Last Year:
Following a second return to the Super Bowl in three years, football fans were floored to see The Greatest Show on Earth start off with a 0 ? 5 record. Right Tackle John St. Clair quickly became the Rams scapegoat, but a more important concern was that the Rams had to find a quick patch for the injured Kurt Warner. In came a third year QB from West Virginia who at best had only played on practice squads. The Rams didn?t accomplish much with him running the plays as they only finished with a 6 ? 1 record when he started. Bulger finished with an ordinary 101.5 QB rating with a better than 2 ? 1 touchdown to interception ratio. Sadly for the Rams, their 0 ? 5 start punctured their season beyond any repair. With a face-lifted offensive line and now two very capable quarterbacks the Rams are be ready to return to their championship caliber.
What we learned from Last Year:
In the season that was, the Rams had an awful time protecting their quarterback. Most notably, John St. Clair got a lot of media attention for allowing free passes to opponents to take free shots at Kurt Warner. Johnnie probably won?t be seeing much time on the field this year. He was one of their biggest problems last year, but losing Orlando Pace on a line that already lacked depth was a real sting. Although most of the negative concentration was put on the offensive line, I don?t think they were the complete reason for the Ram?s donut start. Kurt Warner had problems with his thumb and pinky last year and he looked absolutely terrible. He made poor decisions and even worse throws. Possibly because he was rushed, but he is capable of far better. He?ll tell you his thumb was fine, but it?s safe to say that a 3/11 TD to INT ratio and a 67.4 quarterback rating is not what we are used to seeing out of him. Marc Bulger proved to be an excellent replacement for Kurt Warner. He came in with very little pressure on him simply because things could not get any worse for the Rams. He seemed relaxed throughout his time starting and he will definitely put a small burden on K.W. for the starting job. Both of these quarterbacks are very similar and both are capable of moving this offense. How lucky of the Rams to stumble upon another quality starter in their line of backups.
A forgotten man on this offense has been Marshall Faulk. Don?t worry, the Rams haven?t forgot about him, but the media has definitely quieted down on the hype around him. Apparently, the media believes Rikki Williams and Ladainian Tomlinson to be better choices at running back than Marshall. On a team that really struggled offensively last year Faulk had 10 TD?s and almost 1500 combined yards. Oh yeah, he only started 10 games. Once the pistons on this offense are back in motion on this potent offense Marshall Faulk will once again be in a league of his own.
On a lesser note, one thing that stood out from the Rams offense last year was the lack of 3rd option behind Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt. The Rams tried to replace Az-zahir Hakim with Terrence Wilkins, but that never seemed to work out. Az had problems holding on to the football, but he was definitely a threat to score whenever he touched it. The Rams were forced to move up Ricky Proehl to the third receiver spot, but he was a perfect fit for their 4th spot. St. Louis loves to spread their offense out and to be fully successful they like to have a speedy third receiver, and just a reliable 3rd down fourth receiver. It will be interesting to see if they can get that setup back.
What has changed?:
There is no secret among anyone who knows a crumb about the NFL that it is very hard to win games without a strong offensive line. The Rams couldn?t shelter their offensive leader last year, so to add help and depth they acquired Kyle Turley. Turley was the anchor on New Orleans? offensive line and he will bring much needed toughness to this line. There is worry about Orlando Pace holding out. He has been franchise tagged and has been offered a decent sized one-year contract but he would still like a long-term deal to secure his future with the organization. With both Orlando and Turley on the offensive line, Warner/Bulger should have the time they need to make their decisions. If Pace is a holdout, this team hasn?t really advanced much on the offensive line since last year.
This team suffered quite a few key injuries last year and they need to monitor closely how these players respond in training camp. In addition to Warner and his hand problems, Aeneas Williams is recovering from a broken leg, and cornerstones Marshall Faulk and Orlando Pace are also healing from different injuries. They need all of these players to get well soon so this team is back on the winning track once again.
Slowly but surely St. Louis? defense has creeped up to 13th best in the league. This young group still has a lot of work to do but the Rams continue to add talent to this gang. First-round pick Jimmy Kennedy is expected to help out a defensive line who has had mixed results in the past. More pressure on opposing QB?s would not hurt. St. Louis will require more out of Tackles Ryan Pickett and Damione Lewis for the line to have success. The Linebackers are highly touted with Robert Thomas and Tommy Polley performing well early in their careers and the coaches are also raving about Pisa Tinoisamoa who was drafted in the second round. Robert Thomas can now move back to his natural collegiate position of middle-linebacker and Tinoisamoa will take over his previous job on the outside. The secondary lost Dexter McCleon and Dre Bly in the off-season but Travis Fisher is supposed to step into the starting lineup without any problems. Even if he performs well opposite of Aeneas Williams, the Rams will still need to find some nickel and dime package defensive backs. Jason Sehorn has been moved to the Free Safety position where he will battle it out with Kim Herring. Either way Sehorn will add some depth the defensive back corps.
Although the defensive is looking better than it has in years past, the Ram?s success is still built on a high-powered offense. If they all return fit and in good physical shape look for the Rams to be a force once again.
O/U 9.5:
Don?t be conned into believing that the Rams have fallen off. If Pace is playing, and the team is healthy, then they are still the cream of the crop in their division. San Fran hasn?t changed much, Arizona is still garbage, and Seattle is ?improved?. If the Rams are moving in full steam they could sweep this division, but we?ll say that San Fran and Seattle yank a win from them. The Rams will still need 6 wins from the following: @Giants, Falcons, Packers, @Steelers, Ravens, @Bears, Vikings, @Browns, Bengals, @Lions. Just keep in mind that the besides last year?s bump, the Rams have been quite successful in the regular season in the past few years and if focused they can beat most teams with their offense alone.
Fantasy Sleeper:
Marshall Faulk has faded out of the top spot in most fantasy magazines. Although last year he was given some good competition from Priest Holmes for the #1 pick, this year he is being put behind guys such as Rikki Williams, Ladainian Tomlinson and even Clinton Portis. Here are a few things to nibble on: The Rams should return healthy and have added Kyle Turley to the offensive line, the Ram?s play Arizona and Seattle twice each this year, and finally the Rams now have two very good quarterbacks who can get the run this team. This is all good news for Marshall Faulk fans, but what is even better is that most people won?t take him with the first pick overall anymore. The first pick is not a no-brainer like it used to be, and if he slips down the board you should nab him without question.
Following a second return to the Super Bowl in three years, football fans were floored to see The Greatest Show on Earth start off with a 0 ? 5 record. Right Tackle John St. Clair quickly became the Rams scapegoat, but a more important concern was that the Rams had to find a quick patch for the injured Kurt Warner. In came a third year QB from West Virginia who at best had only played on practice squads. The Rams didn?t accomplish much with him running the plays as they only finished with a 6 ? 1 record when he started. Bulger finished with an ordinary 101.5 QB rating with a better than 2 ? 1 touchdown to interception ratio. Sadly for the Rams, their 0 ? 5 start punctured their season beyond any repair. With a face-lifted offensive line and now two very capable quarterbacks the Rams are be ready to return to their championship caliber.
What we learned from Last Year:
In the season that was, the Rams had an awful time protecting their quarterback. Most notably, John St. Clair got a lot of media attention for allowing free passes to opponents to take free shots at Kurt Warner. Johnnie probably won?t be seeing much time on the field this year. He was one of their biggest problems last year, but losing Orlando Pace on a line that already lacked depth was a real sting. Although most of the negative concentration was put on the offensive line, I don?t think they were the complete reason for the Ram?s donut start. Kurt Warner had problems with his thumb and pinky last year and he looked absolutely terrible. He made poor decisions and even worse throws. Possibly because he was rushed, but he is capable of far better. He?ll tell you his thumb was fine, but it?s safe to say that a 3/11 TD to INT ratio and a 67.4 quarterback rating is not what we are used to seeing out of him. Marc Bulger proved to be an excellent replacement for Kurt Warner. He came in with very little pressure on him simply because things could not get any worse for the Rams. He seemed relaxed throughout his time starting and he will definitely put a small burden on K.W. for the starting job. Both of these quarterbacks are very similar and both are capable of moving this offense. How lucky of the Rams to stumble upon another quality starter in their line of backups.
A forgotten man on this offense has been Marshall Faulk. Don?t worry, the Rams haven?t forgot about him, but the media has definitely quieted down on the hype around him. Apparently, the media believes Rikki Williams and Ladainian Tomlinson to be better choices at running back than Marshall. On a team that really struggled offensively last year Faulk had 10 TD?s and almost 1500 combined yards. Oh yeah, he only started 10 games. Once the pistons on this offense are back in motion on this potent offense Marshall Faulk will once again be in a league of his own.
On a lesser note, one thing that stood out from the Rams offense last year was the lack of 3rd option behind Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt. The Rams tried to replace Az-zahir Hakim with Terrence Wilkins, but that never seemed to work out. Az had problems holding on to the football, but he was definitely a threat to score whenever he touched it. The Rams were forced to move up Ricky Proehl to the third receiver spot, but he was a perfect fit for their 4th spot. St. Louis loves to spread their offense out and to be fully successful they like to have a speedy third receiver, and just a reliable 3rd down fourth receiver. It will be interesting to see if they can get that setup back.
What has changed?:
There is no secret among anyone who knows a crumb about the NFL that it is very hard to win games without a strong offensive line. The Rams couldn?t shelter their offensive leader last year, so to add help and depth they acquired Kyle Turley. Turley was the anchor on New Orleans? offensive line and he will bring much needed toughness to this line. There is worry about Orlando Pace holding out. He has been franchise tagged and has been offered a decent sized one-year contract but he would still like a long-term deal to secure his future with the organization. With both Orlando and Turley on the offensive line, Warner/Bulger should have the time they need to make their decisions. If Pace is a holdout, this team hasn?t really advanced much on the offensive line since last year.
This team suffered quite a few key injuries last year and they need to monitor closely how these players respond in training camp. In addition to Warner and his hand problems, Aeneas Williams is recovering from a broken leg, and cornerstones Marshall Faulk and Orlando Pace are also healing from different injuries. They need all of these players to get well soon so this team is back on the winning track once again.
Slowly but surely St. Louis? defense has creeped up to 13th best in the league. This young group still has a lot of work to do but the Rams continue to add talent to this gang. First-round pick Jimmy Kennedy is expected to help out a defensive line who has had mixed results in the past. More pressure on opposing QB?s would not hurt. St. Louis will require more out of Tackles Ryan Pickett and Damione Lewis for the line to have success. The Linebackers are highly touted with Robert Thomas and Tommy Polley performing well early in their careers and the coaches are also raving about Pisa Tinoisamoa who was drafted in the second round. Robert Thomas can now move back to his natural collegiate position of middle-linebacker and Tinoisamoa will take over his previous job on the outside. The secondary lost Dexter McCleon and Dre Bly in the off-season but Travis Fisher is supposed to step into the starting lineup without any problems. Even if he performs well opposite of Aeneas Williams, the Rams will still need to find some nickel and dime package defensive backs. Jason Sehorn has been moved to the Free Safety position where he will battle it out with Kim Herring. Either way Sehorn will add some depth the defensive back corps.
Although the defensive is looking better than it has in years past, the Ram?s success is still built on a high-powered offense. If they all return fit and in good physical shape look for the Rams to be a force once again.
O/U 9.5:
Don?t be conned into believing that the Rams have fallen off. If Pace is playing, and the team is healthy, then they are still the cream of the crop in their division. San Fran hasn?t changed much, Arizona is still garbage, and Seattle is ?improved?. If the Rams are moving in full steam they could sweep this division, but we?ll say that San Fran and Seattle yank a win from them. The Rams will still need 6 wins from the following: @Giants, Falcons, Packers, @Steelers, Ravens, @Bears, Vikings, @Browns, Bengals, @Lions. Just keep in mind that the besides last year?s bump, the Rams have been quite successful in the regular season in the past few years and if focused they can beat most teams with their offense alone.
Fantasy Sleeper:
Marshall Faulk has faded out of the top spot in most fantasy magazines. Although last year he was given some good competition from Priest Holmes for the #1 pick, this year he is being put behind guys such as Rikki Williams, Ladainian Tomlinson and even Clinton Portis. Here are a few things to nibble on: The Rams should return healthy and have added Kyle Turley to the offensive line, the Ram?s play Arizona and Seattle twice each this year, and finally the Rams now have two very good quarterbacks who can get the run this team. This is all good news for Marshall Faulk fans, but what is even better is that most people won?t take him with the first pick overall anymore. The first pick is not a no-brainer like it used to be, and if he slips down the board you should nab him without question.
