Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

'You can't let passion turn into anger': Rams pay for penalties in loss to Seattle

Collapse
X
Collapse
 
  • Page of 1
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
Previous template Next
  • #1

    'You can't let passion turn into anger': Rams pay for penalties in loss to Seattle

    'You can't let passion turn into anger': Rams pay for penalties in loss to Seattle
    News-Democrat

    SEATTLE -- The St. Louis Rams paid for their penalties, especially a too-many-men-on-the-field infraction that negated a touchdown off a blocked field goal late in the first half, during a 28-0 season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

    The Rams had 10 penalties for 85 yards. They had four false start penalties and three unnecessary roughness penalties.

    "I just got done saying to the guys that I love the fact that we have a lot of passionate football players, but you can't let passion turn into anger or get you off your game,'' Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said.

    The Rams got a quick start on the penalties as right guard Richie Incognito was flagged for a false start on the team's first offensive play from scrimmage.

    "There's a stat in this league that I think says if you get a penalty on any offensive series, then your chances of scoring a touchdown goes down to like 14 percent,'' Spagnuolo said.

    The volatile Incognito also was flagged for two 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalties.

    The first penalty was for shoving a Seattle player after a 2-yard run by Steven Jackson in the first quarter.

    "The first one was just me losing my cool,'' Incognito said. "It was chippy. It was an exciting atmosphere. This is a great place to play in. I'm really disappointed in myself. I lost my cool on that one.''

    Spagnuolo pulled Incognito out of the game and replaced him with Adam Goldberg after he got charged with the second unnecessary roughness penalty in the third quarter.

    "When that happens to anybody, they get wrapped up in the moment,'' Spagnuolo said. "I talked with Richie. We have a lot more games to go, and we'll go from here. I told him that I still had confidence in him. I don't lose confidence in a guy on one game. I think Richie is one of our passionate guys, I really do. I think he plays his butt off. Sometimes you have to temper that a little bit, that's all.''

    Incognito was back in the game in the fourth quarter.

    "I am really disappointed in letting my teammates down, I let my coaches down,'' Incognito said. "I feel really bad about letting Spags down. But, we're professionals. We pick ourselves up and move forward.''

    The most devastating penalty came after C.J. Ah You blocked a field goal, and Quincy Butler picked up the loose ball and ran 51 yards for a touchdown with 59 seconds left in the first half.

    The replay assistant called for a review, and the play was reversed because the Rams had 12 men on the field.

    "That's me,'' Spagnuolo said of the penalty. "Somehow that has to get ironed out, I'll take the blame for that. I'm sure guys will be accountable in there, and tell you it was their fault, but I always put that on me. It's a shame, because it was a real good play, it kind of turned things around. Hopefully, we'll get another one of those somewhere else this year.''

    The 5-yard penalty resulted in a first down for the Seahawks, who ended up getting a touchdown with 18 seconds left in the first half.

    Uncharacteristic miss

    Kicker Josh Brown misfired on his lone field goal attempt -- a 37-yarder -- in the game.

    Brown, who played from the Seahawks from 2003-07, was loudly booed him as he ran out onto the field for the 37-yard attempt.

    Those boos turned into mocking cheers as Brown was wide right while kicking from the right hashmark.

    Quick hits

    The Rams inactives were defensive end Victor Adeyanju, safeties Anthony Smith and Craig Dahl, offensive tackle Eric Young, guards Roger Allen III and John Greco, defensive tackle LaJuan Ramsey and third-string quarterback Keith Null.

    Dahl (hamstring) and Greco (wrist) were inactive because of injuries.

    * The Rams were shut out for the first time since a 15-0 loss at Carolina on Nov. 19, 2006.

    * The Rams were shut out in a season opener for the first time since a 20-0 loss to Detroit in 1965. They finished with a 4-10 record that season.

    * The Rams were plus-2 in takeaway-giveaway ratio against the Seahawks.

    Over their last three games going back to last season, the Rams are plus-8 in turnovers.

    Yet, they've lost all three games.

    * Steven Jackson had 16 touches, all coming on handoffs. He had no pass receptions, though he was targeted twice.

    * Punter Donnie Jones averaged 50.8 yards per punt on his eight punts. He had two punts downed inside the Seattle 5.

    * Rookie linebacker James Laurinaitis was credited with a team-leading 14 tackles, according to the press box statistics

    He also had a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the first half.

    Spagnuolo said Laurinaitis got "dinged" in the knee, but should be OK.

    * The Rams had no sacks in the game.
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: 'You can't let passion turn into anger': Rams pay for penalties in loss to Seattl

    Hey, as far as I can tell, Barron had no penalties! That's a win!
    I believe!:ram:

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: 'You can't let passion turn into anger': Rams pay for penalties in loss to Seattl

      Donnie Jones is 1 hell of a punter! Guy is a stud and you really can'y underestimate the importance of a really good punter! Incoginto.....ughh you guys deserve better then him IMO.

      Comment

      Previous template Next

      Related Topics

      Collapse
      • RamFan_Til_I_Die
        Futility flashback
        by RamFan_Til_I_Die
        Futility flashback
        By Jim Thomas
        ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
        09/14/2009

        SEATTLE — The foundation for Rams football under rookie head coach Steve Spagnuolo is supposed to be built on intensity, focus and attention to detail. Suffice it to say, the foundation still contains plenty of cracks, and it's going to take more than a little spackle to seal them.

        Oh, the intensity was there in Sunday's 28-0 drubbing by the Seahawks at Qwest Field. Trouble was, it frequently got out of control. (See: Richie Incognito.)

        But the focus and attention to detail? Apparently, those two qualities didn't make the trip to the Pacific Northwest.

        Granted, for 1½ quarters, the Rams showed the kind of resiliency necessary to dig out of the franchise's recent doldrums. But one mistake after another eventually took its toll. When a blocked field goal for a touchdown by St. Louis was reversed by a penalty for too many men on the field the floodgates opened.

        Seattle broke open what had been a 7-0 game before the blocked field goal play, scoring on three of its next four possessions. By game's end it looked like just another rout — complete with 10 penalties against St. Louis, 446 yards offense by Seattle and next to no production by the Rams' inept offense on third down and in the red zone.

        Despite an offseason replete with change at every level of the organization, it looked very much like, you know, the same old sorry (bleep) Rams.

        "I'm not going there," Spagnuolo said afterward. "This was the first game of the 2009 season. That's what it is. We didn't win. We're going to play the second game of the 2009 season next week."

        Spagnuolo took the blame for all the penalties. "That's a discipline thing and that falls on the head coach," he said.

        Similarly, he fell on the sword when it came to the blocked field goal, a play in which the Rams added new meaning to the mystique of Seattle's 12th Man. (When he wasn't in the stands cheering on the Seahawks, the 12th Man apparently was lining up with the Rams' field goal block unit.)

        C.J. Ah You, playing in his first NFL regular-season game, blocked Olindo Mare's 49-yard field goal attempt, with Quincy Butler scooping up the football and racing 51 yards for a touchdown to tie the score 7-7 with 49 seconds left in the first half.

        But there was a booth review on the play, which can happen when there is under 2 minutes to play in either half.

        "In replay, under 2 minutes, the replay booth takes over the game," referee Pete Morelli told a pool reporter. "One of the categories they have the ability to review is 12 men on the field. ... They count every play."

        They counted 12, with Ah You being the extra man on the field. A terrible play, to be sure, but the Rams had several chances to...
        -09-14-2009, 08:25 AM
      • r8rh8rmike
        Rams Team Report/Interesting Numbers, Notes & Quotes
        by r8rh8rmike
        Rams Team Report
        Yahoo! Sports - Sep 15, 2:30 am EDT


        New season, but it sure looked like the same old Rams after the team's ninth consecutive loss to the Seahawks Sunday. After the 28-0 defeat, the Rams have now been outscored 98-19 in their last three trips to Seattle, and since 2005 the Rams are 4-21 in division games.

        The defense kept the Rams in the game Sunday with three early takeaways, but the offense stumbled along thanks mostly to penalties that constantly created down-and-distance problems.

        The offensive woes included four false starts, several penalties that wiped out good gains and a woeful conversion rate of 2-for-12 on third down. Much of that was traced to a 10.7-yard average to go on third down.

        Quarterback Marc Bulger noted how mistakes prevented the offense from establishing any rhythm.

        Said Bulger, "We'd drive the ball and then shoot ourselves in the foot. There was holding or offsides or personal fouls. We have to find a way to get past that 30 and start handing the ball to Jack (running back Steven Jackson). He's too good of a player to not be able to use. That's on all of us."

        On the Rams' 12 third-down plays, the average distance to go was 10.7 yards. The two they made were third-and-2 and third-and-6, the two shortest of the game. The 10 misses averaged 12 yards and included to-go distances of 11, 12, 14, 20 and 22 yards.

        Overall, the Rams ran 57 plays, 22 of which were first-and-10. Of the other 35 plays, there were two of first-and-15, eight of second-and 10 or more (10, 10, 10, 12, 15, 15, 20, 20) and the five third-and-10 or more. On those 15 plays, the average yards to go was 14.3.

        That means 15 of 35 plays (42.9 percent) were 10 yards to go or more.

        Conversely, the Seahawks were 8 of 15 on third down, and were 7 of 11 before missing on three of their last four when the outcome was decided. On their third-down plays, the average to go was 5.0 yards, and they had no second- or third-down plays of longer than 10 yards.

        Seattle had 30 first-and-10 plays. Of their other 40 plays, just eight (six second-and-10 plays and two third-and-10 plays) were 10 yards or more. That's 8 of 40 for 20 percent compared to the Rams' 42.9 percent.

        Said coach Steve Spagnuolo, "You can't have the penalties, and that's a discipline thing, and that falls on the head coach. That's the second time that's happened, and in the preseason we had multiple penalties, and that's my fault. I'll work with the players, I know the players will work with me, and we'll try to get that ironed out. It's hard to win in this league without penalties, it's doubly hard when you do have them. It makes it tough".

        NOTES & QUOTES

        One of the costliest penalties came on special teams. In the final minute of the first half, defensive end C.J....
        -09-15-2009, 07:53 PM
      • RamWraith
        Rams flagged down
        by RamWraith
        By Jim Thomas
        ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
        Monday, Nov. 13 2006

        SEATTLE — There was running back Steven Jackson chugging for the end zone, and
        what shaped up as a victory-clinching touchdown. Seattle defenders were tugging
        and poking at him from every direction — some of it legal, some of it
        apparently illegal.

        There was guard Todd Steussie hustling in to "push the pile," and help Jackson
        into the end zone. Wide receiver Isaac Bruce coming in over the top. Throw into
        the mix what appeared to be a slow whistle to end the play by referee Gerry
        Austin's short-handed officiating crew.

        Some Rams players started celebrating. Center Richie Incognito came into the
        pile late. And then, into this organized chaos came a penalty flag.

        Incognito, known for his hothead ways in college, was whistled for a personal
        foul.

        "I was surprised it was on me," Incognito said. "I thought it was on them."

        Nope. Incognito's penalty opened the door just a crack for Seattle, and the
        opportunistic Seahawks barged through once again. Incognito's penalty gave the
        Seahawks excellent field position on the ensuing kickoff. The end result was a
        38-yard field goal by Josh Brown with 9 seconds remaining, giving the Seahawks
        a 24-22 victory over the beleaguered Rams.

        Just four weeks earlier, Brown's 54-yarder at the buzzer gave the Seahawks a
        30-28 victory over St. Louis in the Edward Jones Dome. It is now official.
        Brown is the worst thing to happen to the Rams in terms of kickers since Adam
        Viniateri of the Super Bowl XXXVI champion Patriots.

        If not a dagger to the heart of St. Louis, Brown's field goal Sunday was at
        least a staggering blow. At 4-5, the Rams have lost four in a row. Seattle
        (6-3) is in the catbird's seat for its third straight NFC West title.

        "It's pretty frustrating," coach Scott Linehan said. "You can't let it get to
        you. That's easier said than done. But my job as well as everybody else's on
        this football team is to keep hanging in there as tough as it gets. It doesn't
        get any easier when it starts mounting up."

        It's mounting up, all right. This was a game when the St. Louis defense was
        pummeled in the first half. When the offense couldn't get anything going
        downfield all day. When left tackle Orlando Pace was lost for the season with a
        triceps injury. When Seattle's Nate Burleson delivered a backbreaking 90-yard
        punt return for a score midway through the fourth quarter.

        Through all that, the Rams still had a chance to win on Jackson's 14-yard TD
        run with 2 minutes 30 seconds to play. The Rams were up 22-21 when Incognito
        was whistled...
        -11-13-2006, 04:49 AM
      • RamFan_Til_I_Die
        Scoreless in Seattle: Spagnuolo era opens with a thud
        by RamFan_Til_I_Die
        Scoreless in Seattle: Spagnuolo era opens with a thud
        Associated Press

        SEATTLE -- The feisty, new-look Seahawks of coach Jim Mora attacked on defense during plays -- and scrapped after them.

        On offense, they showed balance between run and pass, and did a good job of protecting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.

        It was as if 2008 never happened.

        St. Louis resembled the same old Rams, who hired Steve Spagnuolo as their head coach after going 2-14 last year.

        Hasselbeck, playing his first game since Thanksgiving Day, overcame two interceptions in his first three throws Sunday to connect with John Carlson for two touchdowns in Seattle's 28-0 romp past the Rams.

        Hasselbeck, who missed nine games last season with a bad back, finished 25 of 36 for 279 yards passing, his most for an opener.

        Seattle's first shutout in almost two years was its ninth consecutive win over its division rivals. It was also Seattle's biggest win to begin a season since a 38-0 victory over Philadelphia in 1998.

        "The whole offseason, they said our team was soft," said rookie outside linebacker Aaron Curry, the fourth overall pick who scuffled repeatedly with Rams running back Steven Jackson. "We've got to change our image."

        Mora was smiling after his first game as a head coach since the end of the 2006 season for Atlanta. Nine months ago, the Seahawks were 4-12 for Mike Holmgren.

        The former visiting locker room attendant for the Seahawks at the old Kingdome returned to his hometown for a day he said he'd thought of "for a long, long time."

        "It was especially emotional for me, because there is some significance to it. I'd be lying if I told you there wasn't," the 47-year-old said. "It was kind of a surreal experience."

        His revived Seahawks took advantage of a rare use of instant replay to cruise over the sloppy, undisciplined Rams, who pushed and shoved their way to 10 penalties.

        Two of them were personal fouls after plays by offensive lineman Richie Incognito.

        "Would you rather us just get our tail kicked and walk back (to the huddle)?" Jackson said. "You saw some fight in this team."

        Yet, St. Louis gained just 247 yards in an effort similar to its 38-3 loss against Philadelphia that opened last season.

        "Yeah, I'm not going there,'' said Spagnuolo, who was the Giants' defensive coordinator at the time. "This was the first game of the 2009 season, that's what it is. We didn't win. We will play the second game of the 2009 season next week. ''

        The game's most decisive -- and weirdest -- play came late in the first half. Seattle's Olindo Mare struck a 49-yard field-goal attempt low. C.J. Ah You blocked it, and three other Rams could have.

        ...
        -09-14-2009, 08:53 AM
      • Nick
        Incognito’s thoughts a day later on personal fouls
        by Nick
        Incognito’s thoughts a day later on personal fouls
        By Kathleen Nelson
        St. Louis Post-Dispatch
        09.14.2009 2:43 pm


        Here’s the full text of Rams guard Richie Incognito’s interview Monday, one day after he was flagged for two personal fouls and 35 yards worth of penalties (coach Steve Spagnuolo’s comments appear below Incognito’s):


        Was it chippy on the field?

        Incognito: “The whole game, it was chippy back and forth. That’s expected. It’s a big-time ballgame, both teams coming out trying to get a division win. It definitely got scrappy.”

        Did you let your emotions get away from you?

        Incognito: “Definitely. The first personal foul, I let my emotions get away from me. Did something real regrettable. My focus is get the play over with, get back in the huddle. I got away from my game plan. That’s something I’m going to have to go back to.”

        Did you see the second one on film?

        Incognito: “I’m running down field. It’s a quick screen. So I got out. I got my guy sealed a little bit. I’m running with him. You can see I start to choke down. As soon as my feet slowed, he kept riding me. There was a guy about three yards in front of me. I could see where the flag was thrown because I had my hands up and I delivered into the guy. But, really, it was a self-defense thing and I plowed him over. Looking forward, a deal like that, I’m going to have to throw my hands up or try to avoid the guy.”

        How important is the coaches’ support?

        Incognito: “It’s great knowing that the coaches are behind me 100 percent. That hasn’t always been the case. In this game, there’s zero tolerance for things like that. It’s something I have to overcome. It’s squarely set on my shoulders as something that I have to overcome to help this team get better.”

        Do you feel as if you’re on a short leash?

        Incognito: “It’s been a short leash from the get-go. That’s been understood since Coach got here. We’re going to be physical, we’re going to be disciplined, we’re going to have attention to detail. We got away from all three of those. Just a bonehead play and me being selfish.”

        * * *

        Incognito’s behavior _ past and present _ drew more questions than any other topic during Spagnuolo’s media briefing today.

        “I know Richie Incognito is the Rams’ 2009 offensive guard,” he said. “I like his passion, but when passion leads to penalties that’s not a good thing. But I’d rather have that problem than trying to motivate guys to love the game of football. Yesterday’s over and we’re moving on.”
        ...
        -09-15-2009, 09:49 AM
      Working...
      X