ST. LOUIS RAMS
2009 RECORD: 1-15-0
(4th in NFC West)
HEAD COACH: Steve Spagnuolo
Key Additions: QB A.J. Feeley (FA/Carolina), LB Na'il Diggs (FA/Carolina), DT Fred Robbins (FA/NY Giants), LB Bob Carpenter (FA/Dallas), S Kevin Payne (trade/Chicago)
Key Losses: QB Kyle Boller (FA/Oakland), DE Leonard Little (FA), TE Randy McMichael (FA/San Diego), QB Marc Bulger (FA), OT Alex Barron (trade/Dallas), LB Paris Lenon (FA/Arizona), CB Jonathan Wade (FA/Detroit)
Offense: After finishing last in scoring (175 points) in the 2009 NFL season and near the bottom in total offense, the Rams used the number-one pick in the 2010 NFL draft and selected quarterback Sam Bradford from Oklahoma.
Bradford will be given the opportunity to be the starter and journeyman A.J. Feeley will be the primary backup.
The Rams averaged only 279 yards per game last season and ranked 29th overall in that category. The running game was 20th, averaging 112 yards per game.
Steven Jackson was the lone bright spot for the Rams' offense in '09, gaining 1,416 yards on the ground with four touchdowns. Jackson also led the team with 51 receptions for 322 yards.
The receivers include Laurent Robinson (13 catches in '09), Danny Amendola (43 catches), Brandon Gibson (34 catches) and rookie Mardy Gilyard. Donnie Avery was lost for the 2010 season to an injury suffered in the pre-season.
Daniel Fells and Billy Bajema will be the tight ends, filling the void for Randy McMichael, who left the Rams via free agency.
The offensive line has center Jason Brown, guards John Greco and Jacob Bell and tackles Jason Smith and Rodger Saffold.
This unit can run block pretty well as Jackson had a decent season in 2009. However, they must do a better job of protecting the quarterback after allowing a league high 54 quarterbacks sacks last season.
Defense: This is a work in progress for the Rams as they finished near the bottom across the board in 2009 on defense.
The 436 points allowed was 31st in the NFL and they allowed 373 yards per game, which ranked 29th overall. The run defense gave up 138 yards per game (27th) and the pass defense wasn't much better, yielding 235 yards per game, which was 25th in the league.
Ouch!
The Rams employ the 4-3 scheme and up front are tackles Fred Robbins and Clifton Ryan and the ends are Chris Long and James Hall.
The linebackers are James Laurinaitis in the middle and outside linebackers David Vobora and Na'il Diggs, who comes over from the Carolina Panthers as a free agent.
The cornerbacks are Bradley Fletcher and Ron Bartell. The safeties are James Butler and Oshiomogho Atogwe. Kevin Dockery and Jerome Murphy, along with David Roach and Craig Dahl will provide depth in the secondary.
OUTLOOK: The Rams won just one game in 2009 and they have to improve on that.
With Bradford taking the snaps, look for gradual improvement from the passing game, which averaged a meager 168 yards per game last season.
Head Coach Steve Spagnuolo prides himself for having been a good defensive coach in the past and the defense definitely has to improve if the Rams want to avoid the basement in the NFC West again.
The minus-13 turnover ratio for the Rams is another area where they have to improve. They had just eight interceptions a year ago while their quarterbacks threw 21 picks. In addition, St. Louis was outscored by an average of 16 points per game in 2009.
It's hard to win games when a team falls behind so quickly.
With the number of draft picks the Rams have used the past few seasons, they should start to see some more positive results in the future. Whether or not that comes to be in 2010 is a big question for the Rams.
Look for some improvement from last season as the Rams finish 3-13 and battle Seattle for third place in the NFC West division.
TEAM SCHEDULE:
Week 1- vs. Arizona
Week 2- at Oakland
Week 3- vs. Washington
Week 4- vs. Seattle
Week 5- at Detroit
Week 6- vs. San Diego
Week 7- at Tampa Bay
Week 8- vs. Carolina
Week 9- Bye Week
Week 10- at San Francisco
Week 11- vs. Atlanta
Week 12- at Denver
Week 13- at Arizona
Week 14- at New Orleans
Week 15- vs. Kansas City
Week 16- vs. San Francisco
Week 17- at Seattle
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