Around the NFC West

Totally_Red

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Thought I'd post some links to what the "enemy" beat reporters are writing about Frisco, Seattle and the Rams...

Nancy Gay has a nice piece in the SF Chronicle about Frank Gore and his place in the new Mike Martz offense. The inconvenient truth is that Gore doesn't know who his QB will be, but he does knows he'll have a big role in the new offense.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/26/SP2511VLND.DTL

Danny O'Neill writes in the Seattle Times about how Nate Burleson and Bobby Ingram are the veterans Mike Holmgren is counting on to lead the Seahawk receiving corps this season....

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/seahawks/2008074174_hawk26.html

And in St.Louis, Jim Thomas in the Post Dispatch says the Rams are "surprised" at Stephen Jackson's holdout while notifying agent Eugene Parker there will be no negotiations until Jackson reports....

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sp...5A0C4A607053A8B98625749200125EBC?OpenDocument
 

SuperSpck

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Nice thought on checking out other places. It's a great idea. Wouldn't hurt to post their TC updates either...
 

mojorizen7

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Rams' offense returns to a fast and furious era
Sports Columnist Bryan Burwell
By Bryan Burwell
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
07/27/2008


MEQUON, WIS.

After only two days and three practices, this Rams camp has a distinctive retro feel to it. When the ball kept leaving Marc Bulger's right hand, it snapped like cattails on the tip of a whip. Everything he threw zipped across the field in perfect tight spirals. Every pass play he called was executed with that familiar urgency that not so long ago was the offensive signature of the fast and furious Rams.

Wide receivers were flying down the sidelines, tight ends were flashing up the seam, running backs were darting into creases, and everything was happening at warp speeds. "We're not going to be doing any (throwing to the) back shoulder stuff," Bugler said. "We have to run and our receivers have to know that we are going to make them go get the ball. It's not going to be a guessing game. They're going to have to go get the ball, don't slow down. … We go 100 miles an hour every play, it's as simple as that."

Funny how things work out, huh? The conservative offensive style that was the signature of the first two Scott Linehan years has been replaced by a bold and beautiful up-tempo Greatest Show on Turf revival. Linehan and his more deliberate offensive approach were supposed to be the perfect tonic for the "Mad Mike" Martz hangover, and for a while they were.

Two years ago, Linehan's offense was good enough to help Bulger and Steven Jackson produce career seasons. Yet one year later, in the midst of a 3-13 season, and with his veteran stars publicly and privately grumbling about it, Linehan's approach became obsolete. So Al Saunders, who like Martz comes off the flamboyant Air Coryell coaching tree, was hired as offensive coordinator to reinstall the Greatest Show, help reignite the energy in the Edward Jones Dome and make the Rams a dazzling offensive threat again.

"It feels good," said Torry Holt, one of the last remaining holdovers from the original Greatest Show era. "Al's a terrific teacher. He is a tremendous motivator and demands excellence. (Saunders' style is) a vertical game, it's fast. The tempo is good and it is exciting. I think everybody on the offensive side is enjoying it right now."

Good or bad, whatever course the 2008 season takes, it will be the Rams' offense that will blaze the trail. If all the parts are in play — and that means a healthy offensive line, a fully recovered Holt (knee), a well-protected Bulger and a financially flush Jackson — Saunders will not only re-create the fast and furious style that Mad Mike made famous, it's a guarantee that he'll add a few wrinkles of his own.

"I've been lucky to be in the same system with different coordinators and everyone puts their own spin on it," said No. 2 quarterback Trent Green. "When (Martz) and I came from Washington, his coaching personality was vastly different from the way Norv (Turner) did it, and with Al in Kansas City, it was different from Mike and Norv, and with all of them, those changes were facilitated by the talent we had. When Al and I went to KC, he had the Tony Gonzalez factor, a Pro Bowl tight end who could get deep, and he immediately tweaked his offense to take advantage of that. And now here in St. Louis, we have all sorts of interesting talents that Al will be able to utilize that will make this offense different from the one in KC and even the one we used in St. Louis originally."

What will this version of the Air Coryell offense look like? That depends on how quickly the speedy rookie receivers Donnie Avery and Keenan Burton develop, how much pass-catching tight end Randy McMichael can absorb, how much a clever veteran Pro Bowl pass catcher like Holt still has left after an injury-plagued '07 season, and whether Bulger can recapture his Pro Bowl form from '06.

The fun at this training camp will be watching as Saunders learns how best to utilize everyone. "Al wants to see what we can do well," Bulger said. "If we are not hitting on something, he's not going to call it. It's up to us to prove what we can hit."

But the bulk of this offense's success will ride on the broad shoulders of Jackson, who remained a camp holdout after two days at Concordia University. All was quiet on the holdout front Saturday, and even if he misses a week of training camp, veteran running backs with his talent can usually jump right in without a hitch. The only thing that his holdout is hurting right now is his pocketbook with those hefty $15,000-a-day fines.

"Getting 39 in here and getting healthy is going to be big," Holt said. "Steven is the guy. He's our horse. And like I told him, we will go as far as he takes us. I'm sure that I'm going to jump on his shoulders and ride him for a bit. I know business is business, so I wish him well and hope to see him soon, because once he gets back in, it's on."
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sp...53985BED7B105F9F86257493000FE355?OpenDocument
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My 2 cents
The RAMS offensive production will rely soley on the shoulders of the O-line and if they can stay healthy as a unit for a full season. IMO they probably win 8 games instead of 3 last year without their almost laughable amount of injuries up front that caused Bulger to play like a deer in headlights leading to his own injury. The depth at WR is young,unproven, and therefore thin. I like TE Randy McMichael to bounce back under Saunders offense too. Bulger still tends to hold onto the ball too much but when protected & in rhythm IMO is a top 5 QB among his peers. The RAMS will move the chains effectively IMO as long as they stay relatively healthy & coach Linehan keeps his hands away from the playcalling clipboard on Sundays.

Sigh....the defense. The RAMS continue to draft pieces for Jim Haslett and have shown improvement there but it's been a very slow process it seems.
They're very young and inexperienced in the secondary but could benefit from a potentially disruptive front four. Veteran Corey Chavous could be their weakest spot at SS where IMO he's slowed down tremendously & has been a dissappointment on the field. I expect LE Leonard Little to bounce back with the addition of rookie RE Chris Long commanding attention on the other side. Big year for CB Tye Hill to prove his worth.
The LB core is thin but i think will surprise some this year. MLB Witherspoon may benefit from an upgraded D-line as well. This (defensive)unit wore down tremendously last season as the offense couldn't score in the second half of close games.

I believe the RAMS will significantly improve in the win column this season due to health alone. They aren't going to go 3-13 again.
My prediction is 10-6 and a wild card berth behind division winner SEATTLE.
But lets face it.....i'm a homer:D & the ball could bounce a number of ways in this division and as usual there's no clear cut favorite IMO. The CARDINALS could be there too with an improved defense....as for the NINERS....bleh! Martz is no genius.
 

Skkorpion

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Thanks, mojorizen. No reason for a homer not to be optimistic.
 

TJ

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Orlando Pace on the PUP list after an injury in week 1 of last season doesnt bode well.
 

black

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I hate the Rams. I know hate is a strong word these days, but it actually is a fair word toward my feeling for the EWES.

I look for the Rams to finish 4th in the division, almost behind the 9ers. The offense is too old and the 0-line looks weak.




SJ wants out and who could blame him? If I were the Cards I'd sit sit and just wait to nab him. Gee, wouldn't he look great in red.


Whenever a player gets hurt on the Rams, ..............
 

Chris_Sanders

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I hate the Rams. I know hate is a strong word these days, but it actually is a fair word toward my feeling for the EWES.

I look for the Rams to finish 4th in the division, almost behind the 9ers. The offense is too old and the 0-line looks weak.




SJ wants out and who could blame him? If I were the Cards I'd sit sit and just wait to nab him. Gee, wouldn't he look great in red.


Whenever a player gets hurt on the Rams, ..............

During Super Bowl week I saw Stephen Jackson in Scottsdale at a party. I asked him if he liked Scottsdale and he said he loved it. I told him to picture himself in Cardinal Red and he said he would love to play for the Cardinals since his home is in Vegas.
 

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