Flags still take a bite out of penalty-prone Rams

[RamWraith]

By Bill Coats
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Monday, Nov. 14 2005

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

With the Rams piling up an unsettling number of penalties, interim coach Joe
Vitt decided to bring in college officials - striped shirts and all - for
practice. He started the routine Oct. 27, the purpose being to pinpoint the
main culprits and to define the nature of their indiscretions.

Unfortunately for the Rams, the experiment has been a bust. In their two games
since then, the Rams committed a total of 17 penalties. Their opponents -
Jacksonville and Seattle - were guilty of just seven.

The impact was especially significant Sunday in a 31-16 loss to the Seahawks at
Qwest Field, particularly on defense. Penalties wiped out two crucial
third-down stops, and Seattle capitalized both times:

A third-quarter pass by quarterback Matt Hasselbeck for Bobby
Engram on third-and-6 at the Rams 43-yard line was incomplete. But linebacker
Pisa Tinoisamoa was offside. Three plays later, Hasselbeck hooked up with
wideout D. J. Hackett for a 31-yard touchdown that extended the Seahawks' lead
to 24-6.

On Seattle's final drive, Hasselbeck was sacked on third-and-8.
The Rams, down 24-16, would have regained possession with about three minutes
to play. But defensive end Leonard Little was offside. The drive continued, and
the Seahawks sealed the win when running back Shaun Alexander dashed 17 yards
to the end zone four plays later.

"We broke down all day," Little said.

The Rams wound up with eight penalties to the Seahawks' three.

"Very, very disappointing," Vitt said Monday. "It was a point of emphasis for
the last two weeks. ... You cannot do those things against good football teams
on the road and expect to win. That's just a fact." The Seahawks have amassed
the most yards in the league, and they're fifth in scoring. So, giving them
second chances is asking for trouble.

"We shot ourselves in the foot defensively ... against the No. 1-ranked offense
in the league," defensive end Tyoka Jackson said. "You can't do it. You've got
to be on point every snap, and we weren't that way."

Vitt backs Barron

The offense wasn't without its penalty issues, either. And again, rookie right
tackle Alex Barron was the chief offender.

Barron was cited three times - two false starts and a holding infraction. And
that actually marked an improvement over his five-penalty pratfall two weeks
ago vs. Jacksonville. Still, Vitt firmly defended the first-round draft pick.

While emphasizing that Barron would be "held accountable" for his errors, Vitt
said: "This is a young player who missed a portion of training camp. He's
playing in a big game on the road with a lot of crowd noise. He knows he can't
do that, we know he can't do that. But at this point - and I believe this in my
heart - to holler, scream and demean ... does nobody any good. He knows he was
wrong. He doesn't want to be wrong, and he'll work hard to get better."

Ram-blings

Strong safety Mike Furrey, who has started only four games, picked up his
team-leading third interception Sunday. He also has recovered two fumbles
during that span. ... Tight end Brandon Manumaleuna has lost fumbles in two of
the past three games. ... Quarterback Marc Bulger's passer rating (90.7) is
second in the NFC, behind Dallas' Drew Bledsoe (97.4). ... Opposing running
backs have topped 100 yards in five of the Rams' last six games.

[Haterade]

Let's not forget the flags not called on both sides...

[gap]

Let's not forget the flags not called on both sides...

Sorry this is so late. I've had a busy week.
I know that there are non-calls on both sides of the ball, but these two clips show EXACTLY what my is frustration with officiating. One is blatantly obvious, and is not called. The other looks like it might have been (but wasn't) due to the player stumbling, and wouldn't be called in most games. One allowed a TD, and one negated a TD. To be fair, the one that negated a TD also had a backup flag thrown for illegal man down field. I also thought that meant the the illegal palyer was more than ten yards down field. In this case, the man was NOT more than ten yards, but was 1/4 of a yad past the receiver when the ball was caught.

http://www.iamgap.com/hold_n_c.mpg
http://www.iamgap.com/no_hold_c.mpg

gap