Hello, hope everyone is having a pleasant afternoon…

My first thought on the Rams’ 2008 schedule: it’s a killer, early in the season.

But will it be a coach killer?

Will the first half of the 2008 lead to doom for Rams HC Scott Linehan?

Five of the first seven games come against 2007 playoff teams… there’s the opener at always hostile Philadelphia, and other early-season road games at Seattle, Washington and New England. The early home games aren’t a soft pillow, either, with encounters against the Super Bowl champeen NY Giants, the upstart Buffalo Bills, and the Dallas Cowboys. And Arizona, which seems to like playing here. (The Cardinals have won the last four in STL).

Between Oct. 12 and Nov. 16, the Rams play four of six on the road.

For a coach who needs to win to keep his job beyond the 2008 season, this isn’t exactly what Linehan would have ordered up from the NFL headquarters. If the Rams start slow and get obliterated early, the fans will be all over team management to sack Linehan. He’ll lose the fan base. He’ll have to work hard to keep the players.

But on the flip side … this is also a marvelous opportunity for Linehan to silence the mob, and immediately gain traction and credibility by winning games that most people expect him to lose. Because of this hard road early, Linehan will be counted out even if he begins. So imagine the dramatic impact of Linehan, Al Saunders and Jim Haslett taking a revised and upgraded (???) Rams team into that Philly and springing an upset.

If Linehan can knock off some top dogs, and keep the Rams viable, the schedule figures to turn in his favor, because the Rams close with four of their final six games at The Ed.

Linehan should take the bold approach and view these early-season games as a great opportunity to reinvent the franchise …. rather than something to fear.

So is there hope on this schedule for Linehan?

Yes….but you just have to look hard to see it.

Good luck, coach.

–B