By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
11/12/2006
SEATTLE — To have any realistic chance of winning the NFC West title, don't the Rams have to win Sunday at Qwest Field?
Rams receiver
Torry Holt took on the question like he does defensive backs: Head on, and with purpose.
"Absolutely, we have to win this game," Holt said. "We have to win this game to have a realistic shot of keeping this season alive. We need to win this game to have a realistic shot of having any type of confidence, any type of drive, to finish this season."
That's about as blunt as you can make it. Then again, why tiptoe around the obvious.
At halftime of their Oct. 15 home game with these same Seattle Seahawks, the Rams had a 4-1 record and a 21-7 lead. The offense was on target, the defense was clicking. It was all coming together at just the right time.
But they got smacked down in the second half, with the help of a 10-second runoff that wasn't, and a spirit-crushing 54-yard field goal by Josh Brown as time expired. The result was a 30-28 Seattle victory, and the Rams haven't been the same since.
Qwest Field remains one of the toughest places for visiting teams in the NFL, with some of the rowdiest fans.
The image of debris-tossing Seahawks fans after the Rams' 2004 overtime victory remains fresh in Tinoisamoa's mind.
"Yeah, I'm lucky I haven't gotten hit with anything," he said. "And they were just yelling some obscene stuff. It was nuts. That's fun stuff, though. You love to play in that stuff as long as you don't let that affect you. Because after all is said and done, you win that game, those people will still be there, and they can't do nothing but throw something at you.
"You just want to win so you can shove it back in those fans' face. 'Yeah, we did this to you. ... Told you so. Now go home and sulk about it the whole week. And it's going to rain today.' "
By the way, rain is in the forecast Sunday in Seattle.