EARTH CITY, Mo. – St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher was especially disappointed in a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on linebacker Ray Ray Armstrong at the end of a Philadelphia Eagles punt return in the first quarter of Sunday’s loss.

Johnny Hekker punted 56 yards to the Eagles 15 where Darren Sproles eluded Chase Reynolds. Sproles’ return was for 23 yards and another 15 yards was added on when Armstrong foolishly pushed an Eagles player to the ground after the play was over.

Said an exasperated Fisher after the game, “Our special teams knows, if you’re going to get another penalty after the play on special teams and it’s legit, then they’re going to go watch the game in the locker room. I’m not going to tolerate that anymore. So that will be their message tomorrow.”

Consider the message sent. Armstrong won’t even be watching games from the locker room anymore after being waived Monday.

Fisher denied that the penalty was the last straw for Armstrong. He said, “I was not happy with the production on the field. It’s a production business and when you don’t get the production, then you have to get better. So, that’s what we’re going to do.”

Asked specifically if the penalty was the reason, Fisher said, “No. It was pretty much the whole body of work. He was just having a hard time doing things the way we wanted them done. Again, it’s the body of work. It had been addressed with him numerous times and that penalty, ultimately it becomes my fault because when the guy is making mistakes over and over and he’s allowed to play it becomes my fault.

“So we get someone else in there that understands things a little differently. It’s not the game, this was going to happen win or lose. This is not a scapegoat. You guys know me, I’m not about that. But, we need to make a change and go a different direction.”