Sometimes I focus on the defensive line, linebackers and Emmanwori and miss the good things the other defensive backs are doing. I just saw some interesting info about Rig Woolen:
- Since week 6 he is averaging 3.1 yards per catch. This is a full yard better than the next best DB.
- In the last 3 games he has only allowed 13 yards total.
Remember Leon Washington? Awesome return man. His superpower was balance when making a cut. You know how motorcycle road racers can go through a fast sweeper at 100 mph while leaning far off the saddle, a knee just millimeters off the pavement? That’s how Leon could make a cut, body nearly horizontal, while never losing momentum or traction.
Sheed’s superpower (in addition to speed and clean catches) is his ability to keep balance while falling forward. For us mortals, if we get tripped while walking, we have to get a leg forward quickly to keep from face planting. Sheed does that at full speed.
On his TD to open last week’s game, he nearly gets tripped when he beats the final (legal) tackle attempt. He windmills an arm forward, powers a leg forward, stays upright, and keeps going. He had a similar moment on his sweep, and I’ve seen that skill in other games.
There are lots of fast players. Few can keep their feet underneath them like Sheed.
So, I’m currently re-watching the game on my DVR. Williams/Corum are gashing us on first downs and has been up till this point at 6 minutes in the second quarter. I see the Rams re-setting the line of scrimmage and I see Emmanwori everywhere…my gosh he pops on tape.
My belief is that if we can stop the run and make them one dimensional our defensive line will take over with sacks and turnovers following.
Edit: first half is over and our line is now setting the line of scrimmage. I think this actually supports the point. If we can do this from the first drive of the game we will win.
Per Profootballtalk.com, there have only been 3 playoff matchups featuring the #1 scoring offense against the #1 scoring defense.
- 2025 season: Rams (offense) vs Seahawks (defense).
- 2014 season: Packers (offense) vs Seahawks (defense).
- 1980 season: Cowboys (offense) vs Eagles (defense).
Our Hawks won their match in 2014 and the Eagles won in 1980.
I took a look at Superbowl results and there were 6 occasions the #1 offense played the #1 defense with the top scoring defense coming out on top 5 times.
I look forward to this year's team adding to the narrative.
I'm really rooting for Ken Walker in this one. The O-line (and all the blockers) need to give him some help, obviously, but this could be his career-defining game. The game setup couldn't be more perfect for him to shine: the importance of the game, in Seattle, against our nemesis; the need to control the LOS and time of possession to keep Stafford cold and our defense fresh; the lack of other running back options; his impending free agency. They've been managing his workload all season just to make sure he is available and prime for this moment. It's K9 time!!!
The Rams are just too talented and Sean McVey is just such a genius for the Seahawks to win on Sunday. That’s what I’m seeing online.
Apparently much of the NFL media universe believes the Seahawks D is the 2023 version, and the entire Rams team from 2021 is gonna play Seattle Sunday. (who gets Kupp?)
F THAT! The Dark Side is coming for the Rams and McVey.
Our Run Game has finally delivered Kubiak a way to help Sam get into The Game. Big Plus. Keep 3rd-and-long to a minimum? J-Love noted the familiarity we now have with individual players and their jersey number. Trickery will be at a minimum, giving youth and vigor a huge advantage, especially for our O-Line. We have yet to see what Holani can do with open lanes they will be imposing. We also have yet to see what Sam's deep ball can do with an uncorked Sheed, when McVey is forced to defend the Run.
I just read through the play-by-play of the Rams-Bears game. Had Chicago tackled the short completions and snuffed the yards-after-catch, they would have won easily.
In the first possession for the Rams, they often got little or nothing on first down, threw short on second down, got 15 yards, and marched it down the field. Stafford made some deep throws, but the completion rate didn’t seem to be very high. I’m not sure if he was inaccurate or mainly throwing away from coverage.
Our formula can beat them. Start with two high to eliminate big plays. Rush four, effectively with simulated blitzes to make Stafford act quickly. Clog the middle with the remaining five to stop the run and make immediate tackles on short completions. Add enough confusion to win on some of those short routes, either with pass breakups, interceptions, or making Stafford hold onto the ball. DO NOT BEND BUT DON’T BREAK. Gifting Stafford ten yards is giving him your lunch money.
While this is easier said than done, this is exactly what MacDonald’s defense accomplishes game after game.
One additional wrinkle… scheme against Nacua the way we scheme McCaffrey. He can man up against the initial defender and he has strong hands. He’s hard to tackle. Stafford throws to him when he’s not truly open. A second defender needs to attack his path before the ball is thrown. He’ll get catches. Don’t allow him to get yards.
This aspect might be what over complicated MM’s game plan last time. That was after a short week. With a recent bye and an extra day, our defense should be ready to roll.
Seemed to me the Rams WRs were not moving well on the cold field, which would disrupt all McVay's quick timing routes. And maybe how Chi got unexpected pressure with a weak pass rush. Stafford is fine just eating a busted play.
Hey guys, the 49er team organization has officially commenced a study into the danger posed by the electrical sub station next to the practice facility. My guess is they felt they had to do this. It’s a terrible situation for them. Obviously it was viewed as an issue by the players, so they have to dispel it. But an official study into it will potentially cause other players to have concerns where none were present. Why else have an official study unless there’s reason for concern. Yikes!
So the Rams have to defend the run and I expect to see a lot of early run plays by the Hawks. If we win the early run battle then over the top to JSN. If we get stuff early via the run then it’s on KK to have a good backup plan that doesn’t play into the Rams defense. It a really big game for the Hawks and KK.
According to Garafolo on Puck Sports, the majority of NFL “experts,” are still of the opinion the Rams are the better team going in to this game. My feeling is they are incapable of seeing past Stafford as an MVP and McVey as the better coach. Let’s see how this stagnant, old dog mindset survives Sunday.
Cross was only questionable when he left the game last Saturday, so he’s likely not that badly hurt. Kight and Josh Jones are day to day, so either or botch could be back on Sunday. My personal wild card if no one else can go, - Zabel moves out to LT, Sundell to LG, and Olu to Center.
Brilliant article of course... but i have to derail my comment instantly - what the f*cking f*ck are the AP voters on?
Myles Garrett not even nominated for MVP but McCaffrey is??? What is that bullsh*t!
Don't even get me started on Comeback Player oh my god that category is a trainwreck. And i would bemoan the Rookie awards, but honestly it just showcases how this years class was kinda lacking (and next years is going to be worse oh boy).
Holy moly these awards are even more meaningless than usual.
Conversely, the Academy Awards nominations were surprisingly great. Stellar year for movies!
Sometimes I focus on the defensive line, linebackers and Emmanwori and miss the good things the other defensive backs are doing. I just saw some interesting info about Rig Woolen:
- Since week 6 he is averaging 3.1 yards per catch. This is a full yard better than the next best DB.
- In the last 3 games he has only allowed 13 yards total.
Riq has been lights out. IMO, along with Rasheed Shahid the most difficult upcoming FA to replace.
I agree with that. When Riq is on he is truly elite. Without Shahid, I don't think we would have won the division.
A random thought about Sheed…
Remember Leon Washington? Awesome return man. His superpower was balance when making a cut. You know how motorcycle road racers can go through a fast sweeper at 100 mph while leaning far off the saddle, a knee just millimeters off the pavement? That’s how Leon could make a cut, body nearly horizontal, while never losing momentum or traction.
Sheed’s superpower (in addition to speed and clean catches) is his ability to keep balance while falling forward. For us mortals, if we get tripped while walking, we have to get a leg forward quickly to keep from face planting. Sheed does that at full speed.
On his TD to open last week’s game, he nearly gets tripped when he beats the final (legal) tackle attempt. He windmills an arm forward, powers a leg forward, stays upright, and keeps going. He had a similar moment on his sweep, and I’ve seen that skill in other games.
There are lots of fast players. Few can keep their feet underneath them like Sheed.
Double rec for this one, Sea Hawk Run.
So, I’m currently re-watching the game on my DVR. Williams/Corum are gashing us on first downs and has been up till this point at 6 minutes in the second quarter. I see the Rams re-setting the line of scrimmage and I see Emmanwori everywhere…my gosh he pops on tape.
My belief is that if we can stop the run and make them one dimensional our defensive line will take over with sacks and turnovers following.
Edit: first half is over and our line is now setting the line of scrimmage. I think this actually supports the point. If we can do this from the first drive of the game we will win.
Per Profootballtalk.com, there have only been 3 playoff matchups featuring the #1 scoring offense against the #1 scoring defense.
- 2025 season: Rams (offense) vs Seahawks (defense).
- 2014 season: Packers (offense) vs Seahawks (defense).
- 1980 season: Cowboys (offense) vs Eagles (defense).
Our Hawks won their match in 2014 and the Eagles won in 1980.
I took a look at Superbowl results and there were 6 occasions the #1 offense played the #1 defense with the top scoring defense coming out on top 5 times.
I look forward to this year's team adding to the narrative.
I like that outcome!
I'm really rooting for Ken Walker in this one. The O-line (and all the blockers) need to give him some help, obviously, but this could be his career-defining game. The game setup couldn't be more perfect for him to shine: the importance of the game, in Seattle, against our nemesis; the need to control the LOS and time of possession to keep Stafford cold and our defense fresh; the lack of other running back options; his impending free agency. They've been managing his workload all season just to make sure he is available and prime for this moment. It's K9 time!!!
The Rams are just too talented and Sean McVey is just such a genius for the Seahawks to win on Sunday. That’s what I’m seeing online.
Apparently much of the NFL media universe believes the Seahawks D is the 2023 version, and the entire Rams team from 2021 is gonna play Seattle Sunday. (who gets Kupp?)
F THAT! The Dark Side is coming for the Rams and McVey.
Is there anything more boring than the McVey v Macdonald narrative? You’d think they actually played.
Seahawks 27
Rams 17
Darnold throws 2 picks, D keeps the Rams to 1 FG off of both INTs.
Stafford has his worst game in years, sacked 3 times.
Our Run Game has finally delivered Kubiak a way to help Sam get into The Game. Big Plus. Keep 3rd-and-long to a minimum? J-Love noted the familiarity we now have with individual players and their jersey number. Trickery will be at a minimum, giving youth and vigor a huge advantage, especially for our O-Line. We have yet to see what Holani can do with open lanes they will be imposing. We also have yet to see what Sam's deep ball can do with an uncorked Sheed, when McVey is forced to defend the Run.
I just read through the play-by-play of the Rams-Bears game. Had Chicago tackled the short completions and snuffed the yards-after-catch, they would have won easily.
In the first possession for the Rams, they often got little or nothing on first down, threw short on second down, got 15 yards, and marched it down the field. Stafford made some deep throws, but the completion rate didn’t seem to be very high. I’m not sure if he was inaccurate or mainly throwing away from coverage.
Our formula can beat them. Start with two high to eliminate big plays. Rush four, effectively with simulated blitzes to make Stafford act quickly. Clog the middle with the remaining five to stop the run and make immediate tackles on short completions. Add enough confusion to win on some of those short routes, either with pass breakups, interceptions, or making Stafford hold onto the ball. DO NOT BEND BUT DON’T BREAK. Gifting Stafford ten yards is giving him your lunch money.
While this is easier said than done, this is exactly what MacDonald’s defense accomplishes game after game.
One additional wrinkle… scheme against Nacua the way we scheme McCaffrey. He can man up against the initial defender and he has strong hands. He’s hard to tackle. Stafford throws to him when he’s not truly open. A second defender needs to attack his path before the ball is thrown. He’ll get catches. Don’t allow him to get yards.
This aspect might be what over complicated MM’s game plan last time. That was after a short week. With a recent bye and an extra day, our defense should be ready to roll.
Seemed to me the Rams WRs were not moving well on the cold field, which would disrupt all McVay's quick timing routes. And maybe how Chi got unexpected pressure with a weak pass rush. Stafford is fine just eating a busted play.
It seems that the LARs were susceptible to DB blitzes. I expect some pass rushes from #3 and #21 with DL drops to keep to a four man rush.
Hey guys, the 49er team organization has officially commenced a study into the danger posed by the electrical sub station next to the practice facility. My guess is they felt they had to do this. It’s a terrible situation for them. Obviously it was viewed as an issue by the players, so they have to dispel it. But an official study into it will potentially cause other players to have concerns where none were present. Why else have an official study unless there’s reason for concern. Yikes!
So the Rams have to defend the run and I expect to see a lot of early run plays by the Hawks. If we win the early run battle then over the top to JSN. If we get stuff early via the run then it’s on KK to have a good backup plan that doesn’t play into the Rams defense. It a really big game for the Hawks and KK.
Let's not forget that Stafford throws a lot of picks too!
According to Garafolo on Puck Sports, the majority of NFL “experts,” are still of the opinion the Rams are the better team going in to this game. My feeling is they are incapable of seeing past Stafford as an MVP and McVey as the better coach. Let’s see how this stagnant, old dog mindset survives Sunday.
I'm just a tad worried about injuries at the left tackle position. Please tell me why it's not as bad as it sounds.
MM mind games like the last game with Sam. Keeping the Rams off balance.
Cross was only questionable when he left the game last Saturday, so he’s likely not that badly hurt. Kight and Josh Jones are day to day, so either or botch could be back on Sunday. My personal wild card if no one else can go, - Zabel moves out to LT, Sundell to LG, and Olu to Center.
From Doug Clawson on X/Twitter
The #Seahawks have not allowed a play to gain more than 20 yards in over a month.
They are the only team since 2000 to not allow a play of more than 20 yards in 3 straight games , including playoffs.
This defense is terrifying.
They live in nickel, and can play the run in dime. It’s thought to throw against all those DBs.
Brilliant article of course... but i have to derail my comment instantly - what the f*cking f*ck are the AP voters on?
Myles Garrett not even nominated for MVP but McCaffrey is??? What is that bullsh*t!
Don't even get me started on Comeback Player oh my god that category is a trainwreck. And i would bemoan the Rookie awards, but honestly it just showcases how this years class was kinda lacking (and next years is going to be worse oh boy).
Holy moly these awards are even more meaningless than usual.
Conversely, the Academy Awards nominations were surprisingly great. Stellar year for movies!