What Rams fan isn't tired of seeing the offense back up five yards after another false start?
It’s not their imaginations, either. The Rams have ranked near the top of the NFL in false starts for six years, throughout the Scott Linehan and Steve Spagnuolo eras. Even after tackle Alex Barron took his notoriously undisciplined play to Dallas in the spring of 2010, the Rams remained in the yop-3 in drawing false-start flags.
Here are the numbers from the Spagnuolo and Linehan eras:
2011: 32 false starts, second in NFL
2010: 29, tied for third
2009: 24, tied for sixth
2008: 28, fourth
2007: 31, fifth
2006: 41, first
(Note: Jim Haslett was interim head coach for the last 12 games of the 2008 season).
Given that history, fans who flocked to Rams Park for practice Sunday and Monday loved what they saw from offensive line coach Paul Boudreau: a zero-tolerance policy.
Whenever an O-lineman jumped offsides, he was pulled off the field immediately. It happened to left tackle Rodger Saffold and right tackle Jason Smith.
Will it translate to fewer flags? That remains to be seen. But it was a heartening sight for fans wanting to believe Jeff Fisher’s regime will be different.
Get more Rams updates and analysis from Larry Hartstein @CBSSportsNFLSTL.
