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Rams have Seahawks on high alert with special teams trickery
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...wks-on-high-alert-with-special-teams-trickery
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams and Seattle Seahawks open the season at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome. Here are three things to watch in the NFC West division matchup.
1. Special teams trickery: Were it not for a pair of inventive and, ahem, gutsy special teams calls, the Rams would not have beaten the Seahawks in St. Louis last year. For those who don't remember, that was the 28-26 Rams win at home that featured a 90-yard punt return for a touchdown by receiver Stedman Bailey (now known as 'The Mountaineer') and the fake punt in the fourth quarter from their own 18-yard line that sealed the victory.
In 2012, punter Johnny Hekker threw a touchdown pass on a fake field goal to give the Rams another victory over Seattle at home. In other words, the Rams have beaten Seattle two of the past three meetings in St. Louis and both were fueled by special teams shenanigans.
One would think Seattle is well aware of the possible trickery and will be on the lookout for it this time around. Coach Pete Carroll told St. Louis media that it's been a point of emphasis this week. But Rams coach Jeff Fisher has also implied that the team's bag of tricks is far from empty. In what figures to be a low-scoring affair, a trick play or a special teams gaffe could go a long way in determining the outcome.
2. Protection priority: To say that the Rams and Seahawks have done some line dancing this offseason would be an understatement.
The Rams will start two rookies in Jamon Brown (left guard) and Rob Havenstein (right tackle) and a new center in Tim Barnes (four career starts) against Seattle's vaunted defensive line. It is, perhaps, the biggest question mark on the team and that doesn't even factor right guard Rodger Saffold's injury history or left tackle Greg Robinson as a work in progress.
But things aren't much better in Seattle. The Seahawks will have a new starting center (Drew Nowak) and right tackle (Garry Gilliam) and will also be debuting former right tackle Justin Britt at left guard. All of that for an offense that has allowed 25 sacks in the past six games against the Rams with more established pieces on its line. That's the most sacks by one team against Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson since he entered the league in 2012.
Don't be surprised to see both quarterbacks under siege in this one but the team that protects its passer better will certainly have a leg up.
3. Foles' debut: The Rams revamped their offense in the offseason with an eye toward building a dominant rushing attack. But that plan might have to be put on hold in Week 1 as rookie Todd Gurley (knee) is out and fellow back Tre Mason (hamstring) is questionable. Even if Mason plays, it stands to reason he won't be able to take on a full workload which would mean Benny Cunningham and Isaiah Pead are the top options.
In other words, the Rams might have to lean on quarterback Nick Foles a little more than they'd like in his first game with the team. Expect Foles to get rid of the ball quick in order to mitigate Seattle's pressure and for the short passing game to act as an extension of the run game.
There also might be opportunities for big plays as the Seahawks will be without safety Kam Chancellor because of a holdout and fellow safety Earl Thomas is still rounding into form as he returns from a shoulder injury.
Chancellor's absence is particularly notable given how Seattle's defense has performed without him in recent seasons. Since Chancellor arrived in 2010, the Seahawks have allowed 62 touchdowns with 78 interceptions for a QBR allowed of 34.7 on the 75 percent of snaps he's been on the field. With Chancellor off the field on the other 25 percent of total snaps, Seattle has allowed 34 touchdowns with 15 interceptions for a QBR allowed of 53.7.
The Rams probably won't be airing it out 50-plus times against the Seahawks but Foles could have a far more prominent role as a passer than initially intended. Which means he'll play a big part in whether the Rams win or lose in his debut.
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...wks-on-high-alert-with-special-teams-trickery
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams and Seattle Seahawks open the season at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome. Here are three things to watch in the NFC West division matchup.
1. Special teams trickery: Were it not for a pair of inventive and, ahem, gutsy special teams calls, the Rams would not have beaten the Seahawks in St. Louis last year. For those who don't remember, that was the 28-26 Rams win at home that featured a 90-yard punt return for a touchdown by receiver Stedman Bailey (now known as 'The Mountaineer') and the fake punt in the fourth quarter from their own 18-yard line that sealed the victory.
In 2012, punter Johnny Hekker threw a touchdown pass on a fake field goal to give the Rams another victory over Seattle at home. In other words, the Rams have beaten Seattle two of the past three meetings in St. Louis and both were fueled by special teams shenanigans.
One would think Seattle is well aware of the possible trickery and will be on the lookout for it this time around. Coach Pete Carroll told St. Louis media that it's been a point of emphasis this week. But Rams coach Jeff Fisher has also implied that the team's bag of tricks is far from empty. In what figures to be a low-scoring affair, a trick play or a special teams gaffe could go a long way in determining the outcome.
2. Protection priority: To say that the Rams and Seahawks have done some line dancing this offseason would be an understatement.
The Rams will start two rookies in Jamon Brown (left guard) and Rob Havenstein (right tackle) and a new center in Tim Barnes (four career starts) against Seattle's vaunted defensive line. It is, perhaps, the biggest question mark on the team and that doesn't even factor right guard Rodger Saffold's injury history or left tackle Greg Robinson as a work in progress.
But things aren't much better in Seattle. The Seahawks will have a new starting center (Drew Nowak) and right tackle (Garry Gilliam) and will also be debuting former right tackle Justin Britt at left guard. All of that for an offense that has allowed 25 sacks in the past six games against the Rams with more established pieces on its line. That's the most sacks by one team against Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson since he entered the league in 2012.
Don't be surprised to see both quarterbacks under siege in this one but the team that protects its passer better will certainly have a leg up.
3. Foles' debut: The Rams revamped their offense in the offseason with an eye toward building a dominant rushing attack. But that plan might have to be put on hold in Week 1 as rookie Todd Gurley (knee) is out and fellow back Tre Mason (hamstring) is questionable. Even if Mason plays, it stands to reason he won't be able to take on a full workload which would mean Benny Cunningham and Isaiah Pead are the top options.
In other words, the Rams might have to lean on quarterback Nick Foles a little more than they'd like in his first game with the team. Expect Foles to get rid of the ball quick in order to mitigate Seattle's pressure and for the short passing game to act as an extension of the run game.
There also might be opportunities for big plays as the Seahawks will be without safety Kam Chancellor because of a holdout and fellow safety Earl Thomas is still rounding into form as he returns from a shoulder injury.
Chancellor's absence is particularly notable given how Seattle's defense has performed without him in recent seasons. Since Chancellor arrived in 2010, the Seahawks have allowed 62 touchdowns with 78 interceptions for a QBR allowed of 34.7 on the 75 percent of snaps he's been on the field. With Chancellor off the field on the other 25 percent of total snaps, Seattle has allowed 34 touchdowns with 15 interceptions for a QBR allowed of 53.7.
The Rams probably won't be airing it out 50-plus times against the Seahawks but Foles could have a far more prominent role as a passer than initially intended. Which means he'll play a big part in whether the Rams win or lose in his debut.
