By Brett Grassmuck

Staff Writer

 

Since the Rams lost their leading pass rusher, Leonard Little, defensive coordinator Jim Haslett has been mixing up his defensive scheme to attempt to get to opposing offenses.

 

Haslett utilized yet another aggressive, attacking defensive scheme against the Seahawks to try and confuse quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and the Seattle offense. Although the Rams didn’t come out with the win, the defense continued to improve as it has each week.  

 

“(The schemes have) been doing great things for us,” linebacker Will Witherspoon said. “We’re putting pressure on the quarterback. I think they may have even had to force themselves to change part of their (offensive) scheme today. We just came out, made our effort and got after them like that.”

 

Since the Rams’ bye week, they have been mixing up the use of the 4-3 and 3-4 defensive fronts, using the linebackers as rush ends in 3-4 situations. The Rams spent a good number of snaps in the attacking 3-4 formation against the Seahawks and were able to get to Hasselbeck.

 

“It’s kind of hard to decipher who’s coming, who’s dropping, who’s the fourth down-lineman and stuff like that,” linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa said. “I think we felt like we caught them off guard.”

 

Hasselbeck was sacked five times for 34 yards, the biggest single-game sack total for the Rams this year. Witherspoon and linebacker Brandon Chillar had two sacks apiece with a fifth coming from defensive lineman La’Roi Glover.

 

The Rams held the Seahawks to 302 total yards, with only 87 of those yards coming via the run, and a 25 percent third-down conversion rate.

 

“It’s good to be aggressive,” Tinoisamoa said. “You can feel (Haslett’s) energy through the play-calling and how he’s signaling in the plays to us. There’s just some umph about it, and as a player, you feed off of that. You know he is an ex-player, so you feel his intensity from the sideline.”

 

It was a tale of two halves for the Rams against the Seahawks though, as their halftime adjustments had the Rams pulling back a little on the pressure in the second half and running more of the conventional 4-3 in an attempt to stop the run and quick passes.

 

“They made some plays,” Witherspoon said. “That’s really what it comes down to. They made some things happen. Matt (Hasselbeck) is good at reading coverages, reading defenses. He got the ball out quick trying to hold us from putting that pressure on him.”

 

Witherspoon had yet another big game as he was all over the place against the Seahawks. He is playing at a Pro Bowl level and leading a Rams linebacking corps. that is a large reason for the Rams improved defense.

 

“Putting pressure on the quarterback and making things happen is always something that you want to be able to do and something you want to do,” Witherspoon said. “We started out early and got that stuff done. With me, it just becomes another thing I added to the repertoire, and it’s another thing people have to prepare for.”

 

The Seahawks didn’t come prepared for Witherspoon as he dropped quarterback Matt Hasselbeck twice on their first drive, lined up in the rush end position. He finished the day with five tackles, two sacks, five quarterback hurries and two passes defended in unofficial press box statistics.  

 

“I thought Jim Haslett and Scott (Linehan) put together a nice defensive scheme and gave us some problems,” Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said. “Any time you start off a game with three sacks, unless your quarterback is Superman, he’s going to get a little grumpy and that is kind of what happened.”

 

Chillar also spent a good portion of his day in the Seahawks backfield. Rushing the passer isn’t something the former UCLA bruin is used to, but it is something he is growing to like.

 

“It’s something different,” Chillar said. “It’s something I haven’t really done in my career, so I had some fun out there. Hopefully I can improve week to week if we keep doing it and keep being successful.”

 

Tinoisamoa suffered a left knee sprain in the third quarter and had to leave the contest, but was still in the game long enough to be effective on defense as well as special teams.

 

Near the end of the first quarter, the Rams were forced to punt after a completion to wide receiver Drew Bennett was short of a first down. Tinoisamoa was in on the punt coverage unit and ended up getting a line on Seattle returner Nate Burleson. He caught Burleson from behind and punched out the ball which bounced right into the hands of Rams cornerback Eric Bassey.

 

A big part of the attacking defensive scheme is getting to the quarterback, but stopping the run is also crucial, and that is something the Rams have been able to do.

 

The Rams held the Seahawks, playing without running back Shaun Alexander, to under 100 yards rushing largely due to the play of rookie defensive tackle Adam Carriker and the defensive line.

 

The defensive line has been able to stuff the run up front, but also create some confusion for the linebackers to get to the ball carrier and make plays.

 

“I have to give them about 90 percent of (the credit for the play of the linebackers),” Tinoisamoa said. “They’re really the reason why Will and I are able to flow and make plays.”  

 

The steadily improving Carriker created problems for the Seahawks all day, but his biggest damage was done in the first quarter.

 

A 41-yard punt by Rams punter Donnie Jones put Seattle at their own two-yard-line for their second possession of the game. Hasselbeck handed off to Maurice Morris, who was met in the end zone by Carriker for the safety.

 

“I scored the first two points of my career,” Carriker said. “It was a lot of fun making that play.”

 

Although the linebackers and defensive linemen would enjoy getting to the quarterback on every play, it’s not something that is likely to happen. But the Rams secondary was prepared for the Seahawks ramped up passing attack.

 

Cornerback Ron Bartell was great in coverage as the third cornerback, and even though he left the game briefly, he still led the team in tackles with seven.

 

Safety Oshiomogho Atogwe had his third interception in three games when he picked off Hasselbeck in the end zone late in the first half.

 

“We play this game to win regardless of who plays well and has success,” Atogwe said. “We just play the game to win. When we lose, we lost and we want to go back and work on how we could have helped our team win. That’s all we focus on.”

 

The defense was focused in against the Seahawks, but the effort could not overcome key offensive injuries and give the Rams a win.

 

“You are going to be in games where you are an inch from winning, and you are going to be in games where you win by an inch,” Atogwe said. “You just have to keep fighting.”  

---