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Defensive backs frustrate Seahawks
By Bill Coats
Of the Post-Dispatch
Sunday, Nov. 14 2004
Rams first-year defensive coordinator Larry Marmie had a simple but firm
message for his secondary this past week. "'Don't let anybody catch the ball on
you,'" Jerametrius Butler explained. "We really take pride in that. We went out
and did our job."
With Butler and fellow cornerbacks Travis Fisher and DeJuan Groce stuck to the
Seattle wideouts all afternoon, the Seahawks failed to score a touchdown. The
Rams' 23-12 victory essentially wrested the NFC West lead from Seattle. Both
teams are 5-4, but the Rams swept their two-game series, giving them the
tiebreaker edge.
The Rams were ranked 30th of the 32 NFL teams in total defense - 28th vs. the
run and 23rd vs. the pass. Running back Shaun Alexander, the No. 2 rusher in
the league, gashed out 176 yards on 22 carries. But the Seahawks were unable to
complement his efforts with a productive passing game.
Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck completed only 41.7 percent of his passes (15 of
36) as the Seahawks amassed 166 yards through the air, well below their season
average of 227.1, which was seventh-best in the NFL. Butler snuffed one drive
with an interception at the Rams' 1-yard line; the fourth-year pro from Kansas
State has all three of the team's "picks" this year.
Fisher said he noticed the frustration mounting for Hasselbeck as the Rams kept
thwarting his throws. "If the first read isn't there, then he gets real fidgety
back there," Fisher said. "We wanted to play some tight coverage and ... put
him in that position."
Marmie ordered more man-to-man coverage than usual, and the defensive backs
rarely were victimized. The Seahawks' production amounted to four field goals,
ending a string of 30 games dating to November 2002 in which they'd scored at
least one touchdown.
"That was probably the biggest part of the game," free safety Rich Coady said.
"They got some yards, but keeping them out of the end zone was huge."
Coady started in place of future Hall of Famer Aeneas Williams, who was limited
to nickel-back duty because of a lingering neck injury. Still, Williams came up
with a key play, stripping the ball from Alexander after a long gain into the
red zone in the fourth quarter and the Rams clinging to a 20-12 lead. Coady
recovered at the 9-yard line.
"It was a big pick-me-up for us," Williams said. "Alexander had been running
hard, hitting some creases. But it's a case where everybody rallied to the
ball."
With four of their next five games on the road, the Rams could have ill
afforded a loss. Now, they've regained a measure of momentum after an angry
challenge by coach Mike Martz, accented by a tough week of practice.
"Obviously, this was the game of the year for us," Coady said. "We had to come
in and play well, and we had to get a win. ... (Martz) basically challenged our
toughness and aggressiveness. We just had to get back to basics, back to doing
what we've always done: Get 11 guys running to the ball. I think we did that
today, and it showed.
"We're trying to get better, we're trying to win games, we're trying to win a
Super Bowl. So, whatever he thinks is going to help us, whatever we can do to
get us back on the right track, the guys on this team will do it."
By Bill Coats
Of the Post-Dispatch
Sunday, Nov. 14 2004
Rams first-year defensive coordinator Larry Marmie had a simple but firm
message for his secondary this past week. "'Don't let anybody catch the ball on
you,'" Jerametrius Butler explained. "We really take pride in that. We went out
and did our job."
With Butler and fellow cornerbacks Travis Fisher and DeJuan Groce stuck to the
Seattle wideouts all afternoon, the Seahawks failed to score a touchdown. The
Rams' 23-12 victory essentially wrested the NFC West lead from Seattle. Both
teams are 5-4, but the Rams swept their two-game series, giving them the
tiebreaker edge.
The Rams were ranked 30th of the 32 NFL teams in total defense - 28th vs. the
run and 23rd vs. the pass. Running back Shaun Alexander, the No. 2 rusher in
the league, gashed out 176 yards on 22 carries. But the Seahawks were unable to
complement his efforts with a productive passing game.
Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck completed only 41.7 percent of his passes (15 of
36) as the Seahawks amassed 166 yards through the air, well below their season
average of 227.1, which was seventh-best in the NFL. Butler snuffed one drive
with an interception at the Rams' 1-yard line; the fourth-year pro from Kansas
State has all three of the team's "picks" this year.
Fisher said he noticed the frustration mounting for Hasselbeck as the Rams kept
thwarting his throws. "If the first read isn't there, then he gets real fidgety
back there," Fisher said. "We wanted to play some tight coverage and ... put
him in that position."
Marmie ordered more man-to-man coverage than usual, and the defensive backs
rarely were victimized. The Seahawks' production amounted to four field goals,
ending a string of 30 games dating to November 2002 in which they'd scored at
least one touchdown.
"That was probably the biggest part of the game," free safety Rich Coady said.
"They got some yards, but keeping them out of the end zone was huge."
Coady started in place of future Hall of Famer Aeneas Williams, who was limited
to nickel-back duty because of a lingering neck injury. Still, Williams came up
with a key play, stripping the ball from Alexander after a long gain into the
red zone in the fourth quarter and the Rams clinging to a 20-12 lead. Coady
recovered at the 9-yard line.
"It was a big pick-me-up for us," Williams said. "Alexander had been running
hard, hitting some creases. But it's a case where everybody rallied to the
ball."
With four of their next five games on the road, the Rams could have ill
afforded a loss. Now, they've regained a measure of momentum after an angry
challenge by coach Mike Martz, accented by a tough week of practice.
"Obviously, this was the game of the year for us," Coady said. "We had to come
in and play well, and we had to get a win. ... (Martz) basically challenged our
toughness and aggressiveness. We just had to get back to basics, back to doing
what we've always done: Get 11 guys running to the ball. I think we did that
today, and it showed.
"We're trying to get better, we're trying to win games, we're trying to win a
Super Bowl. So, whatever he thinks is going to help us, whatever we can do to
get us back on the right track, the guys on this team will do it."
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