The Los Angeles Rams drafted 14 players this year and they all made the team.
What?
Is this an expansion club?
How can all their draft picks crack their game day and reserve roster? The most likely case is the Rams squad has been greatly diminished from the team that won the Super Bowl two years ago or, the Rams have the greatest scouting system in the business.
It is a combination of both.
The Rams do have a top notch organization and the team has lost a number of the players that contributed mightily to their Super Bowl LVI Championship. Last season, the Rams compiled the worst won/loss record of any defending Super Bowl champion in history, five wins and a dozen losses.
So, what can we expect from Sean McVay’s unit this season?
Something better.
Maybe even something good.
Last season, the Seattle Seahawks faced the daunting challenge of having to start again without Russell Wilson running their offense. That motivational edge, a true fear of failure, drove Pete Carroll’s squad. By season end, journeyman quarterback Geno Smith had a career year and led the Seahawks to the playoffs. To add a somewhat sinister satisfaction to the situation, the Seattle fans celebrated Wilson’s problems in Denver.
This season, the Seahawks do not start their campaign with the fear of not having Wilson, but rather confidence in Smith.
Too much confidence.
On the expectations versus actual talent chart, the Seahawks are way out of whack. This year, they do not have a genuine fear, in fact, they are confident against a division opponent they beat twice last season when they open at home against the Rams on Sunday afternoon.
A Los Angeles team coming off a horrible year and highly concerned about the problems of trying to win on the road in Week One.
The talent in the NFL can win on any given Sunday, but the talent that does win is the unit that goes into the contest most in fear of failing. Even considering that their best effort might not be enough to win is the best motivator of all.
That’s the team I want with the point spread. The underdog that carries the eye of the tiger into the battle.
On Sunday, in Seattle, I think the eye of the tiger will be on the Rams side of the field, and the Seahawks return to play after earning a playoff berth last year begins with a thud in the Emerald City.
Qoxhi Picks: Los Angeles Rams (+5) over Seattle Seahawks