mon-KEYS to the Game

In every season there are some few games that the players, fans and the media can look back on and point to as critical. Whether they were turning points in the season, or simply major obstacles, every team has those key games on their schedules, which either make or break a season. This upcoming game against the Rams at home, is one of those games!
Make no mistake, I am not saying that we cannot go on to win in the playoffs if we lose this game, what I am saying, is that this is the kind of game that really defines what a team is all about, defines the kind of character a team has, and shows to the world just how good a team really is.
The Seahawks have played a few games that I would consider key games and have come out on top in all of them so far; the first Rams win on the road, the Falcons game, and most definitely the Cowboys game all fit neatly into that category.
Judging from the players reaction after the Cowboy victory I think that when this season is over the players will all point to that win and say that in their minds that game was the one that proved to themselves that they were for real.
However, this game, at least in my mind, is every bit as big, even though we have already beaten them once on the road. This game is for revenge for last years debacle, this game is for bragging rights in the division, and this game will once and for all shut the Rams yaps if we can win. It will not be easy, but this is very winnable, especially since we are at home.
So without further comment on this games importance, here are my mon-KEYS to this very important game.

Ever since Martz's illness has forced him to leave the sidelines, the Rams have played better as a team, partly because Martz is a lousy head coach, and partly because now the Rams are running the ball.
While I HATE the bend don't break type of run defense that we have played so far this season, I must admit that it has worked fairly well to this point. The Rams will no doubt try their best to establish a running game aginst us, and that we cannot allow. If that happens, it will allow Bulger too much time, and more importantly, Torry Holt too much time to get open and hurt us bad.
So my defensive mon-KEY #1 is to continue doing what we have done all season against the run, do not allow the big runs, and contain the running backs effectiveness. I do not think that it is vital to STOP the run so to speak, just to make sure that it isn't consistent enough that they can pound the ball down our throats, picking up first down after first down by running the ball. We must force them into third and longs, to slow down the running attack or we will be in big, big, trouble.
The reason that I say it is not vital to STOP the run, is because, to me, it is FAR more vital to stop one particular player who always seems to have big games against us, Torry Holt!
mon-KEY #2 We MUST STOP Torry Holt at all costs!!! This guy is the most dangerous weapon the Rams have by far. He has good games against us every time we have played them and is the one guy, who if we don't control, can single handedly destroy us.
What this means is, no more stupid zone defenses that allow Holt to catch those soft 15-20 yard gains he loves to do against us. This means NOT covering him with Herndon or even with Dyson EVER; he must be covered by our best cover guy, Trufant, at all times, and should be double teamed at times as well. ALWAYS know where he is on the field.
mon-KEY #3 No more soft zones period, no more silly three man rushes, THEY HAVE NEVER, EVER, NOT ONCE IN ALL THE YEARS WE HAVE TRIED THEM EVER...WORKED!!! STOP IT!!!
If I ever again see that stupid assed, sissy, three man rush defense which only prevents us from stopping the other team from scoring, I will scream until I pop a blood vessel! I hate that sissy defense with a passion, because it does not work and has never, ever, not even one time, ever, worked!
Against the Rams we cannot afford to play that weak assed crap, that defense is what allowed the Falcons, and the Cardinals to climb back into games we were easily winning; and that same weak assed defense is what allowed the Rams to come back against us last season. I can not say it clearer than this, prevent defenses prevent us from winning!
Personally I think that after the 10th time Rhodes ran that retarded defense and it didn't work he should have figured it out, I also think he should have been fired.
This ties into my mon-KEY #4 Stay aggressive throughout the entirety of the game. No matter what situation we are presented with, BE AGGRESSIVE! I am not just talking about blitz packagaes, (which still aren't working that well, because we still aren't hiding them well at all), I am talking about being unpredictable, calling blitzes, mixing up coverages, and most importantly, never, ever going into any kind of prevent defense. If we get a lead, keep doing what got you that lead! (Can you tell I am little miffed at the coaching staff for the playcalling defensively?)
NO MORE COME FROM AHEAD LOSSES!!! O.K. now I feel a little better having gotten that off my chest.
Strangely enough, against the Cardinals last week our four man rush was our most effective defense, when we blitzed, we gave it away (as usual) and they stopped it. When we went with the three man rush, we nearly gave them the game back (DUH), but when we got out of the zone defenses and went man to man rushing four, we stopped everything they tried to do. I'm not exactly sure what that means, but against the Rams I say we keep going with what is working best.

Offensively, this should be a no brainer, there is one thing that the Rams defense has not been able to do effectively all year, that is stop the run. Therefore, my offensive mon-KEY #1 is RUN, RUN, RUN, RUN, and then when you are done running, run some more!
Don't get me wrong, I am not advocating going away from the pass, certainly we must have a balanced attack in this game to win, but in the past, Holmgren has too often forgotten about the running game, he has far too often gone away from the most dangerous aspect of our offense, and frankly it drives me nuts. Obviously the Rams #1 defensive priority will be to stop the run, so they will go 8 in the box as often as they can, especially early on in the game. As long as Hasselbeck can pick that up and audible to something else, we should be O.K. The Rams defense is simply not good enough to make us (or for that matter anyone else) one dimensional. If we stay balanced, *knocks on Holmgrens forehead* meaning if we do not forget about the run, *knocks again harder* the Rams simply do not have the horses to stop our offense.
Here's a stat that I would like to drill into Holmgren's skull; when Shaun Alexander has 25 touches and over 100 yards, WE HAVE NEVER LOST A GAME, not once ever! When he doesn't, however, we rarely win. I can count the nuber of times we have won a game where SA didn't get 100 yards on one hand. It is that bloody simple, give SA the ball 25 times, or we will probably lose. Honestly I wish I could tattoo this message to the forehead of every single coach on the sideline so that everywhere Holmgren looks he will be reminded of how this team wins. I know he wants to be a passing team, but let's face it, when this team works best, it is because we call a balanced game. If Holmgren had his way, he would probably pass 70+% of the time, but if we want to win, it shouldn't be more than 55-60% of the time. And our record proves it.

Bottom line: This game is for the division. It is that big really. If we win this game, we win the division, and will likely be looking at home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Our defense has it's work cut out for them with all the injuries we have defensively and with the fact that the Rams offense is pretty healthy right now. Our biggest advantages are in the fact that we have already beaten them once, so we know we can do it again, and that this one is a t home with so much to play for. Also don't forget that this game is payback for last years debacle. This is a statement game (though I don't want Tobeck pointing that out before the game), and one we really should win.
If we stick with the run, and if we don't allow Holt to chew up the secondary, and we don't play that retarded conservative defense, we should win this game.
monkey's prediction: Seahawks 35 Rams 24