what’s feeding the madness.

Right now the Rams’ porous run defense is something only fantasy football geeks can love. In three weeks they’ve permitted Cordarrelle Patterson, Bobby Rainey and DeMarco Murray to go for triple-digit rushing yards.

Patterson is a receiver who got there on three attempts, Rainey an undrafted free agent playing in place of injured Doug Martin, and Murray a constant stick in the eye “limited” to 100 yards during the Rams’ 34-31 loss Sunday to Dallas.

“We’ve got to get better against the run. We’re inconsistent,” coach Jeff Fisher responded Monday when asked if he is concerned about this defense.

The coaching phrase is “clean it up.”

Fisher suggested his defense could improve “significantly” on third down and cited the inability to create turnovers so far. (Only four teams carry a worse turnover margin than the Rams’ minus-2.)

So-called “Sack City” has resembled a shanty town to date.

Fisher conceded that pressure has yet to translate into quarterback takedowns but suggested teams are counteracting a legitimate pass rush by unloading the ball quickly. It does not explain why the Rams could be frequently found Sunday employing a three-man front on passing downs. Even missing injured defensive end Chris Long, the defensive front represents the team’s deepest, most effective area.

Fisher described his team as “playing hard. They’re playing physical, and they’re mad. And that’s good.”

Well, agitation is appropriate when your only win remains against an 0-3 Tampa Bay team that trailed 17-0 against the Carolina Panthers and a backup quarterback in its season opener and 56-0 last Thursday against the Atlanta Falcons.

The Buccaneers led the Rams into the game’s final minute and played them to a statistical draw.

In three weeks the Rams have allowed nine first downs by penalty, including four last weekend. Fisher made a compelling case that the zebras jobbed his defense on several calls Sunday, including two pressures against quarterback Tony Romo. Defensive end Eugene Sims was on the wrong end of two questionable calls, coincidentally a week after twice being flagged for personal fouls in Tampa.

Trash-talking is entrenched in the game. Sometimes it gets your mug on television. Maybe it even creates an edge. Doing so following a 15-yard pass play seems a bit of a stretch, though. One is entitled to wonder if all the yapping and absurd penalties the last two years have fed a reputation that conspires against a team with little margin for error.

The Rams did much to win Sunday’s game, starting with a 448-340 edge in total yards. But as Post-Dispatch football scribe Jim Thomas researched on Monday, the largest disparity in penalty yardage since the franchise’s move to St. Louis negated the advantage.

Fisher can rage against the machine. Former chairman and current member of the NFL’s competition committee, he carries requisite credentials to cite chapter and verse, nuts and bolts about officiating. But before running to the grassy knoll to partly explain Sunday’s implosion, addressing a blown third-quarter coverage against wideout Dez Bryant and an inability to contain Romo might bring more future benefit.

More than Sam Bradford’s return, more than the progression of a young receiving corps, the Rams based optimism for this season on their defensive front seven and Williams’ hire.

Conventional wisdom held that last season’s solid defense could evolve into something elite, the Rams could employ a ground-and-pound offense and their made-for-NFC-West style would translate universally.

After three weeks, up remains down and down is up.

Practice resumes at Rams Park with the Arizona Cardinals (71.7), Seattle Seahawks (72.3) and San Francisco 49ers (85.7) all among the league’s top seven rush defenses based on yards per game. The Rams (155.0) rank 29th, besting only Green Bay, Oakland and Jacksonville.

Yes, the Rams also ranked fourth in run defense within the division last season; however, their 102.9 rushing yards allowed per game stood ninth league-wide.

The Rams badly shanked their shot to reach this week’s bye with a winning record.

Now they can look forward to facing seven playoff teams in the next eight games.

The exception is Arizona, the conference’s only remaining undefeated team.

Recent organizational history bred all sorts of intrigue around its offensive coordinators. Bradford allegedly suffered from the even-changing philosophies. Yet changes on the defensive side have provided for similar drama, whether it be the firing of Williams’ son following the 2012 season, the abortive hiring of Rob Ryan, the audible to overmatched Tim Walton or the move to the elder Williams.

Are we to believe defensive end Chris Long’s opening-day ankle injury has proved this disruptive? Is Williams’ scheme proving difficult to digest? Does his philosophy fit his personnel? Three weeks might be insufficient to provide answers but it’s plenty long enough to sprout questions.