Shop Online
Archive for the ‘St. Louis Rams’ Category
Seahawks Get Last Laugh – A Long Shot At Redemption Though
Somebody had to win it, so it might as well be the place that spawned Temple of the Dog.
Viva the NFC West, a NFL division so weak and mediocre — if we were in a holiday hangover mood we’d call it just plain awful – it’s sending a sub-.500 team to next Saturday’s slaughterhouse. The Seattle Seahawks, by virtue of a 16-6 win over the St. Louis Rams here Sunday night, will play host to the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Wild Card, and really, isn’t that pretty much the exact scenario Pete Carroll had in mind when he brought his coaching talents to the Pacific Northwest?
Sure, Carroll didn’t predict it happening quite like this, but the first-year Seattle coach is hardly bothered his 7-9 team is the first with a losing record to make the playoffs in the modern era. He began the season on such a high, firing up the fan base with a 4-2 start, but then came the maddening free-fall, the Seahawks losing seven of nine games, blowouts everywhere. A recent poll had more Seattle fans hoping the Seahawks would lose their final game so the team would get a higher draft pick, rather than beating the Rams and prolonging the inevitable face slap.
Embarrassing, slipping so ignobly into the playoffs? Tell that to the New York Giants, who’d love to be this embarrassed. Or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who wouldn’t mind such a slip.
Seahawks 16, Rams 6: Quick Hits | Recap | Box Score
Carroll, Seahawks Won’t Apologize for Record
“We didn’t get here the way we all dreamed of getting here, but we got here,” Carroll said. “We really came together on this night and played really good ball. A complete win for us and I’m really fired up about that.”
Now Carroll gets a cozy reunion with Reggie Bush, just one of the spicy sidebars to a postseason game few expected. Some other twists to ponder: Will Charlie Whitehurst, so inspiring and mistake-free in just his second NFL start, get the call at quarterback against the Saints, or will Carroll go with old-reliable Matt Hasselbeck, whose injuries should be mostly healed? Can the Seattle defense do to Drew Brees what it did to St. Louis rookie quarterback Sam Bradford? Were those pod people posing as Seahawks rushers? Is it possible for Qwest Field to get any louder, or should fans just assume hearing loss is part of the pain?
“I’m so proud of him. This was a big deal, big stage for him,” Carroll said of Whitehurst, while dodging the question of which QB gets the next, most important start. “So proud of Matt for trying to get back tonight. It was great we didn’t have to play him. Charlie had his chance, stepped up and did it.”
Big Stat Running Backs a Dying Breed?
Steven Jackson of the St. Louis Rams has found himself in a unique position. As the largest running back in the NFL he’s watching with bated breath as his breed of player dies out. Now, I’m not saying he’s a Walter Payton or another Marcus Allen. Jackson himself even recognizes it. But something he recognizes even more is running backs getting smaller and smaller while franchises build deep benches of running back rotations. It’s a difficult reality to accept, but he’s right. The numbers prove it and the newly dawning era of rotating smaller running backs has become a stark and unsettling reality.
“It is a dying breed – the big back,” Jackson tells us. It would seem that he’s right. You don’t see anymore ninety percenters – big running backs who never come off the field and touch the ball 25-30 times a week. It appears many NFL coaches are taking a new approach to the position. The question is, why? Are the big rotations and multiple running back system working? What appears to be happening is much less participation by running backs all around. It’s a shocking reality and no one seems to be noticing.
La’Roi Glover Tackles Retirement
Veteran defensive tackle La’Roi Glover makes his move final move, announcing his retirement after 13 NFL seasons.
His noteworthy career encompassed a number of teams, starting with his initial 1996 NFL draft into the Raiders organization and included a number of seasons played for New Orleans and Dallas before finishing out his playing days with the St. Louis Rams.
“I’m blessed that I was able to play this game that I love for so long. It has been such an incredible journey. The players, coaches, and front office staff in the cities I’ve played have all given me so many great memories,” said Glover with Monday’s announcement. “I still love the game with the same passion I had as a young player in high school, so I plan to always be attached to it in some way, whether commentating, working in the front office, or scouting. But who knows what opportunities await in the next chapter of my life.”
What is St. Louis Thinking?
Releasing Torry Holt, Orlando Pace, and Pisa Tinoisamoa all in one off-season… what the heck is the Rams new head coach Steve Spagnuolo thinking? Does he want St. Louis to go 2-14 again? Is this all just a cruel joke? On the surface, it looks like the new head coach of the Rams has just given the boot to about 75% of the talent on his team, but beneath the surface, Spagnuolo is building a team for the future. Spagnuolo, credited as the architect for the defense that stopped the unstoppable Patriots in the 2007 Super Bowl, is doing his best to bring fresh players and fresh thinking to the Rams. The Rams, despite winning a Super Bowl in recent memory, have looked terrible in the last few seasons. However, fans and critics alike still wonder what Spagnuolo is thinking releasing a legendary receiver, a dominating offensive tackle, and the team’s leading defensive tackler. Whatever happens in 2009, it’s clear that change will be evident. Those released from the Rams have all found homes with teams that had better records in 2008, and have a real shot at making an impact.
Meanwhile, the Rams have Steven Jackson, who looks to be the only name worth putting on Rams jerseys as the veterans are now shuffling off to other teams. With Spagnuolo at the helm, the Rams are sure to have a better defense, but with a lot of their talent gone, will that help them at all to improve their record in ’09?
Entries (RSS) and Comments (RSS).
The views, opinions and information are unofficial, independent and are not otherwise affiliated or represent the views or opinions of Custom Authentic Jerseys not any team, league or organization.
Recent Comments