The St. Louis Rams had an absolutely dreadful season in 2009, sporting the worst record in the National Football League at 1-15. After a steady three-season decline, starting with the teams 3-13 record in 2007, there is reason for optimism.
Head coach Steve Spagnuolo and GM Billy Devaney have put together a solid, young core since the start of that 2009 season. Will it be a team that competes for the playoffs in 2010?
Not even close.
What they will be is a very young team that’s going to experience a lot of growing pains.
Let’s first look at the personnel changes.
Key Additions – QB Sam Bradford, OT Rodger Saffold, WR Mardy Gilyard, QB A.J. Feeley, DT Fred Robbins, CB Kevin Dockery, OL Hank Fraley, LB Bobby Carpenter, LB Na’il Diggs
Key Losses – QB Marc Bulger, OT Alex Barron, LB Paris Lennon, DT Adam Carriker, DE Leonard Little
The first thing that stands out is the exchange of aging veterans from the old Rams for veteran players that Spags has experience with. Spagnuolo has had three of the players on his teams before: Robbins, Dockery, and Fraley.
Spagnuolo coached Robbins and Dockery as part of his Super-Bowl-winning defense with the New York Giants, and served as a defensive assistant with the Eagles while Fraley was an offensive lineman.
Spags also saw first-hand what kind of player Bobby Carpenter is in twice-yearly match-ups with the Cowboys.
While these are not star players, they are players who know the system he likes to run. They can help the team compete in the short term, and also help teach the younger players his style of football.
This has been badly needed with the large amount of youngsters the Rams have stockpiled since their downfall began in 2007.
Offense
In 2009, the Rams offense was an absolute mess. The team used three quarterbacks and a bunch of nothing at the wide receiver position.
The only bright spot was leading rusher Steven Jackson, who also happened to be the team's leading receiver, which in a way tells you just how bad they were.
The 2010 roster should be different.
In 2009, Marc Bulger, Kyle Boller, and Keith Null struggled mightily at quarterback all season long.
This year, the position was given a complete overhaul.
Bulger and Boller are gone.
The Rams used the first pick in the 2010 NFL Draft to select Sam Bradford and also brought in A.J. Feeley.
Bradford will likely begin the season on the bench, learning a pro-style offense from the sidelines. This is a necessity because at Oklahoma he played primarily out of the shotgun.
A revamped offensive line should help Feeley keep the team afloat until Bradford is ready.
In 2009, a porous offensive line contributed to the quarterbacks' struggles, consistently opening holes for opposing defenses to exploit.
In 2010, Jason Smith will move over to left tackle, where he should be more effective in the two-point, pass blocking stance he used while at Baylor. Rookie Rodger Saffold should step right in at right tackle, where his drive-blocking style should be most effective in the running game.
The interior line has tremendous depth, with five capable starters competing for three spots. The unit, which may have been the Rams weakest in 2009, should be much improved and give Feeley and Bradford more time to make decisions.
The question is: Can the wide receivers get open before the line breaks down?
The Rams have one solid, front-line receiver in Donnie Avery, but after that, things get confusing.
For this unit to be at its best, they need Laurent Robinson to come back healthy. Before fracturing his fibula in Week 3 of 2009, he was the team's leading receiver and looked like he was on his way to a huge season. In two-and-a-half games, he already had 13 receptions for 167 yards. If he returns to form, this unit becomes infinitely better.
The competition for the slot and fourth receiver spot is a talented young group that includes 2010 draftee Mardy Gilyard, Danny Amendola, Brandon Gibson, and Keenan Burton.
Even with a defense-minded coach like Spagnuolo, the Rams ran an explosive, wide-open offense in 2009. Though they didn’t have much success, they stayed with what had worked best for them in the past—they just didn’t have the pieces.
In 2009, the team ran the shotgun about 39% of the time. That number won't drop much if Bradford wins the starting job. He knows the spread offense, so if the Rams want to shotgun it up and throw three receivers out there, he’ll feel right at home.
The Rams offense should return to respectability and drastically improve upon their 2009 standings of 29th in total yardage and 32nd in scoring.
Defense
Spagnuolo learned all that he could from the late Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, carrying that style with him to the New York Giants. After their Super Bowl victory over New England, he was dubbed a defensive genius, parlaying his newfound status into the Rams' head coaching job.
Rams fans may find that hard to swallow, given that Spagnuolo's defense ranked 31st in points allowed and 29th in yards allowed in 2009.
By themselves, the numbers would make people doubt Spagnuolo’s scheme, but a deeper look shows that he just didn’t have the talent to make it happen.
The players he inherited could not implement his aggressive style, though at times he was able to make it work.
Defensive end Chris Long and linebacker James Laurinaitis began to show some of their playmaking abilities in 2009, but without help alongside them, they will never develop into the players the team hoped they would be.
During the offseason, the Rams adding depth through the draft and free agency to help them out.
Fred Robbins will help to clog up the middle from his defensive tackle position. Although he is 33 and his career is winding down, he can still be a force stopping the running game and has to be marked on passing downs.
Spags also brought in plenty of help to solidify what was a pretty weak linebacking unit last season. The Rams now have four linebackers from Ohio State, including three that graduated in the last five years. Perhaps familiarity with each other could help as they learn the system.
The strongest part of the defense in 2009 was the secondary. That should be no different in 2010, which isn’t saying much.
Somehow the Rams were able to keep O.J. Atogwe, a huge coup for such a horrible team. After O.J., the team has a number of serviceable players who are all weak in different areas. Despite this, Spags was still able to use his zone-blitzing schemes with this group. Hopefully with a year's experience in his system, this unit will improve.
One thing that must improve is the cornerbacks' ability to get interceptions; they had none in 2009.
Like the offense, the defense should improve upon their dismal numbers from 2009. A big improvement is a longshot, though, as this unit still doesn’t have the pieces it needs to succeed.
Analysis
The Rams should be an improved team in 2010, but more than five wins seems unlikely.
The pieces are quickly falling into place on the offensive side of the ball; those players just need the experience now. Spagnuolo doesn’t yet have the talent on defense needed to contend.
Spags walked into a mess when taking this job and he’s done an admirable job working with what he’s got. Another solid draft class or two should give him all the talent he needs to let his coaching and leadership abilities take over.
If management and the fans give Spagnuolo and his staff some time, the Rams could become respectable again in another two to three years, maybe sooner if things come together quickly.
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