
THOUSAND OAKS - In the pre-season, some referees erred during penalty appeals and sent the Rams as always from St. Louis. Unfortunately for the Rams, officials had much practice.
Through three games, the Rams are one of the most penalized teams in the NFL. They rank fourth in most penalties (27 with Oakland atop the list at 31), and third in most penalty yards (249 with Detroit "leader" at 294). The numbers are better oriented to the Rams, but not quickly enough.
"We had a long discussion about that today. It's nice to be able to talk after a win, '' coach Jeff Fisher said after practice Tuesday at Cal Lutheran. "At this rate, it is not good. We need better supervision and we must talk about things. "
It is also not an anomaly. Last season, the Rams ranked sixth and ninth, respectively, in most penalties and most penalty yards. The Rams also ranked in the top three in both categories in 2014.
Part of this was inevitable. Under defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, design Rams play aggressive defense, but they have taken things too far. The Rams were called for three 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty. No NFL team has more, and 14 teams have not called for.