In 2009, the Rams won 1 game. Rookie quarterback Sam Bradford instantly made this a better team as the Rams won 7 games and almost made the playoffs. Bradford was 354 for 590 (60.0%) for 3512 yards (6.0 YPA), 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. That might not sound great, but consider that he lost Mark Clayton, Donnie Avery, and Danario Alexander to major injuries from an already thin receiving corps. His 5 leading receivers were Danny Amendola, Brandon Gibson, tight end Daniel Fells, running back Steven Jackson, and Laurent Robinson.

Also, a key number there is 590, the number of pass attempts he threw. That was 3^rd in the league, as a rookie. That’s also an NFL rookie record, as was his 354 completions. The only quarterback currently in the league that came even close to that total as a rookie was Peyton Manning, who threw the ball 575 times as a rookie. The Rams trusted him that much, even with a talented running back in Steven Jackson to lean on. He also set the rookie record for most consecutive passing attempts without an interception.

The Rams have spent this offseason getting Bradford better weapons to work with. They drafted Lance Kendricks in the 2^nd round. He figures to be their starting tight end. They drafted Austin Pettis in the 3^rd round and Greg Salas in the 4^th round, two wide receivers. They also signed Mike Sims-Walker a veteran receiver. Donnie Avery is back from injury. Mark Clayton could be resigned in the next few days, though he’s not 100% coming off knee surgery. Danario Alexander is also back.

I’m really interested to see how this wide receiver thing works out in St. Louis. They currently have Mike Sims-Walker, Danario Alexander, Donnie Avery, Austin Pettis, Greg Salas, 2010 4^th round pick Mardy Gilyard, Danny Amendola, Brandon Gibson, and possibly Mark Clayton. That’s 9 receivers. Most teams don’t carry more than 6. Gilyard, who is struggling with mental lapses in camp, figures to be cut, but which other 2 do you cut from that bunch?

The Rams didn’t just add a bunch of receivers for Sam Bradford. They got him a new offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels. McDumass, er McDaniels, is a failed head coach but great with quarterbacks. He worked with Tom Brady when he was young and turned both Matt Cassel and Kyle Orton into legitimate starting quarterbacks.

Last season in Denver, Orton threw for 3653 yards in 13 games. Brandon Lloyd had 1448 receiving yards. Jabar Gaffney had 875 receiving yards. Eddie Royal had 627 receiving yards. Imagine what McDaniels can do with Bradford, a much superior talent to Orton, and his top 3 receivers (my money is on Mike Sims-Walker, Danario Alexander, and Donnie Avery).

Bradford could definitely be hoisting a Lombardi Trophy over his head sometime in the next 3 years, but first he needs to focus on making the playoffs, something he has a good chance to do in his 2^nd season. The Rams don’t play in a particularly tough division, with Arizona as their only real competition for the division. San Francisco and Seattle are trying out the Alex Smith experience and the Tarvaris Jackson experience at quarterback respectively, so that automatically eliminates them from contention in the division.

While their division is easy, their schedule is far from it. Their first 3 games are against the Eagles, the Giants, who are always good in the first half of the season, and then Baltimore. They then play Washington and have a bye before going to Green Bay, Dallas, and then playing New Orleans at home. Then they go to Arizona. The 2^nd half is much easier, but they still have to play Arizona, Pittsburgh, and a Cleveland team that could surprise this season. They also have to go into San Francisco and Seattle. Those teams suck, but those are still tough places to win games, especially Seattle.

Luckily, the Rams have a very balanced offense. I’ve gone into detail about their passing game, but Steven Jackson is still one of the better and most complete running backs in the league. He’s one of my favorite players because he always plays through injuries, even in 2009 when they were a 1 win team. I really hope he can win a few playoff games before his career is done.

Jackson is getting older and has dealt with injuries in the past, but he’s still only at the 1878 carry total for his career. 2200 seems to be around where running backs fall off a cliff (pan to Clinton Portis and LaDainian Tomlinson nodding), so Jackson should be safe for another season. However, the Rams did make sure they had better backups for Jackson this offseason, signing Cadillac Williams and Jerious Norwood.

Their running game should be even better with the addition of Harvey Dahl at right guard. Dahl replaces Adam Goldberg, the only real weakness on this offensive line last season. Left tackle Rodger Saffold was somehow only the 33^rd pick in the 2010 draft. He stepped in instantly at left tackle and played very well, allowing 3 sacks all season. His play was so good they kept Jason Smith, the 2^nd pick in 2009, on the right side.

Smith is once again on the right side, but only because Saffold is so good. Smith is an above average right tackle. Center Jason Smith is also an above average player. The weak link on the line might be Jacob Bell who was cut this offseason before agreeing to a restricted contract. Anytime Jacob Bell is your worst offensive lineman, you’re doing pretty well for yourself. Bradford was sacked a mere 34 times last season. Expect that total to be even lower in 2011 with Saffold and Smith continuing their development and the addition of Harvey Dahl.

 

While their offensive line is very good, their defensive line could be equally good. They filled their biggest need on the defensive line, defensive tackle, by signing Justin Bannan. Bannan is a solid player and a huge upgrade over Gary Gibson, a huge liability against the run who didn’t make up for it with consistent pass rush. Bannan plays inside next to Fred Robbins, one of the most underrated players in the league. He had 6 sacks last season and played very well against the run.

On the outside, 2008 2^nd round pick Chris Long finally came into his own last season and in a huge way too. He had 8 sacks and a whopping 57 quarterback pressures. He could easily have 10+ sacks this season. He lines up across from James Hall, who inexplicably had 10.5 sacks last season after at age 33 after recording just 13.5 sacks in the previous 3 seasons.

Hall could easily decline this season, but the Rams are prepared for that. Robert Quinn, once considered a candidate for the #1 pick in 2011 before a bullshit suspension, fell to them at 14 where they quickly snatched him up. He’ll be much better in his 2^nd season than he will be as a rookie because he didn’t play last season and because of the lockout, but he’ll still provide a consistent pass rush as a rookie. He also has a very high upside.

They had 43 sacks in 2010 and could have even more in 2011. The thought of having to block both Quinn and Long in 2012 and beyond should make opposing offensive coordinators shit their pants in fear. Add in Fred Robbins, and this should be a very, very good pass rush for a very, very long time.

The back 7 in their defense is a bit of a different story. James Laurinaitis is a talented player in the middle, but promising young linebacker David Vobora was inexplicably cut this offseason in favor of mediocre veteran Ben Leber. Leber will start at one outside linebacker spot, while Zac Diles, another mediocre veteran, will start on the other side.

The secondary is a little better. Bradley Fletcher and Ron Bartell both played well last season, although their amazing pass rush might have had something to do with that. All in all, the Rams ranked 11^th against the pass last season. However, behind Fletcher and Ron Bartell they have next to nothing.

Justin King struggled as the nickelback last season. He’s in that spot again, but could actually be beaten out by Al Harris. Al Harris is an interesting player. He’s 36, but he’s somehow convinced the Dolphins and now the Rams to at least give him a roster spot so they can make sure he’s not Al Harris anymore. The Dolphins were disappointed and the Rams will end up disappointed as well.

The Rams big free agency signing was Quintin Mikell. He’s a very talented and underrated safety and will start at strong safety for this season. Meanwhile, two mediocre players, James Butler and Craig Dahl, will battle for the starting free safety job.

With Sam Bradford, two young bookend tackles, and two young bookend defensive ends, the Rams are set for the future at the most important positions on the field. They got to that point with smart drafting. Bradford was the #1 pick in 2010. Saffold was the #33 pick in 2010. Jason Smith was the #2 pick in 2009. Robert Quinn was the #14 pick in 2011. Chris Long was the #2 pick in 2008. Hit on 5 players drafted in the top 33, with 3 in the top 3, at the 3 most valuable positions (quarterback, left tackle, defensive end) and you set yourself up to be very good for the future.

They have talent in the receiving corps, a very good coaching staff, and very complete offensive and defensive lines. They have a good pass defense and a good running game. However, they have a brutal schedule and I’d say they’re still about a year away. Arizona sneaks into the playoffs this year over them because they have a much, much easier schedule. However, it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if Sam Bradford was hoisting a Lombardi Trophy in the next 3 years at some point. I love how this team is built.

Quarterback: B

Running backs: A-

Offensive line: A-

Receiving corps: C+

Run defense: B-

Pass rush: A-

Pass coverage: B

Coaching: A-

Projection: 10-6 1st in NFC West