2009 Record: 1-15, Fourth in Division
2009 Playoff Record: Did Not Qualify
Key Losses: Marc Bulger, Alex Barron, Leonard Little
Key Additions: Kevin Payne, Bobby Carpenter, Sam Bradford
That may be harsh, but for three seasons straight the St. Louis Rams have amassed three wins or less for a grand total of six wins in three seasons. To put that in perspective, the first year they really fell off from their success of the early part of the decade they had a record of 6-10. Simply put, they've become one of the worst teams in football and have been trying to put together a winning team for a while now. Though the team has more than a few young standouts on both sides of the ball, they still have a plethora of holes to fill. Steve Spagnuolo finds himself in a similar position to the one Jim Schwartz was in last year, having a roster with some very good players, but one still incapable of making even a late-season run. If Spagnuolo is given the time to assemble the right team he could go down as the coach who saved the Rams. He's a great defensive mind, but unfortunately doesn't have key players especially on defense to lead this team to a playoff berth yet. Whether he can assemble a team that can do so or not will take longer than one season to answer, but it must be assumed that he will need to show some notable improvement this season if he wants to get the chance. That probably means getting 4-6 wins, which might be a challenge in and of itself.
The Rams have holes all over their roster, but the best news is probably in their offense. Last season was a mixed bag, on the positive side they had Steven Jackson, on the negative side they had a lot of inconsistency at quarterback, a lack of playmakers at receiver, and an offensive line that neither protected the QB nor opened up a lot of running room for Jackson. The good news for this season, they possibly have a first round pick starting at QB and a second rounder starting at tackle. That might not be good news for most teams, but for a team in as dire need of playmakers as the Rams it's always a good thing to get youth in and have them learn, especially on the offensive line. Quarterback is a different story, though the young QBs who succeed typically do so behind a good line and rushing attack. There's a lot of potential for Bradford to be the next breakout QB with a back like Jackson behind him.
The bad news is that they don't have a ton of playmakers on the line or in the receiving corps. To be fair, it's very hard for them to address every single position of need in one offseason, but that doesn't change the fact that some positions are still sorely lacking. Their offensive line has been a shuffle for a while now, and they simply have to play better in run and pass support for this team to succeed. Their receiving corps is also noticeably thin, including their tight ends. They drafted two TEs in the fifth and sixth round, immediate production will probably be expected. Receiver is a bigger question, though, as no name really stands out aside from veteran Donnie Avery. This is one area that could be particularly damaging, as a young QB needs good receivers to throw to and help him out. This is another team that makes me question why so many veteran receivers are still looking for teams. Aside from the obvious big name of Terrell Owens, other receivers who are still available include Marty Booker, Javon Walker, Kevin Curtis, Laveranues Coles, and Mark Bradley. Any of these would provide an upgrade to a Rams' offense that is desperately in need of one, especially with a rookie taking the reigns at QB.
Defense looks to have even worse prospects. Aside from taking cornerback Jerome Murphy in the third round, they really didn't focus on defense until midway through the fifth round. The good news is that they have some good young players in safety O.J. Atogwe, and linebackers James Laurinaitis and Na'il Diggs. The bad news is they lack talent just about everywhere else. The Rams were ranked 29th in overall defense last year and have made very few additions to a unit that ranked so low. In addition, they allowed more points than any other team except the Lions, ranked 29th in third down percentage, 30th in sacks, and dead last in interceptions. This is not something that can be coached back to normal, especially when coach Spagnuolo has a definite lack of playmakers at one of the key positions in his scheme, defensive line. There is really not much to get excited about on defense, unless unheralded rookies step up in a big way expect them to be near the bottom of the league again.
Their schedule does also not bode well for them. Count San Francisco as two losses for the Rams right away, and the Cardinals and Seahawks don't look promising. Perhaps if those teams' problems are more pronounced than they are counting on the Rams could pull out a couple of division wins, but Rams fans should expect two division wins at best this season, another season of getting swept in the division at worst. They also play the AFC West and NFC South, and all those teams have the potential to beat up on St. Louis. I'd say the Rams' best chances for wins come from the Panthers and Bucs
Steve Spagnuolo still has his work cut out for him despite being in his second year. He still has many holes to fill and many positions of need, especially at key places such as along the offensive and defensive line. He has some good rookies and young stars who should at least keep the Rams competitive, but it doesn't look like it will be enough to overcome teams who have made larger strides such as the Raiders and Lions. They have a tough schedule ahead of them, and the rebuilding process is starting to put Spagnuolo in a position where he'll be pressed to keep his job. He might still do so if he can hang on another year and fill some of the big defensive holes, but as far as this season goes, it looks like another dismal finish for Rams fans.
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