Rams at Seattle, week 7 - Open Thread

by Ryan Van Bibber on Oct 21, 2007 11:33 AM CDT in Events

Is this the day? Can anyone possibly hold out until 3:15 p.m. to find out if the Rams can add a notch to the bedpost for their first win of the season, against the hated Seahawks?

You'll forgive me for not making predictions.

Must Win Game
Ah, a classic sports cliche, but one that philisophically may no longer apply to the Rams. When you're 0-6 are any of your games "must win" since you've essentially played yourself out of postseason hopes other than that of the spoiler? Or, are all of your games "must win" as they hope to avoid the ebarassment of being winless week after week?

I suspect philosophers across the country will pause from the ageless angels on the head of a pin argument to explore the "win now" paradox. Can somebody get these guys a MacArthur Grant?

Coach's Corner
Linehan's not the only one whose future weighs heavy on his mind lately. Seattle's decline has created a flurry of speculation that Holmgren will seek new surroundings next season. He doesn't have to contend with mid-season axing rumors, with Seattle's main strategy for the division title is simply staying awake, but even Fraiser's talk radio regulars are commenting on a team in decline and Holmgren's embrace of the old way in the face of change (hmm, sounds like something St. Louis Cardinal fans might be familiar with). Holmgren needs a win to quiet critics after consecutive losses to the Steelers and Saints. Has 3-3 ever looked so bleak?

A Simple Plan
See yesterday's post more about what the Saints did to earn their first victory of the season. Quick plays and an effective running game in the middle will be essential to the future of this franchise. No seriously, those will be key elements in keeping Marc Bulger off the ground against a defense that doesn't have much more left than a good pass rush. With Alexander ailing and the Seattle o-line one of the worst (worse than the Rams even) at run blocking, the Rams will need to create a pass rush of their own, anything to disrupt the passing game. Timely INTs wouldn't be bad either. Of course, the Rams must not turn the ball over themselves, which should go without saying.

Don't forget to check out SBN Seahawks blog Field Gulls. They've done a fine job with analysis over there, so don't leave that out of your pregame info gathering session.

No temper tantrums here...the Rams' fanbase just isn't interested enough anymore to elicit that kind of passion.

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Timing...

(I hate when this happens. I check for a new entry from Van and after I've typed a thesis paper, he posts something new as I'm posting mine. Figured I'd just post it here since it's still relevent. Sorry for the redundancy.)

Let's get this on the record...

I'm not impressed with Linehan's outburst. Mainly because he was backed into to it by a mouthy player who should have been cut weeks ago, but is still on the team out of neccisity.

But, I also don't buy into the whole yelling and screaming thing at the professional level. If this were college ball, or even high school, all that yelling and rah rah crap works great. But it don't fly so well in the pros. These guys should have all the motivation they need in their paychecks and the fact that these teams can cut them basically at anytime. That and the fact they are professional athletes who have had to work to get to this level should be enough to motivate them.

A little yelling from a loser head coach probably isn't going to change anything. They know he's at the end of his rope and can see where the fire under his ass is coming from. His motivation is for his job not the team, and they see that.

Sometimes players are unable to motivate. Sometimes this is because they're either lazy or don't care. Terrell fits in this mold as do some other players. However, I feel the majority of this team are unmotivated by an 0-6 record and a lame duck coach who is in over his head. They're not willing to do anything for him and it's hard to question that. Sure, they should have professional pride and never lack motivation.

In this case, I lay the blame on the head coach. I hate to call for someone's head and feel its a social phenomenon where fans feel some sort of power by demanding someone get fired. But, when looking at this team, there isn't many options that don't include his departure.

(for what it's worth, Zygmunt needs to either go as well or step down from the general manager's postion. He has no business being in that position)

I do like Haslett, but would rather he stayed at Defensive Coordinator. He didn't really succed in NO, and had a reputation for letting teams quit on him. Granted, its possible he learned from that experience and could succeed here.

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I do have to say the combinatin of Holmgren and Haslett here next year would get me more then feeling upbeat.

by Big Red on Oct 21, 2007 11:47 AM CDT reply actions