Ram Rules

When you have to make a video telling your fans what to do at a game, you've already lost.

And people wonder why there are no Rams fans.

You know the Rams suck when...

- They listed their entire season ticket holder base on the back page of the gameday program... in size 20 font.

- Washington St. is like "Hey! We could beat these guys!"

- Vegas has odds on who the Rams are going to take with the first pick in the NFL draft.

- They're already running TV ads for their "1999-2003: Remember when we were actually good" DVD giveaway day in September.

- At one point, the Seahawks had an Ewok taking snaps.

- Jim Mora said in the post-game press conference "I can't wait to face my first NFL team as the Seahawks head coach next week..."

- Marshall Faulk on SPEED DIAL! MARSHALL FAULK IS ON SPEED DIAL!

It's lamest time of the year... for the NFL

College football has shut down before it begins it's "Bowl Season" where almost half the mediocre teams in the nation can end their season on a positive note, leaving me without any real meaningful football to be played until the BCS National Championship Game and the NFL Playoffs.

This is still with a couple of games left in the regular season of the pros, but honestly I don't care what 8-8 or 9-7 sneaks into the playoffs, they'll more than likely get their butts handed to them.

Meanwhile the teams that are actually good have already clinched a playoff spot and are fighting for (yawn) home-field advantage. While this is important, probably more important than any other sport, we can expect to see quite a few letdowns by the better teams to either borderline playoff teams actually fighting for something, or really bad teams (other than the Raiders and Lions) looking for a chance to get some pride back. It's basically garbage time football for a few weeks since even if these better teams lose, it really doesn't matter because they'll be playing with a completely different mindset and a completely different intensity once the playoffs start.

And the NFL wants to ADD games? Really? Lets extend this pro football purgatory so I can watch the 5-9 San Francisco 49ers put the smackdown on a playoff team in a game that really doesn't meet anything. Swell! That would be entertaining.

Say what you will about the BCS, but every week in college football is compelling and pretty interesting because one loss can spell the difference between a national championship and playing in the Quizno's Sub Bowl.

Meanwhile in the NFL, I get to watch Seneca Wallace (who looks stoned, all the time) and the 2-11 Seahawks match up against the 2-11 St. Louis Rams with Stephen Jackson (who could probably eat an elephant if he wanted to) in front of roughly 20,000 fans. Whoop-de-do.

At least the Hawks won on a last second field goal, kind of made me forget about my beloved Titans pulling a patented playoff team letdown against the Houston Texans, who are a marginally good squad at 7-7.

Sure, I could have watched that thrilling Steelers-Ravens Game which ended in a 13-9 victory for Pittsburgh. But if I wanted to watch baseball I could watch the Dominican League, not two teams that are going to get knocked out by whatever AFC East and AFC South team they match up against in the playoffs.

(Also don't forget the "who's going to beat the Denver Broncos in the first round of the playoffs" sweepstakes, which should go to Indianapolis at this point.)

When does baseball season start up again?

Fallout from Shaun Alexander's release

My buddy Jake over at Just Southeast of Northwest has an interesting take on the release of Shaun Alexander. Basically, he's saying that a lot of Seahawk fans are being fair-weather for turning on the former NFL MVP so quickly.

A number of Seahawk "Fans" rejoice today. We have people who burned their Alexander jersey's out of disgust for his lack of production the past two years. They're quick to forget that he played both seasons with nagging injuries, and ran behind a line that had lost Steve Hutchinson to the Vikings. They forget that Walter Jones, great as he is, is getting older. They are quick to remember his lousy games, though. I guess I just don't get it. And don't get me wrong, I'm with you on groaning over what seemed like a lack of effort on Alexander's part (especially this past year), but honestly, how do we just write off someone who brought so much to the Seahawks? Because of Shaun Alexander, it was cool to wear Seahawk stuff. People sported Seahawk hats rather than the typical 49er or Cowboy trash that was so obvious in the Pacific Northwest. Face it, you probably rooted for one of those teams. Or perhaps the Broncos. Or the Patriots, more recently. In short, Alexander helped make the Seahawks cool.

While he does make a valid point about how fickle fans can be, I think that this reaction would have been seen if Shaun had played on any NFL team, not just the Seahawks. It's not so much that his production went down, it's how it went down.

I would dare say that the offensive line really had a lot to do with Shaun's MVP season in 2005, not to take anything away from him (because he is money in the redzone), and it was the entire team's Super Bowl that made the team cool.

To kind of get a pulse of how many Seahawk fans are feeling, I got on ESPN's story about Alexander's release and looked at the comments that people left:

"I was still backing Alexander at the start of last season but after watching him run into the back of his offensive linemen and fall down at or behind the line of scrimmage all season, I started getting on the cut Alexander bandwagon. Most of the time he wasn't even getting hit by defenders before he would fall on the ground. I realize that the offensive line was not great but whatever team he plays for next season, it is almost assured that the O-line will be of lesser quality than Seattle's last year. John Clayton says Alexander has told teammates that he might have a job in Indy and Tampa Bay. On either team he is a number 2 back at best. There are O-lines that Alexander would excel behind if he could stay healthy. I wish him the best. He is definitely not done in the league but his best years are behind him."

I definitely fall in the same boat as this guy. You really can't knock the offensive line for the Seahawks this year and last because even though it wasn't as good as the Super Bowl OL, it was still one of the better units in the league. And Shaun couldn't produce behind them.

"He lead us to our first Superbowl. It truly is sad to see him go out this way, but I've got nothing but admiration for Shaun. Good luck."

You know, I admire Shaun for the way he took being released but (a) he saw the writing on the wall a long time ago and (b) it still doesn't make up for the fact that he was terrible these past two years. It would be like if you got fired for not showing up to work and then thanked the boss for being so gracious. That still doesn't negate the fact that you didn't show up for work.

And the way he thanked Seattle fans, it really made me do a double take. Remember when he was complaining about all the booing last season. It seems to me that, much like any press conference or sports interview is, it was just a blatant "save face" sort of quote. He did take the high road, but it doesn't make him a saint or anything, and I really doubt that he actually feels that way.

"Can we please start the Sean Alexander to the Carolina Panthers movement please."

I was thinking Oakland.

"Alexander should come to St. Louis his rivials so he can prove to Seattle that they never should of release him!!! Jackson and Alexander and Brian!! OMG"

... okay that last comment is why I hate St. Louis fans.

Bye Bye Brown

Josh Brown, perhaps one of the best kickers the Seattle Seahawks have had, has signed with the St. Louis Rams. Yeah, he left the team that made him who he was for another team. A team that is horrible. I hope, as a broadcaster, that Brown does good. But as a Seahawks fan, I hope that he breaks his leg. Oops, did I say that? Well, lets just look at the facts.

Brown made more than his share of tackles during this season. And the Hawks special teams was WAY better than the Rams. Brown doesn't remember when the Seahawks lived in the cellar. Now, with the Rams, he will be able to see how that feels. Hope it's cold down there Joshy. Real cold.

As cold as the shoulders of the Hawks fans when the Rams come to the Northwest. Yeah, thanks for the memories Josh. Now I hope your memories are of looking up at the Hawks, Cardinals, and yes, even the 49ers. Welcome to St. Louis. Welcome to the cellar.