Six Points: Seahawks vs. Rams
FOX Sports
Sep 11, 2015 at 8:30a ET SHARE 4 TWEET 5
http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/six-points-seahawks-vs-rams-091115
It's a tale of teams at different stages heading into 2015.
The Seahawks have been perched atop the league for the last three seasons, and are seeking a third straight Super Bowl appearance. After a crushing Super Bowl XLIX loss, Seattle reloaded and acquired Jimmy Graham in the offseason to boost their offense. However, they will also be without the services of one of their best players on the defensive side in Kam Chancellor (contract holdout).
Meanwhile, the Rams are simply trying to clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2004. St. Louis' strength lies in a young defensive front the organization has built through the draft. It is the Rams' offense, though, that needs some time to build chemistry with a number of new faces, including quarteback Nick Foles.
Here are three keys to the game for both the Seahawks and the Rams.
SEAHAWKS
1. Focus, focus, focus
The Rams unleashed trick plays in handing the Seahawks their third loss of the season in October. Heading into 2015, Seattle is once again the favorite to win the NFC West, while St. Louis could be a team on the rise, or floundering in mediocrity based on Jeff Fisher's track record the last three seasons. If there's anything the Seahawks need to know, all they have to do is pull up the tape from Oct. 20, 2014, and be wary of anything the Rams will try to do to pull out a win in their home opener.
2. Protect Russell Wilson
The problems centering around the offensive line in the preseason were evident. Though coach Tom Cable said his starting unit could be the best he's coached, the group is far from a finished product. On the other side, the Rams boast arguably the best defensive front in the league, headlined by Robert Quinn and Aaron Donald. If the Seahawks expect to get anything going on offense, protecting Wilson is paramount.
3. Pressure Foles
The Rams are working in two rookies along the offensive line, and a center with little starting experience (four games). And it will be Foles' first career start. The Seahawks defense is known to generate a ton of pressure, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Kris Richard's unit force Foles and the rest of the offense to make plays outside their comfort zone.
RAMS
1. Keep Foles upright
The Rams' young offensive line will be tasked with slowing down the league's best defense for three straight seasons. Foles is no stranger to seeing pressure; he was sacked 37 times from the 2013-14 seasons while in Philadelphia. If the Rams hope to have any chance of winning Week 1, they'll need to protect Foles and give him time in the pocket.
2. Attack Seahawks secondary
If Foles is able to buy time in the pocket, the Rams boast a number of weapons on the outside that have big-play potential, including Tavon Austin, Brian Quick and Stedman Bailey. The Seahawks will have three new faces in the secondary starting alongside Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas: Dion Bailey, rookie Tye Smith and offseason signee Cary Williams. Most notably, they'll be without Chancellor.
3. Wreak havoc in the backfield
There's no question the Rams' strength lies in their defensive front. But Quinn, Donald and Co. face a tall task in trying to slow down Marshawn Lynch and making Wilson uncomfortable. The Rams defensive unit will need to try generating pressure to make life uneasy for the Seahawks offensive line, and force Lynch and Wilson work.
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3 Keys to a St. Louis Rams Victory Over the Seattle Seahawks
by Curt Popejoy
http://nflspinzone.com/2015/09/11/3-keys-st-louis-rams-victory-seattle-seahawks/4/
The 2015 NFL season finally kicks off for the St. Louis Rams as they welcome the defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks to town for a Week 1 division showdown. Everyone understands why the Seahawks are good. They have a stifling defense, power run game, and efficient quarterback play.
This formula sounds an awful lot like what the Rams head coach Jeff Fisher is trying to build in St. Louis. The defense is absolutely packed with talent, and just needs more consistent play from week to week in order to be discussed among the very elite in the league. St. Louis also brought in a quarterback in Nick Foles to run the offense, and drafted a power back in Todd Gurley to keep the offense humming.
Obviously, this plan is very much a work in progress and we probably won’t see this team at full strength until the middle of the year as Gurley gets healthy and the young offensive line gels. That doesn’t mean, however, that the Rams can’t pull off an opening weekend upset of the Seahawks.
Unfortunately, the debut of future franchise running back Todd Gurley is going to be delayed. When healthy, gurley is going to be a huge boost to this offense. His blend of size and speed is rare even among NFL backs, but as with him still getting back to full speed, won’t be available on Sunday.
Additionally, backup running back Tre Mason is going to be a gametime decision as he continues to struggle with a hamstring injury. Mason is more of a quick, shifty back, but is a threat to score every time he touches the football. He might not be an ideal matchup for a physical Seattle defense, but at this point it is all about having all hands on deck.
That means the rushing game is going to be tossed on the shoulders of Benny Cunningham. While not as big as Gurley or as explosive as Mason, Cunningham actually is a nice matchup for the Seahawks D. With a low center of gravity and powerful lower body, Cunningham is better suited to grind it out rather than break off long runs. However, against Seattle, keeping the chains moving is going to be vital to success. There might not be a more underrated player in the league than Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson. His ability to run the offense with efficiency and production while being so quite statistically is quite a feat. Look for that to change somewhat this year as the Seahawks have added a serious weapon in the passing game. The addition of tight end Jimmy Graham likely means Seattle will want to throw the football more than in previous seasons.
And if they do, it is going to be up to the Rams defensive line to make his life miserable. Wilson’s mobility presents its own batch of problems, but with all the talent up front, St. Louis should still be able to get to him, and hit him often. It isn’t always about sacks, but pressures and hits that makes all the difference.
Defensive ends Robert Quinn and Chris Long, along with defensive tackle Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers must be able to get to Wilson without committing additional rushers. Being able to keep the linebackers clean will help defend against running back Marshawn Lynch, and not having to blitz aids in coverage. When the Rams beat the Seahawks in October last season, they did so by pulling out all the stops on special teams. St. Louis got a 75-yard kickoff return on a squib kick by Cunningham, and a 90-yard kickoff return touchdown by wide receiver Stedman Bailey on a trick play.
Additionally, the play of the game was a fake punt deep in Rams territory near the end of the game that kept the drive alive and allowed St. Louis with a lead to run out the clock. If that play doesn’t work, the Seahawks kick a short field goal and the game is over.
Against Seahawks this weekend, the Rams cannot be afraid to cut loose and make special teams just as important as the offense or defense. The offense is going to have to take a somewhat conservative approach due to injuries and so many rookies in starting spots. This means that special teams needs to step up, give the offense short fields, and keep the Seahawks guessing.
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St. Louis Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks: Five Rams To Watch
By Tevin Broner Sep 11, 2015, 12:54p
http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2015/9/11/9262867/st-louis-rams-seattle-seahawks-preview
Here are the five (...or six) Rams to key in on on Sunday.
The St. Louis Rams will host the Seattle Seahawks Sunday in the first game of the 2015 regular season. The Rams are playing their rivals in their home stadium, and as always the first game is one of the most interesting.
A win against the Seahawks would be a big step for the Rams who seem to struggle during the first half of the season. It will take a team effort to defeat the NFC representatives and as always the game could swing in the favor of the Rams based on the play of certain players.
QB Nick Foles
This season, the Rams have their starting quarterback from the preseason ready to go in the first regular season game of the year. The jury is still out on Foles, however, and for good reason. Everyone remembers his two starting seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles where he had a great season and followed it up with a down year. Over the preseason, Foles started and looked below average the first two weeks, though through the final two weeks he looked brilliant and showed he can be a quality QB for the Rams. So yeah, the jury is still out on Foles, but having a good game against the Seahawks will be a positive breath for Ram fans and the team going forward.
OLB Alec Ogletree
This game will be the best gauge for Ogletree. Ogletree has been a solid player for the Rams defense as a great chase and tackle linebacker helping to create some mismatches. Now heading into his third season with the Rams, he has to show development in his coverage abilities. if Ogletree is going to have a great game, he will have to help contain the running threat of Russell Wilson and also help cover tight end Jimmy Graham. Can he do it? We will find out on Sunday, but he does have the athletic ability to come away looking strong.
CB Lamarcus Joyner
The Rams secondary is pretty inconsistent, and the biggest question in the secondary has to be how well will second year corner Joyner plays. He was drafted to be the Rams' slot corner in the 2014 NFL Draft, but he showed issues in coverage in his rookie season and those issues showed up during the preseason as well. Now he can help spy on Wilson, and he does not shy from run support so he will help tackle the running backs. He should be a key player in this game.
LT Greg Robinson and RT Rob Havenstein
The Rams' offense has questions everywhere, but their bookend tackles might be the biggest weakness on the offense. Throughout the preseason, both tackles struggled in pass protection. Both players might need help from guards and tight ends when it comes to stunts and just-in-case moments. It is honestly hard to feel good about the tackle situation at the moment. Expect the Seahawks to try their best to exploit these players' weaknesses.
WR Tavon Austin
What have the Rams been missing? A player that can help explode on offense. Against the Seahawks, the Rams will need their electric playmaker to play well. It will be interesting to see how Tavon will be used this year. So far, it appears he will be an outside receiver, but he can also move to the slot and running back if need be. If the Rams want to win against the Seahawks, they need Austin to become the mismatch threat that the Rams hoped he would be when they traded up to draft him in the 2013 NFL Draft.
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Rams hoping OL is ready for first challenge
By Nate Latsch
http://www.scout.com/nfl/rams/story/1585549-rams-hoping-ol-is-ready-for-first-challenge
The St. Louis Rams rebuilt their offensive line this offseason and on Sunday that young group faces its first real challenge when the Seattle Seahawks come to town.
ST. LOUIS — Ready or not, the Rams young offensive line will take the field on Sunday for what figures to be one of their most difficult tests of the entire season against the visiting Seattle Seahawks.
The Rams will take the field at the Edward Jones Dome with four different players starting on the offensive line than took the field for the season opener 12 months ago.
Jake Long, Scott Wells, Davin Joseph and Joe Barksdale are gone.
In their place are left tackle Greg Robinson, left guard Jamon Brown, center Tim Barnes, right guard Rodger Saffold and right tackle Rob Havenstein.
The Rams went all in on their extreme offensive line makeover and now we’ll see if they are ready. Brown and Havenstein, the Rams’ two rookie starters, will make their first NFL starts. Tim Barnes, who is in his fifth season, will make his fifth start.
“I think they’ll try to create some one-on-one match-ups and step up in some gaps and try to confuse us,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said of the challenge the Seahawks will pose defensively. “We have a smart group up front. I wouldn’t have asked ‘JB’ or allowed JB or Rob for that matter, we wouldn’t have put them in a position to start if we didn’t think they were going to get the job done and they’re only going to get better.”
When the Rams drafted Havenstein and Brown, in the second and third rounds respectively, Fisher and general manager Les Snead spoke about how much experienced both players gained in college.
Both were three-year starters in college and racked up impressive accolades. While the Rams were hesitant to insert Robinson into the starting lineup as a rookie last season, they apparently have no such concerns about Havenstein and Brown this season.
Rams offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti praised the work of offensive line coach Paul Boudreau and assistant offensive line coach Andy Dickerson in getting the young group ready to go.
“O-line is doing a great job,” Frank Cignetti said. “Like I’ve said each time here, Paul Boudreau and Andy Dickerson have done a great job with these guys. The young guys are making progress every day. Getting Rodger back is outstanding. The o-line is doing a nice job.”
Saffold suffered a shoulder injury in the opening series of the first preseason game against the Oakland Raiders, but has returned to practice this week. Brown suffered an ankle injury in the third preseason game, but also returned to practice this week.
The Rams recent decision to switch their positions — with Brown going from right guard to left and Saffold from left to right — could help strengthen the offensive line this season. Having the two rookies together on the right side could have been a recipe for disaster with every opponent targeting that duo and trying to take advantage by throwing blitzes at them that they haven’t seen yet at this level.
Saffold has played every position on the line except center during his time with the Rams and right guard may be his best position. Brown played several spots on the line at Louisville, including the strong tackle spot as a senior that would line up on both sides depending on formations.
Cignetti doesn’t think Saffold and Brown will have trouble making the moves, even if it did occur relatively late in the preseason, and whatever responsibilities go with those changes.
“Well because one, they’re versatile,” Cignetti said. “They’re smart. They understand the calls for whether it’s the right guard or the left guard. When you look at the training that Coach Boudreau has done with the line up front, they’re able to make the switch.”
There will be a lot of focus on the offensive line on Sunday, particularly the two rookies, but they’ve quickly made believers out of the coaches and teammates. Of course there will be nerves, there will be growing pains, but ready or not it’s time to go out there and play.
“Oh Jamon and Rob are awesome, just wise beyond their years, mature beyond their years,” Rams quarterback Nick Foles said. “I know my rookie year … there’s going to be nerves involved. That’s part of it. They’ve gone against a great front seven every single day with what we have and they’re going to be ready to go. …
“Seattle has a great defense. It’s going to be a great challenge for them but I have all the confidence in the world in them, and I’m excited to what they go out there and do.”
