Offense

After 3 abysmal seasons from 2007-2009, in which they went 6-42, the Rams went 7-9 in 2010 under rookie quarterback Sam Bradford and came up one game short of making the playoffs. Heading into 2011, expectations were high. However, last year ended up being more of the same old for the Rams as they finished 2-14. Injuries thinned an already poor receiving corps, while the offensive line gave up more sacks than any offensive line in the league thanks to a combination of injuries and generally poor play.

Sam Bradford regressed statistically, completing 191 of 358 (53.4%) for 2164 yards (6.1 YPA), 6 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions after completing 354 of 590 (60.0%) for 3512 yards (6.0 YPA), 18 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions in 2010. He suffered a high ankle sprain week 6 and was never the same. He also grew very skittish in the pocket under so much pressure and on top of that, his receivers played terrible. A midseason addition of Brandon Lloyd helped, but by that point Bradford was already injured so it was too late.

Meanwhile, defensively, an insane amount of injuries at the cornerback position, with a whopping 10 players at the position finishing the year on IR, killed what was once a decent defense. The Rams played a lot of track meets and simply couldn’t keep up. Now in 2012, the Rams have a new Head Coach, an experienced and successful one, Jeff Fisher, but expectations still vary as it’s very tough to know what to expect from this team. The good news, the Rams have 2 1^st round picks in each of the next 2 seasons thanks to a pre-draft trade with the Washington Redskins, where they moved down from 6 to 2, allowing Washington to take Robert Griffin. If Bradford continues to struggle, however, and Griffin turns out to be what everyone thinks he’ll be, the Rams may end up regretting that move.

Quarterback

When evaluating Sam Bradford, I think you essentially have to throw out last year, which is unfortunate because that means the Rams don’t have nearly enough to accurate evaluate his potential in the NFL yet. However, it would be unfair to evaluate a quarterback based on a season in which he missed a lot of time, played hurt, and injuries thinned an already awful supporting cast.

Bradford was the #1 pick in 2010 and carried a talentless team to 7-9 and the brink of the playoffs that season as a mere rookie, setting the rookie record for pass attempts and completions. He’s their guy and rightfully so. I believe he’s fully capable of succeeding as long as the Rams get him the help he needs. If not, he runs the risk of turning into Alex Smith, who needed a miracle (named Jim Harbaugh) to finally get his career sorted out. Bradford is already on his 3^rd offensive coordinator in as many seasons.

Grade: B

Offensive line

The Rams allowed 34 sacks in their 7 win season in 2010 and 55 in their 2 win season last year. What was the difference? Well, the tackle play was the biggest problem. Both Jason Smith and Rodger Saffold finished the season on IR and neither was that good even when healthy, especially not Saffold, who allowed 11 sacks, 4 quarterback hits, 17 quarterback pressures and committed 10 penalties in just 8 ½ games. Smith, meanwhile, allowed 2 sacks, 2 quarterback hits, 11 quarterback pressures, and committed 4 penalties in 5 ½ games, while grading out below average as a run blocker.

In their absence, Adam Goldberg led the position in snaps played, playing both the left and right side and allowing 6 sacks, 6 quarterback hits, and 15 quarterback pressures in 637 snaps played, while grading out below average as a run blocker. Saffold was a much better player in 2010 as a rookie, so it’s possible he could have been hurt even when he played and that he’ll bounce back this year. Smith is also young and played hurt, though he’s never really been that good. Given that, I’m not shocked that the Rams didn’t draft a tackle and move one of those two to left guard, but that might have been a good idea. Not only would it have given them more certainty on the outside, it would have upgraded the left guard position mightily.

Last season, Jacob Bell played awful at left guard. He didn’t make it through the full season, but allowed 4 sacks, 3 quarterback pressures, 12 penalties, while ranking well below average as a run blocker. His -15.8 rating on ProFootballFocus was 68^th at the position out of 77. In his absence late last season, the Rams moved center Jason Brown to guard. Brown wasn’t much better there than he was at center, grading out with a -15.8 overall, which was actually the worst of any Rams’ offensive lineman. With Brown at guard, Tony Wragge played center. Wragge made 9 starts at guard and center and graded out with a -10.8 overall. He finished the year 28^th among 35 centers, worse than Brown was at the position.

Bell and Brown are both gone now, as is Wragge. Wragge signed as a reserve in Baltimore, while Bell briefly signed in Cincinnati before retiring. Brown, meanwhile, is still available on the open market after the Rams cut him in the middle of a large free agent contract which he signed in 2009. The Rams signed Scott Wells to replace him in the middle and are obviously hoping he doesn’t have the same fate as Brown. Wells graded out 4^th among centers with the Packers last year, with a 17.9 rating. He should be an above average player and a key part of their offensive line this season.

The Rams signed Harvey Dahl to a similar contract last offseason and he was their only offensive lineman to grade out positively, playing every snap but one for the Rams, beginning the season at right guard and finishing at right tackle. He finished with a 0.5 rating at guard and a 2.7 rating at right tackle. He’ll play right guard this season and is their surest player upfront.

The other guard position is a different story. Bell left, which might be addition by subtraction, but they don’t have anyone proven to start there. In fact, they are holding an open competition for the job between up to 4 players, none of whom have any significant experience in the NFL. Bryan Mattison is the most experienced of the bunch as he made 4 starts at right guard last season, but he had never played in the NFL before that and finished with a -10.8 rating. 5^th round rookie Rokevious Watkins is also in the mix, which shows how thin they are at the position, as are Tim Barnes and Rob Turner, who have never played a snap in the NFL. You’d have a hard time finding a team with less talent at any single position than the Rams do at left guard.

Overall though, there’s some upside on the offensive line for the Rams, with the addition of Scott Wells and possible bounce back years for Rodger Saffold and Jason Smith. The line was better in 2010, allowing just 34 sacks. With the addition of Scott Wells this offseason, to go next to Harvey Dahl, an offseason addition after the 2010 season, the Rams already figure to be better on the offensive line, but tackles Jason Smith and Rodger Saffold could bounce back from injury plagued and injury shortened 2011 seasons. If one of them does that, that’s 3 offensive line spots locked down strong.

Grade: B-

Wide receivers

The Rams’ receivers are their worst group. How bad is it? The Rams leading returning receivers are Brandon Gibson and Danario Alexander and they may start 2 rookies at the position, a 2^nd round pick in Brian Quick and a 4^th round pick in Chris Givens. Danny Amendola will line up in the slot. That much we now, but that’s about it. That will be a welcome sight for Bradford. Amendola, Bradford’s leading target in 2010, barely played in 2011 with a torn triceps. They’ll need him to bounce back because there’s uncertainty all around him.

Quick and Givens are in the mix for the starting jobs, as are Gibson and Alexander. They also have Austin Pettis and Greg Salas, 3^rd and 4^th round picks in 2011 who barely played last year. Finally, they have a reclamation project, Steve Smith, who has struggled mightily with injuries over the last 2 years since his 100 catch year with the Giants in 2009. There’s a lot of mediocre for the Rams and some guys in competition for the starting job might actually end up losing a roster spot because there’s 8 guys for 6 spots. Quick has received a lot of praise this offseason from the coaching staff and might be the #1 option, but he’s just a raw 2^nd round rookie.

One player to watch for is tight end Lance Kendricks. Kendricks was a 2^nd round pick in 2011 and came into the year with high expectations after a strong camp and preseason. However, a combination of inconsistency at quarterback and his own struggles led to a very poor year for him. He caught just 28 passes for 352 yards, didn’t score, and somehow managed to drop 9 passes despite only being targeted 53 times. However, he was just a rookie and could have a bounce back year this year. He’s plenty talented and having a reliable tight end would help Bradford out a lot.

The receiving corps is a major problem still, but they have a lot of guys with potential (Brian Quick, Greg Sales, Austin Pettis, Chris Givens) so if one of them can step up, as well as possibly 2^nd year tight end Lance Kendricks, with the return of Danny Amendola, they won’t be terrible. They have the best quarterback in the division in my opinion and his offensive supporting cast won’t be as bleak this year.

Grade: C

Running Backs

Things are better on the ground, as has always been the case in recent years for the Rams. Steven Jackson is one of the great running backs of his era, with 9093 rushing yards in his career, currently 32^nd all time and another couple solid years would put him in the top-20 all time (Ricky Watters is 20^th with 10643 yards). However, he hasn’t made the playoffs since his rookie year and he has wasted his talent on mediocre Rams team after mediocre Rams team, all while never making a peep and complaining. It’s insane that a back as talented as him could only have topped 8 touchdowns once in his career, but what can you do when your team is never around the goal line.

As talented as he is, the arrow is trending down for Jackson right now. He turns 29 this offseason and has 2138 career carries. He’s right at the point where you start to worry that his abilities are going to fall off a cliff. History suggests that he might be another year or two away, but he’s definitely no sure thing this year. The Rams don’t seem to think so either as they used a 2^nd round pick on a running back named Isaiah Pead to be his potential successor.

As long as Jackson is still running well, Pead will just be a change of pace back and someone to keep Jackson fresh, but, as I said, he might not run well this season. Pead, however, was a reach in the 2^nd round. He’s not well rounded enough to be a feature back. He’s better off being a 3^rd down/change of pace back who also contributes as a return man. If Jackson gets hurt or something and Pead has to carry the load, they could really struggle on the ground, in addition to in the air. However, while things aren’t as good looking at running back as they once were for the Rams, they should still be able to run alright.

Grade: B

Defense

Things are better offensively than defensively. Yes, they allowed 25.4 points per game last year, good for 26^th in the league, but at least it wasn’t last like their offense. They also suffered countless injuries at cornerback and should be much better there this season with guys returning, as well as the offseason acquisition of Cortland Finnegan. That being said, you don’t have the league’s worst points differential (-214) unless you suck on both sides of the ball so things aren’t too great defensively for the Rams.

Defensive line

The defensive line is the Rams’ most talented group, which makes sense because this is a Jeff Fisher coached team and he always loves to have a stacked bunch up front. Chris Long is below average as a run stopper, but he actually leads the league in quarterback pressures over the past 2 years with 115. He graded out with a 16.8, last year, 14^th at his position, but his 30.5 rating as a pass rusher was 4^th at his position. Unfortunately, his -10.5 rating against the run was last.

Opposite him, the Rams will start Robert Quinn, the 14^th overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft. Quinn was solid in a situational role last year and will move into the starting lineup now that James Hall is gone. Quinn managed 6 sacks, 9 quarterback hits, and 21 quarterback pressures in 341 pass rush snaps last year (10.6%) and some, including ESPN Draft Guru Mel Kiper, expect him to have a 10 sack season this year. That’s definitely possible given his talents and what he showed last year, but he’ll have to improve against the run as his -7.3 rating against the run was 4^th worst at his position.

With Quinn moving into the starting lineup, free agent acquisition William Hayes will play Quinn’s old role. Hayes is coming over from Tennessee and struggled last year with a new Head Coach and defensive coordinator, with a -6.7 rating, but posted a 9.5 rating in 2010 under Jeff Fisher. He’s an excellent fit for their wide 9 scheme and managed 2 sacks, 5 quarterback hits, and 23 quarterback pressures on 326 pass rush snaps in 2010 (9.2%). The Rams managed 39 sacks last year despite always playing from behind and despite having cornerbacks that couldn’t cover. That number could easily go into the 40s this year.

However, the Rams are putting in place a wide 9 scheme, which is fundamentally weak against the run. Long and Quinn are weak against the run to begin with so it’ll be up to the defensive tackles and linebackers to help them stuff the run. The Rams allowed 4.8 YPC last year, 28^th in the league and a good pass rush is only useful when playing with a lead, which they won’t have a lot of this season.

The Rams cut both starters at defensive tackle from last year. Both Justin Bannan and Fred Robbins actually graded out well above average as run stuffers, but combined for 1 sack, 2 quarterback hits, and 13 quarterback pressures on 427 combined pass rush snaps (3.7%). They were 36 and 34 respectively anyway and though they were starters, they were essentially just situational players as the Rams used a lot of rotation on the defensive line.

They figure to do a lot of the same this year. With Robbins and Bannan going out, Kendall Langford and Michael Brockers are coming in as starters. Langford has spent his entire career in a 3-4 as a defensive end in Miami, but he’s an above average player who had a 1.7 rating last year , a 14.4 rating in 2010, a 15.7 rating in 2009, and a 7.6 rating in 2008 and he figures to be a good fit in a wide 9 4-3 scheme as a defensive tackle. Brockers, meanwhile, was the 14^th overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. He’s still very raw as a pass rusher, but he is strong against the run.

Their top reserves, who will rotate in, are Dorrell Scott, one of their top reserves last season, and Trevor Laws who had a decent year as a rotational player in Philadelphia’s wide 9 scheme last year. Overall, the Rams’ defensive line should have a solid year, especially in rushing the passer. With added talent in the secondary and what should be a slightly improved offense, as well as the addition of Jeff Fisher and Kendall Langford, they should have a sacks total in the mid 40s after 39 last year. However, they should rank among the worst teams in the league against the run again.

Grade: B+

Linebackers

Poor linebacker play was also a big part of their poor play against the run last season and it doesn’t look like it’ll be any better this year. Middle linebacker James Laurinaitis is a very good player who has graded out with a 1.7, a 14.2, and a 5.6 in his first 3 seasons in the NFL. He’s totaled 376 tackles in 3 years and has held up very well in coverage. What’s even more impressive is the fact that he’s done this with no help around him at linebacker.

This year will be no different. Chris Chamberlain and Bobby Poppinga are both gone and have been replaced with more mediocre players. Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Rocky McIntosh, and Mario Haggan will all compete for the 2 outside spots. Haggan was a solid backup in Denver last year with some starting experience, but he’s never been anything better than mediocre and he’s now 32. Dunbar, meanwhile, played both inside and outside for the Saints last year and posted a -26.3 rating overall in 807 snaps.

McIntosh might be the most promising of the bunch. He was benched by the Redskins last year, but he was never a good fit for their 3-4 defense. He was a solid starter for them in a 4-3 before they switched to a 3-4 in 2010. He’s still only 29, 30 in November, so he could be an alright starter for them this season. The other two are not nearly as promising.

Meanwhile, they have little depth at middle linebacker so if anything happens to James Laurinaitis, this is easily the worst linebacking corps in the NFL. Their top reserve at middle linebacker is 7^th round rookie Aaron Brown, though I suppose they could use the loser of the outside linebacker competition as their middle linebacker if Laurinaitis goes down.

Grade: C+

Defensive Backs

The Rams had a whopping 10 cornerbacks go on IR last season, but still managed to rank 19^th against the pass with 7.4 YPA. Their strong defensive line had a lot to do with that though, as their cornerbacks didn’t play well. Depth was an issue going into the season behind starters Ron Bartell and Bradley Fletcher. Bartell and Fletcher barely played, with Bartell going down week 1 and Fletcher going down week 4.

Their leaders in snaps played at the position were Justin King, Josh Gordy, and Al Harris. King was absolutely awful as his -22.6 rating ranked dead last among cornerbacks. He allowed 43 completions on 68 attempts (63.2%), 571 yards (8.4 YPA), 6 touchdowns, 1 interception, 2 deflections and 6 penalties. Gordy and Harris were slightly better, with Harris actually grading out above average, but he retired this offseason, while Gordy, who posted a -8.9 rating from last season, figures to be no higher than 4^th on the depth chart this year.

This is because the Rams made improving their secondary a focus of their offseason. They signed Cortland Finnegan from the Titans, who rated 3^rd at his position on ProFootballFocus with a 15.8 rating. Fletcher has also returned from injury and will compete to start opposite Finnegan. Fletcher graded out above average with a 1.7 rating in 2010, but is coming off a torn ACL. He’ll compete with Janoris Jenkins, a talented player who only fell to the 2^nd round of the 2012 NFL Draft for character reasons. However, he’s still only a rookie so he could struggle if forced to start. Gordy could provide depth, if he beats out 3^rd round rookie Trumaine Johnson for the #4 cornerback job. Johnson can also play safety, where he might be needed more.

Free safety Quintin Mikell is a solid player who was one of the bright spots on their defense last year after being signed from Philadelphia as a free agent. He graded out with a -2.8, which is well below the 18.1 rating he had in Philadelphia in 2010. Still, he was much better than strong safety Darian Stewart. Stewart’s -15.5 rating was 3^rd worst at his position last year in his 1^st year as a starter. He was actually alright in coverage, but missed 20 tackles, 3^rd most in the league regardless of position. Considering he only had 65 solo tackles, he essentially whiffed on 25% of his tackle attempts. He’ll could be pushed by 3^rd round rookie Trumaine Johnson, who can play cornerback, in addition to safety.

Things aren’t nearly as bleak in the secondary this year as it was last year, with additions and the return of guys from injury. On top of that, they’ve always had a good pass rush and this year should be no different with Chris Long opposite Robert Quinn and William Hayes, who played well under Jeff Fisher in 2010.

They also add Kendall Langford at defensive tackle, to give them more pass rush there. They got next to no pass rush from that spot in 2011. Michael Brockers is raw as a pass rusher, but can stop the run from day 1. One of their safety spots and their two outside linebacker spots are still weaknesses, but this is not a bad defense at all.

Grade: B

Head Coach

Jeff Fisher was out of the league last year after being fired by the Tennessee Titans, but he remains a solid Head Coach. He held out for the right opportunity and was a hot commodity on the open market this offseason, deciding on St. Louis over Miami. He finished with a 142-120 record over 16+ seasons in Tennessee and was the longest tenured Head Coach in the league when he was finally fired. In his 16 full seasons, he’s finished at .500 or above 11 times. He made the playoffs 6 times, finishing 5-6 with one trip to the Super Bowl in 1999.

Grade: B+

Overall

The Rams looked poised for a breakout in 2011 after winning 7 games and nearly the division in 2010, but like so many teams who jump 6+ games in a season, they regressed in 2011. They faced a tough schedule and on top of that had a perfect storm of injuries, most notably in the defensive backfield and on the offensive line.

Young, talented quarterback Sam Bradford struggled behind a poor offensive line and also got hurt himself, predictably, but the line was better in 2010, allowing just 34 sacks. With the addition of Scott Wells this offseason, to go next to Harvey Dahl, an offseason addition after the 2010 season, the Rams already figure to be better on the offensive line, but tackles Jason Smith and Rodger Saffold could bounce back from injury plagued and injury shortened 2011 seasons. If one of them does that, that’s 3 offensive line spots locked down strong.

In the defensive backfield, they return Bradley Fletcher, add one of the league’s top cornerbacks in Cortland Finnegan, and also bring in Janoris Jenkins, a talented player who fell to the 2^nd round for character reasons. They’ve always had a good pass rush and this year should be no different with Chris Long opposite Robert Quinn and William Hayes, who played well under Jeff Fisher in 2010.

They also add Kendall Langford at defensive tackle, to give them more pass rush there. They got next to no pass rush from that spot in 2011. Michael Brockers is raw as a pass rusher, but can stop the run from day 1. One of their safety spots and their two outside linebacker spots are still weaknesses, but this is not a bad defense at all.

Offensively, the receiving corps is a major problem still, but they have a lot of guys with potential so if one of them can step up, as well as possibly 2^nd year tight end Lance Kendricks, with the return of Danny Amendola, that won’t be terrible. They have the best quarterback in the division in my opinion and his offensive supporting cast won’t be as bleak this year. They’ll also be able to run the ball with the duo of Steven Jackson and Isaiah Pead. I expect them to have their break out year this year, with a more talented bunch, an easier schedule, lower expectations, better health, and a new Head Coach.

They play in an easier division and could win 3 or 4 games in it. Outside of the division, they host the Redskins, Packers, Patriots, Jets, and Vikings. They could beat the Vikings and Jets pretty easily and while Washington figures to be good this year, the Rams were a good home team in 2010 so they could win that one too. On the road outside of the division, they go to Detroit, Chicago, Miami, Buffalo, and Tampa Bay. It’s not the toughest overall schedule at all. They can be competitive. With the exception of 2009, every year since 2003 has seen one team have a 7 game swing in either direction. The Rams are my pick to be that team this year.

Projection: 9-7 1st in NFC West

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