I couldn’t resist. C’mon… he does look like Santa. Alright, onto the pre-game write-up…Seattle would like to hold onto their lead in the NFC West as they have a one-game lead over the Arizona Cardinals in a division that was wide open heading into the season. Right now, the Rams, who started 0-8, have won two in a row and are playing better football.
The Seahawks are going against conventional wisdom and historical practices in an attempt to win any way possible. Seattle has gone to a runningback by committee, put QB Matt Hasselbeck in the shotgun and have passed first to set up the run.
The Rams are slowly getting some of their injured players back on the field and are refusing to go down without a fight. The running game with Steven Jackson and the passing with QB Marc Bulger are finally looking like everyone thought they would at the beginning of the season. Defensive coach Jim Haslett has his unit playing extremely tight football
As is the case everytime the Rams and Seahawks play, this game will be a difficult task for both involved. The team that does the better job of minimizing mistakes and protects the ball better, will win this game. Both teams are evenly matched on offense and their defenses are strikingly similar.
Rams Keys For Success
1. Run the ball with Steven Jackson. Having Jackson healthy and running the ball changes the Rams’ offense. He is running like a back who’s making up for the missed time while injured. Teams will have to show that they can stop Jackson, or their defense will be on the field all day and the Rams will control the clock. A successful running game also will set up the play-action pass and give QB Marc Bulger more time to throw.
Jackson will pound the middle of the Seahawks’ defense and keep the linebackers and a safety up in the box to give Bulger bigger holes in the passing lanes. The sooner Jackson gets going, the more stress he puts on a defense. The Rams will use Jackson on his straight ahead runs, swing passes and screens, so he can build momentum and allow the offense to dictate the game to the Seahawks.
2. Pressure QB Matt Hasselbeck. Hasselbeck has been asked to carry the Seahawks’ offense until Shaun Alexander can come back and contribute. He will be asked to read the defense and make any necessary adjustments at the line of scrimmage. The Seahawks know that they must pass first and run second. The passing game will consist of short passes to the receivers and backs — around 40-45 times a game.
The Rams will bring pressure and force Hasselbeck to move around and avoid the rush. The Rams have a fast defense, and they bring blitz packages on running and passing plays. The Seahawks have to be successful with quick pass patterns and hot reads for Hasselbeck on every play.
3. Use Multiple Receiver Sets. The Seahawks know that the Rams will run Jackson. The Rams need to come out in their four-receiver set and force the Seahawks to play extra cover corners. Their four-receiver set with one running back allows them to run or pass and keeps some of the better run stoppers off the field. This will give Bulger better matchups at the line of scrimmage.
PREDICTION: The Seahawks offense gift-wraps a victory as the Rams defense takes advantage of 1 tipped ball for an interception to give the Rams great field position and the go ahead score late in the game.
The Rams started a dismal 0-8, their worst season-opening losing streak ever. However, consecutive wins against the Saints and 49ers jump-started the team, which, to the shock of the football world, rattles off 8 straight victories to finish 8-8 and win the awful NFC West as the Seahawks falter down the stretch. The suddenly unstoppable offense plows its way through the early playoff rounds, winning games with the greatest of ease. They head into Super Bowl XLII in Arizona as 14-point underdogs to the New England Cheatriots, but proceed to dismantle the Pats 44-7, a perfect clobbering which culminates in a poignant scene in which Tom Brady and Bill Belichick break down and beg a fiery-eyed Steven Jackson for mercy, who merely grins as he hands the football to a terrified Patriot linebacker, picks him up, carries him into the end zone, then takes the ball back for Jackson’s fourth touchdown of the game.
That may be a little far-fetched, but hey, the day after Thanksgiving officially marks the beginning of Christmas season, and making dreams come true is what Christmas is all about, right?
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I will be back tomorrow with a preview of the Rams-Seahawks matchup on Sunday.
It’s been a long season. But the Rams have won two straight, so what the heck, let’s have some fun.
Say the Rams knock off the NFC West-leading Seahawks (6-4) Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams would move to 3-8 and stand three games out of first place with five to go. Up next would be two very winnable contests — the Falcons (3-7) at the Dome and the Bengals (3-7) in Cincinnati.
OK, now the Rams are 5-8. The division champ might wind up 8-8. Could the Rams actually run the table and steal the title? Hell Yes !!!!!!!!!
They are going to do it! The Rams will go 8-8 and MAKE the playoffs! BAM!! How do you like that for a bold prediction. Bulger is Back! Jackson is Back! The receivers are healthy, enough. The division is weak. Heck, the conference is weak. Through 11 weeks (10 games), not many teams have separated themselves from the rest of the NFC. Sure, it appears Green Bay and Dallas are off on their own, but then there is Tampa and Seattle at 6-4 leading their divisions. the current wildcard spots go to New York and Detroit. After them, no team in the NFC is over .500. If the Rams role off a few wins…. maybe they have a chance.
If the defense and O-line step it up, good things will happen. That is asking a lot. I still believe in all honest 7 wins is reasonable; Seattle, Arizona, Atlanta and one more somewhere. Unfortunately, that doesn’t help anything but morals. Winning 6 or 7 games only hurts their draft position next year. We need a good draft pick.
The win this past weekend against the division rival 49ers, marked the franchise’s 500th win. A nice feet, but doesn’t mean much for this season.
Here is a look at the injury report of the Rams, this may explain some of the losses IR: Jerome Carter, depth at safety and special teams Adam Goldberg, offensive line Richie Incognito, offensive line Leonard Little, arguably the best player on the defense Orlando Pace, arguably the best player on the team Mark Setterstrom, offensive line Raonall Smith, depth at LB and special teams Aaron Walker, emerging TE That is just IR, Bulger has missed games. Jackson has missed games. Bruce, Hall, Bennett have been hurt while Holt hasn’t been 100% since his surgury. Many more injuries that just kill everything they had going for them. Many people picked them to go to the Super Bowl before the season.
The Rams get to face a Shaun Alexanderless Seattle Seahawks this week. Hasselbeck may not play also. That just means the Rams would have to contain the everathletic Seneca Wallace. They can get the job done. Don’t be deceived by the 2-8 record, they are playing decent football now.
After painstaking analystist this is the new and improved predictions for the NFC WEST.
St. Louis Rams (Last Year: 8-8)
Veteran Additions: WR Drew Bennett, TE Randy McMichael, DE James Hall, MLB Chris Draft, CB Lenny Walls, CB Mike Rumph, S Todd Johnson, KR Dante Hall. Draft Picks: FB Brian Leonard, WR Derek Stanley, OT Ken Shackleford, C Dustin Fry, DE Adam Carriker, DE Clifton Ryan, DT Keith Jackson, CB Jonathan Wade. Major Subtractions: RB Stephen Davis, RB Tony Fisher, FB Paul Smith (DEN), WR Kevin Curtis (PHI), WR Shaun McDonald (DET), G Adam Timmerman, C Larry Turner, DE Brandon Green (SEA), DT Jimmy Kennedy (DEN), DT Jason Fisk, OLB Dexter Coakley, MLB Isaiah Kacyvenski, LB Jamel Brooks, CB Travis Fisher (DET), CB Jerametrius Butler (WAS), S Dwaine Carpenter, P Matt Turk, KR Willie Ponder.
Offense This Year: When Scott Linehan took over the head-coaching job in St. Louis and the Rams failed to score more than 20 points in each of their first three games of the 2006 season, I was concerned that the "Greatest Show on Turf" that we've all loved to watch over the past half decade had disappeared and never would be seen again. Well, I was relieved to notice that St. Louis was able to score 24.6 points per game the rest of the campaign - which was only .4 less than last year's average when Marc Bulger was in the lineup.
Speaking of Bulger, I was shocked to see that he started all 16 games in a season for the first time in his career. That's a pretty impressive feat, considering he was sacked 49 times. If Bulger's healthy, he's one of the best and most underrated quarterbacks in the NFL. What he, Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce have done over the years is amazing, especially when you take into account how atrocious the offensive line has been.
I already mentioned Bulger's 2006 sack total. Rams quarterbacks have been taken down 46 times in 2005; 50 times in 2004; 43 times in 2003; and 46 times in 2002. I thought Linehan would decrease that total, though to be fair, it should be noted that left tackle Orlando Pace missed eight games. The right side of the front looks better, as guard Richie Incognito and tackle Alex Barron started every single contest last season. However, left guard Mark Setterstrom, taken in the seventh round of the 2006 Draft, and 37-year-old center Andy McCollum will both be taking care of buisness.
McCollum isn't the only one whose age Rams fans need to be concerned about. Bruce turns 35 in November, which hurts because receivers Kevin Curtis and Shaun McDonald defected for other teams via the free-agent market. Drew Bennett was signed, and will be a effective a replacement. Newly acquired tight end Randy McMichael should fit well into the offense, but the man who makes the entire unit work is running back Steven Jackson. Jackson, free of Mike Martz's pass-happy scoring attack, rumbled for 1,528 rushing yards, 806 receiving yards and 16 total touchdowns, establishing himself as one of the most potent weapons in the NFL. Jackson could be in for better numbers if Pace stays healthy.
Little theme music to set the mood:
