RAMS OPEN 2009 WITH ROAD CONTEST AT SEATTLE
Sunday, September 13, 2009, Qwest Field, 3:15 p.m. (CDT)

The St. Louis Rams open the 2009 regular season with a road contest at NFC West foe the Seattle Seahawks this week. After finishing the preseason with a 3-1 record, the team’s first winning record in the preseason since 2005, the Rams hope to carry the momentum into Head Coach Steve Spagnuolo’s first regular season contest.

The Rams and Seahawks have met 21 times in the regular season and once in the postseason. The Seahawks lead the all-time regular season series, 12-9, dating to a Rams’ 45-6 victory in Seattle’s inaugural season in 1976.

Close games have been a regularity in the series since Seattle joined the NFC West in 2002. In 15 meetings, including the 2004 NFC Wildcard Playoff, eight have been decided by a touchdown or less. In 2004, the Rams and the Seahawks faced off three times, twice in the regular season and once in the postseason. The Rams won all three games, including an Oct. 10, 2004 matchup in which the Rams erased a 17-point fourth quarter deficit, the second-largest comeback with less than six minutes left to play in NFL history.

Passing

M. Bulger
Rams

Rushing

S. Jackson
Rams

Receiving

D. Avery
Rams

Passing

M. Hasselbeck
Seahawks

Rushing

J. Jones
Seahawks

Receiving

J. Carlson
Seahawks

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Norm “The Dutchman” Van Brocklin entered the 1951 season entrenched in a duel for the starting position with veteran Bob Waterfield. A Waterfield injury sidelined the incumbent quarterback prior to the season opener against the New York Yanks on September 28, and opened the door for Van Brocklin to show his worth. He took advantage of the opportunity by producing the most prolific passing performance in NFL history. Van Brocklin threw for an NFL-record 554 yards in a 54-14 rout of the Yanks at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback tossed five touchdowns and completed 27 of 41 passes.

“It’s the finest exhibition of passing I’ve ever seen,” said Rams coach Jimmy Phelan after the game. “Van Brocklin was hitting them in the eye practically every time he threw the ball.”

Van Brocklin, who passed away at the age of 57 in 1983, remained subdued about the performance. “Everything I threw seemed to be caught and run for a long gain,” he said.

The Rams’ Tom Fears averaged 23.1 yards on his seven catches and Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch averaged 19.2 yards on nine receptions. Los
Angeles amassed an NFL-record 735 total yards and 34 first downs.

"They don’t need me out here anymore,” said Waterfield after the game. The two quarterbacks would split time for the rest of the season as the Rams captured the 1951 NFL Championship.

Van Brocklin’s record has stood for the past 58 years. Former Houston Oilers quarterback Warren Moon came the closest to breaking Van
Brocklin’s mark with a 527-yard day against Kansas City on December 16, 1990.

4th Quarter

- The teams traded punts the first few possessions of the final quarter.

- Seattle took over at its 24 with 7:56 to play.

- The Rams got a stop and drove deep into Seattle territory, advancing all the way to the Seahawks’ 8 but they couldn’t finish it off and went for it on fourth down as a pass to McMichael in the end zone just missed.

- Seattle takes over at its 8 with two minutes to go.

- The Seahawks were unable to pick up the first down and the Rams got one more chance to get on the board with 1:39 to play.

- The Rams picked up a first down but was unable to get any points as time expired.

- Seattle wins 28-0.

3rd Quarter

- The Rams defense got the stop it needed to open the half as Houshmandzadeh was stopped 1 yard short of the sticks on third down.

- The offense had a promising start to its ensuing possession but another personal foul penalty on Incognito killed momentum again. Adam Goldberg replaced him.

- Donnie Jones continued his strong day as he booted a punt that was downed at Seattle’s 1.

- But Seattle, with all momentum still on its side, quickly covered the 99 yards with a pair of long completions to Carlson, including a 33-yard touchdown to make it 21-0 Seahawks with 5:02 to go in the quarter.

- The Seahawks covered the 99 yards with just seven plays, in a shade less than four minutes. Hasselbeck accounted for 84 of those yards in the air on four completions.

- In desperate need of some points, the Rams were unable to muster anything as they had their third three-and-out of the day.

- Seattle takes over at its 38.

- The Seahawks waste no time and get out of the gate for a 62-yard touchdown run from Julius Jones on the first play of the drive. It’s 28-0 Seattle with 3:42 to go in the quarter.

- At the end of three, Seattle leads 28-0.

2nd Quarter

- The Rams picked up a key third down conversion at Seattle’s 18 as Jackson put his head down for 2 yards.

- More penalties, this time a false start and a delay of game killed another Rams drive and Josh Brown missed from 37 yards out.

- Seattle takes over at its 27.

- After trading punts and turnovers for most of the first half, Seattle finally cashed in a drive as Hasselbeck hit tight end John Carlson for a 1-yard touchdown to give Seattle a 7-0 lead with 5:45 to go in the half.

- The Rams did not respond and went three and out after Lofa Tatupu came through unblocked for a sack on third down.

- Seattle takes over at its 31.

- The Seahawks drove into Rams territory and the defense held the Seahawks to a field goal attempt. Then, craziness ensued.

- C.J. Ah You blocked the field goal attempt and Quincy Butler scooped it and raced 61 yards for a touchdown to seemingly tie the game. Then, the referees decided to review the play because the Rams had 12 men on the field.

- An ex post facto penalty for 12-men on the field gave Seattle a first down and it converted into a 12-yard touchdown pass from Hasselbeck to Nate Burleson gave the Seahawks a 14-0 lead at the half.

1st Quarter

- The Seahawks deferred the opening coin toss and the Rams gave the ball up before the offense ever stepped on the field.

- Donnie Avery returned the opening kickoff but coughed it up on a fumble and Seattle took over at the Rams’ 19.

- But the Rams defense continued its habit of coming up with timely takeaways as safety James Butler intercepted Seattle’s Matt Hasselbeck after cornerback Jonathan Wade tipped it up in the air in the end zone.

- The Rams got their first possession at their 20 but got off to another rough start as Incognito had a false start penalty on first down. The Rams went three and out but Donnie Jones swung field position with a 60-yard punt.

- Seattle takes over at its 30.

- The Rams defense stood strong again, this time getting a three and out as Wade jumped a quick slant route on third down to force the punt.

- Derek Stanley got off to a nice start in his punt returning role as he brought the ensuing punt back 24 yards to the Rams’ 32.

- The Rams got a nice drive going and picked up a first down near midfield before an unnecessary roughness penalty on Incognito pushed the Rams back and ultimately killed the drive.

- The defense again came up with a big play on the following possession as linebacker James Laurinaitis forced and recovered a fumble at Seattle’s 38.

- But the Rams couldn’t manufacture any points after a holding penalty on Avery negated a long run by Jackson.

- David Roach made a nice play on special teams to down the punt at Seattle’s 4.

- After the Seahawks put together their best drive of the day, Atogwe made another play, coming up with an interception.

- At the end of the first quarter, the Rams have pieced together their best drive and have a second-and-2 at Seattle’s 20. The score is tied at 0.

Pregame Notes

- Greetings from Qwest Field where the Rams and Seahawks are about to kick off the 2009 season.

- The Rams inactives for today are third quarterback Keith Null, safety Anthony Smith, safety Craig Dahl, tackle Eric Young, guard Roger Allen III, guard John Greco, defensive end Victor Adeyanju and defensive tackle LaJuan Ramsey.

- Greco (wrist) and Dahl (hamstring) are the only ones out because of injury.

- There were no changes to the starting lineup. As expected it’s Bulger at QB, Jackson at RB, Karney at FB, Robinson and Avery at WR, McMichael at TE, J. Smith at RT, Barron at LT, Incognito at RG, Bell at LG and Brown at C.

- On defense, it’s Little and Long at DE, Ryan and Gibson at DT, Vobora at SLB, Laurinaitis at MLB, Witherspoon at WLB, Bartell and Wade at CB, J. Butler at SS and Atogwe at FS.

- For Seattle, the inactives are third quarterback Mike Teel, cornerback Travis Fisher, center Chris Spencer, tackle Walter Jones, defensive tackle Red Bryant, receiver Deion Branch, defensive tackle Michael Bennett and defensive end Derek Walker.

- Check in for quarterly updates and in game updates on our Twitter account @OneRamsWay.

2nd Quarter

KTVI, FOX 2 is once again “The Home of the Rams” in 2007.  On Monday evenings at 6:30 p.m., check out Rams Weekly where Fox 2 Sports Director Martin Kilcoyne goes one on one with head coach Scott Linehan and a Rams’ player.

Prior to each game, Kilcoyne will be joined by the St. Louis Post Dispatch’s Bryan Burwell, FOX 2’s Rob Desir and FOX 2’s Maurice Drummond for Rams Gameday pregame show, bringing viewers in-depth analysis, player profiles and the latest inside scoop on every Rams game.

The 2009-2010 broadcast team for Rams Radio is as follows:

Rams Radio Pre-Game Show:
Host: Randy Karraker
Analyst: Coach Jim Hanifan
Reporter: Brian Stull
Gameday Insider: Jim Thomas
Studio Host: Tom Casey
Segment Contributors: Bernie Miklasz, Bryan Burwell, Pat Parris,
D’Marco Farr and Steve Savard
Executive Producer: Chris “Hoss” Neupert

Rams Radio In-Game Coverage:
Play by Play: Steve Savard
Color Analyst: D’Marco Farr
In-Game Reporter: Brian Stull
Studio Host: Tom Casey
Executive Producer: Chris “Hoss” Neupert

Rams Radio Post-Game Show:
Hosts: Steve Savard and Brent Stover
Analysts: D’Marco Farr and Coach Jim Hanifan
Locker Room Interviews: Brian Stull
Studio Host: Tom Casey
Executive Producer: Chris “Hoss” Neupert

All of the Rams game day shows and coverage, along with the weekly Rams programs will be executed under the watchful eye of Executive Producer Chris Neupert. Studio Producer duties will vary by program and schedule, rotating between 101 ESPN Producers Ben Boyd, Todd Wise and Chris Gardner. Steve Bear will be the In-Game Spotter, and engineering responsibilities will be handled by Dodie Rahlman, Craig Rutledge, Marshall Rice, Bob Hoffman and Ken Cunetto.

Along with the Rams game day coverage and pre-and post-game shows, 101 ESPN will broadcast “Rams Rush Hour Shows” weeknights from 7:00 until 8:00 pm. As part of “Rams Rush Hour Shows,” Coach Steve Spagnuolo and General Manager Billy Devaney are expected to do weekly shows.

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Weekly Prize

Seventeen (17) Weekly Team Prizes (1 weekly prize each week for 17 weeks)

• Week 1: Jason Smith Autographed Photo (ARV: $20.00 USD)
• Week 2: Rams Fan Pack: includes Rams hat and Rams t-shirt (ARV: $30.00 USD)
• Week 3: Rams Player Autographed Football. (Choice of autograph is at the sole discretion of St. Louis Rams) (ARV: $59.99 USD)
• Week 4: NFL Wilson Portfolio (ARV: $30.00 USD)
• Week 5: Steven Jackson Autographed Photo (ARV: $20.00 USD)
• Week 6: Rams Fan Pack: includes Rams hat and Rams t-shirt (ARV: $30.00 USD)
• Week 7: Rams Player Autographed Football. (Choice of autograph is at the sole discretion of St. Louis Rams) (ARV: $59.99 USD)
• Week 8: NFL Wilson Portfolio (ARV: $30.00 USD)
• Week 9: Jason Smith Autographed Photo (ARV: $25.00 USD)
• Week 10: Rams Fan Pack: includes Rams hat and Rams t-shirt (ARV: $30.00 USD)
• Week 11: Rams Player Autographed Football. (Choice of autograph is at the sole discretion of St. Louis Rams) (ARV: $59.99 USD)
• Week 12: NFL Wilson Portfolio (ARV: $30.00 USD)
• Week 13: Chris Long Autographed Photo (ARV: $20.00 USD)
• Week 14: Rams Fan Pack: includes Rams hat and Rams t-shirt (ARV: $30.00 USD)
• Week 15: Rams Player Autographed Football. (Choice of autograph is at the sole discretion of St. Louis Rams) (ARV: $59.99 USD)
• Week 16: NFL Wilson Portfolio (ARV: $30.00 USD)
• Week 17: Donnie Avery Autographed Photo (ARV: $20.00 USD)

One (1) Overall Grand Team Prize
Rams 2010 Home Opener Dream Package: Package for two (2) for the Rams 2010 regular season home opener, includes (2) club seat tickets***, two (2) pre-game sidelines passes, one (1) complimentary parking pass, and one (1) Rams gift bag which includes autographed memorabilia (such memorabilia determined by Rams in their sole discretion). (ARV: $1,500.00 USD).