THE SITUATION: The Rams have made no bones about wanting to beef
up their offensive line so that they can better protect quarterback Marc Bulger
and open holes for running back Steven Jackson.
To that end, the team revamped the line in the offseason by
plugging in rookie Jason Smith at right tackle and free agent Jason Brown at
center. That line’s first test comes Sunday in the form of one of the most
formidable front sevens (on paper, at least) in the league.
Seattle boasts a front seven that includes ends Patrick Kerney
and Cory Redding and a linebacker crew with serious star power in Lofa Tatupu,
Leroy Hill and Aaron Curry.
“They are very fast,” Brown said. “They move around very well.
They remind me of some the lighter, shiftier guys I would see in Indianapolis.
They do a great job of moving around and rushing the passer.”
The challenge provided by that front seven plus what is likely
to be another one will make the challenge of keeping Jackson involved in the
offense difficult. But there’s no doubt he will be the bell cow for this
offense.
Seattle’s defense hasn’t changed a ton under new coach Jim Mora
Jr. but the team still plays a lot of Tampa 2 zone schemes that can create
running opportunities.
And if Jackson can get it going early and the Rams can protect
Bulger on passing opportunities, the Rams can control the clock.
“He is a tremendous talent,” offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur
said of Jackson. “I am looking forward to seeing him in real, live action.
Obviously, we didn’t play him much in preseason because we wanted to get him to
the first game, but what he has done in practice and the few snaps he had in
preseason, I am looking forward to seeing him work.”
THE ANSWER: The Rams had some bright moments in protection in
the running game but usually those were negated by penalties. Jackson finished
with 67 yards on 16 carries, a respectable average but it could have been more
if not for some flags. Bulger was sacked three times, including one complete
miss of a blitz from Tatupu that killed a drive.
2. A Real Hasselbeck
THE SITUATION: Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has long been
a thorn in the side of the Rams with 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 11
games. But Hasselbeck is coming off an injury-plagued season that has some
wondering if he can still get it done at his formerly high level. Even
before injuries took over in 2008, Hasselbeck struggled some. But Hasselbeck’s
ability to get out of the pocket and make plays still makes him dangerous. And
he posted a quarterback rating of over 100 in the preseason.
“I think Matt is one of the quality quarterbacks in this
league,” coach Steve Spagnuolo said. “He knows where to go with the football. He
knows how to manage the game. I’ve always had a great deal of respect for him.
When he’s playing, he’s one of those guys you have to defend. That’s a confident
football team and it starts with the quarterback.”
Helping Hasselbeck is the offseason acquisition of perhaps the
best receiver the Seahawks have had in Hasselbeck’s tenure as a starter, T.J.
Houshmandzadeh.
Houshmandzadeh is a steady, reliable target that has to ability
to slice up defenses over the middle and even get deep occasionally. The
assignment of covering him will likely fall to Ron Bartell but all corners,
including Jonathan Wade who is making his third career start will need to be on
their game.
“He’s been tough for a number of years,” Wade said. “To go up
against a veteran of that caliber, they know where to go, when to go and how to
go and how to beat young, inexperienced corners. So you have to make sure you
are fully prepared mentally and physically going into a battle like this.”
THE ANSWER: The Rams did a dynamite job early on Hasselbeck,
coming up with a pair of interceptions. But with the offense struggling to gain
traction, Hasselbeck found his rhythm and finished with 279 yards and three
touchdowns for a rating of 96.9. Houshmandzadeh was relatively quiet but Nate
Burleson and tight end John Carlson picked up the slack.
3. On the Receiving End
THE SITUATION: While they may not have anyone with the
experience of Houshmandzadeh, the Rams believe their young stable of four wide
receivers has the potential to be extremely effective this season.
Facing a Seattle secondary that finished last in the league in
pass defense in 2008 and knowing that the Seahawks will be keying on Jackson
should create ample opportunities for Donnie Avery, Keenan Burton, Laurent
Robinson and Derek Stanley to make some plays.
“The only way to get experience is if you play,” Burton said.
“They are definitely trying to see what we can do. We just have to step up to
the challenge, go out, make plays, make blocks and do what is asked of us.”
The Rams have no concerns about carrying just four wideouts on
the roster and they are high on the possibilities the young legs can provide.
Don’t expect the Rams to spread it out much in terms of four receiver sets and
look for the tight ends and running backs to play a prominent role in the
offense as well.
“We’re OK,” Spagnuolo said. “I know you look at it and see four
wideouts, well obviously we are going to activate the four wideouts and where we
are lucky and fortunate is we have some versatile tight ends like Randy
(McMichael) and Danny Fells.”
THE ANSWER: The young wideout crew had some positive moments
like Robinson’s 45-yard catch late but the big plays were few and far between
and some catchable balls went through hands more than the Rams would like.
4. Gone in a Snap
THE SITUATION: For those aforementioned receivers to be
effective, Rams quarterback Marc Bulger will have to be his usual, accurate
self.
Coming off a broken right pinkie finger, Bulger just began
taking snaps on Wednesday of this week but has had no ill effects from it and
has been throwing the ball with his normal accuracy and velocity.
Despite all the missed time, the Rams believe Bulger is prepared
to play against the Seahawks.
“He’s taken all the reps this week and I think that is most
important,” Shurmur said. “He kept himself in shape. Mentally, he was right
there with us, even the time he missed. He is a veteran guy so he knows how to
get himself ready.”
It will be critically important for Bulger and Brown to have
solid exchanges and to keep Bulger from re-injuring his pinkie.
THE ANSWER: Aside from one botched shotgun snap, the Rams had no
problems. Bulger taped the finger and had no center exchange issues. He finished
17-of-36 for 191 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
5. The Qwest to Hear
THE SITUATION: Few venues in the league present as much of a
challenge as Seattle’s Qwest Field in terms of homefield advantage. It’s loud
almost from start to finish and the Seahawks are 36-13 at Qwest Field.
“It’s loud,” Brown said. “Of course, that’s what most people
say. It’s always loud. The thing is you have to be poised, under control. You
have to anticipate that it’s going to be loud.”
The Seahawks even have a sign that tracks the number of false
start and pre-snap penalties against opponents because their fans have helped
cause so many of them.
Pre-snap penalties are something that will quickly draw the ire
of Spagnuolo and the Rams first unit was improved in that area in the preseason.
Still, with a rookie starting at right tackle; it’s important for the Rams
offense to communicate as best it can.
A lot of that burden falls on Brown, who is charged with the
task of making the line calls and doing all he can to lead the line and
particularly the rookie.
“First thing I can do is be the leader he deserves, lead this
offensive line and make sure I make all of my calls direct, precise and to the
point,” Brown said. “It will give him a better sense of what he is supposed to
be doing every play.”
THE ANSWER: There’s no doubting that the Seattle faithful again
made an impact on the game. The Rams had plenty of mental mistakes, to the tune
of 10 penalties for 85 yards. It seemed just about everyone on the offense had a
penalty at some point in the game.
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