Disappointing, to say the least. We haven't seen the Rams lose a game they had control of since 2006 or so. Kind of a sad tone to the final nail in Jim Haslett's coaching coffin. I suspect he'll be working in the NFL this year (could anyone win the handful of crap he was handed?), but it's not going to be in St. Louis. How can they bring him back after this?
Bulger and Jackson worked the field with aplomb in the first half, but the team still failed to tack on some points when they had the opportunity. Even then though you wonder if they still wouldn't choked it in the second half.
We've talked a lot about the big salaries the Rams can dump, but let's not forget about the little people. Plenty of little people had a big role in this loss. Derek Stanley is vastly over-valued. He's fast. Great. His speed counts for nothing when you can't make big catches or keep the ball in your hands. Joe Klopfenstein must be a charity case. How bad do have to be before you get your walking papers? Daniel Fells and Kenneth Darby have gone above and beyond, but it's still easy to see why they we're on practice squads when the season began. Darby had no excuses for not catching that pass on 1st and 10 on the Rams unfruitful last possession of the game. Can anyone honestly make the case that Incognito's valuable enough to keep around? This meathead's four penalties today were drive killers; gotta love the back-to-back flags too.
Failure at all levels. Most of all the blame goes to the coaches, unbelievable for a group of coaches needing to at least put a good footnote on their resumes. I know 10 points is a big lead for the Rams and a big trench for the not-quite-as-hapless Seahawks to cross, but the decision to lay back and play only to protect that lead in the second half infuriated me. I realize it's not that simple, but the second half was a clear example of why this is a losing team: no killer instinct, no will to win. Though ugly at times, the first half was marked with aggressiveness; there was calculated risk-taking in the play calling on both sides of the ball. Not so for the second half.
A tough loss, but the perfect summary for a season that was lost on day 1.