[RedAlice]

Not sure if we will have a gameday thread each week, but it might be a nice add to sticky at the top.

We've been strong v the Hawks at home and it would be great to start this year out with a win after the Viking fiasco last year.

We have a questionable O-line, unsure who is playing RB and it's our new QB's first season game as a Ram. A lot to watch....Hoping for the best!

On their board, Hawk fans take quite a bit of time to analyze the opponent each week. I figure we may as well benefit from the time they've taken to look at our team this week and give it our own thoughts.

This thread has analysis and video:

http://seahawks.net/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=112708

Among the interesting items is the breakdown on Quinn.

Robert Quinn is the sort of explosive pass rusher who justifies moving Justin Britt to LG and starting Gilliam at RT. For a 4-3 DE, he is incredibly athletic and quick off the ball. He combined that explosiveness with violent hand work to become one of the game's scariest pass rushers. Quinn often rushes from the right side against the QB's blindside, and Okung is the prototypical LT with the power and length to match Quinn step for step. You can see here how Okung typically uses his length, athleticism, and power to anchor against Quinn, keeping the pocket clean for Wilson: (some video)

Typically, Quinn prefers to rush from the RE (with many twists and stunts to create confusion while exploiting the middle of the line) but he lined up mostly at LDE over the RT in the 3rd preseason game -- which could be a harbinger of things to come on opening day. This is significant, because it was the first time in Quinn's four year career that he lined up primarily from the left side.

More in the thread and in general I think the Hawks know we play them tough at home and this is not going to be an easy game.

Hope we can perform out of the gate this year and keep our winning streak v Hawks at home going.

[Hacksaw]

If the Hawks tackles maintain single coverage on our ends they may have a chance to stop Brockers and Donald on the inside. It'll leave a few gaps open. I must say I was not impressed with our edge pressure or containment in preseason.

[Elvis]

Good idea on the Sticky, done...

[snackdaddy]

With the history of slow starts and the poor play during the preseason, I'm not all that optimistic about this week. Honestly, I'm not all that optimistic we'll be better than the previous 3 season. We were 6-10 and I don't see improvement personnel wise. Pretty much the same team as that 6-10 team except for the QB and rookies on the line.

It would be hard to imagine being any better on the line considering how many total starts 4 of the 5 positions have in the NFL. Saffold is the experienced guy going into his 6th season. Robinson is like a grizzled vet compared to the rest and he only has 16 starts. Half of them at his current position.

Foles should be an upgrade over Hill and Davis, but the inexperience of the line could offset that. I know its only preseason, but I saw nothing during the 4 games that gave me any confidence. Especially when you consider how similar they looked compare to the previous two seasons.

I wanna say when it counts they'll show up, but I just don't know if they will. All I can go on is history. And recent history has not been kind early in the season. I just hope the defense will be better than they showed in the preseason. I have a feeling they're gonna have to have their A game from the start if they want to win enough to give us some hope in December.

[bubbaramfan]

Sadly, I pretty much see the Rams the same as you Snackers. the Rams D looked like crap in preseason. the 1st string gave up long runs, long drives that ended in TD's, couldn't stop a 3rd down conversion, missed tackles, made penalties and didn't record a single sack. Made the Titans and Raiders look like playoff teams. Now they are expected to turn that around against a superbowl team? I'm skeptical.

[snackdaddy]

Sadly, I pretty much see the Rams the same as you Snackers. the Rams D looked like crap in preseason. the 1st string gave up long runs, long drives that ended in TD's, couldn't stop a 3rd down conversion, missed tackles, made penalties and didn't record a single sack. Made the Titans and Raiders look like playoff teams. Now they are expected to turn that around against a superbowl team? I'm skeptical.

Yeah, hear a lot of people say its just preseason when they play poorly. Its not like we came off a playoff season and returning an ascending team. We came off a 6 win season. One less than the year before. Not sure I would call that ascending.

I'll admit the defense has a chance to be very good. They're capable of shutting down anyone. But they haven't done it week after week. They had their ups and downs. They looked dominant against Peyton Manning and they shut out two lower echelon teams. But they got torched by a 5 win Giants team. Didn't look like they got much pressure on Manning and they couldn't cover Beckham.

So when I hear "Its just the first preseason game" that doesn't carry water with me. It usually turns into "Its just the preseason, who cares if we don't win." Followed by "Its just September" to "Its still October" and finally December comes and its "Well, who are we drafting next?" ut

They gotta win at some point. 4 years in is not the time to be rebuilding and thinking future. Maybe Stan gives em a pass because of the impending move? But taking a losing team to LA is not how I want to see things happen.

[Hacksaw]

Guys, we're going to take some hits. The O-line is going to flub it some. Plan on it. If not, major props to the coach Bou.
There is some fire power waiting to gel with Foles. Get these guys full reps and real game action and I got a gut feeling they might surprise us all.
I haven't been chugging the Kool-aid much , just a hunch.

[dieterbrock]

I think the start slow thing is over rated and not exactly true.
Season 1 of the Fish had a tough loss to Detroit on the road when the Rams took the lead with under 2 minutes to go. Then year 2 they beat Arizona in the home opener who would be 10-5 after that game. Of course last season was an unmitigated disaster, but the Rams were on their 3rd string QB by the 2nd half. So having his starting QB all pre-season has bode well for Fish's Rams in the opener.

That said, I agree with Snack. Yeah I hear that Spags had a great record and so did Detroit the year they went 0-16. But I would be willing to guess that teams who sucked the season before, then sucked in pre season, didnt have a good year....

The oline looked terrible in every game I saw. If they come out and blow chunks, the excuse of "theyre young" wont fly with me.
Ill try to be optimistic, but the reality is that I dont have very high expectations...

[TSFH Fan]

When it comes to preseason performance, I go 180 as to offense and defense on this team. I'm fine with the defense at least for week 1. Whether it's the tall DT's messing up passing lanes or w/e, Rams defense has a history of doing OK against Wittle Wussell Wilson. I see that continuing this week, until they wear down.

Regarding the Giants game from last year, I don't intend to come off as a Rams apologist, but I believe that was the game after AZ eliminated them from playoff hopes. Yeah, Beckham blasting by Barron, that badly, should have nothing to do with emotional let down, but I'm calling emotional let down game.


The offense . . . I don't see how it's not a case of what we saw is what we'll get. For Cig and the rooks it's the only history of performance we got. Preseason performance of the kiddie corps up front does not excite -- how is the Kiddie Corps supposed to match up with those monsters? Maybe the crowd noise will pump them up? No, crickets don't do that. My memory may be way off, but 2 years ago my memory is of Tim Barnes getting blasted off the line by Seadderall. I hear he's stronger. We'll see. I believe in Bou, but I think it's too much to ask anyone to get 2 rooks a 2d year guy, and everyone with limited playing time together into a brick wall line. Not enough time together and not enough time in the league.

To offset a suspect O line you need play calling! Oh, oh. The thing about the opening Detroit game a few years back, I remember the Rams having line problems and I remember expecting SB to get killed. For all his problems, Schott went dink and dunk and called plays to get the ball out quick -- I though that was smart. I feel like I'm the only one. SB survived that game. Now we got Cig. I remember looking up Fish's history with a first time OC. Don't look, don't do it to yourself. Maybe Cig will go with the quick passing game or call stuff that lets Foles survive the game, or not -- just don't have a book/feel for Cig yet.

On top of everything else, Tre's string is iffy.

All that being said, I know that I'm really bad at predicting things and knowing that I'm bad at predicting makes me feel ok going into this game. It's only Tuesday, more time for things to shake out. Right now, Seadderall 24, Rams 6

[Hacksaw]

Can the Rams LB's and CB/S's cover the quick dump offs,,, especially on the edges? That neutralizes our vaunted pass rush. Happened a lot last year.