St. Louis Rams:               

2013 RECORD: 7-9  

2012 RECORD: 7-8-1   

2011 RECORD: 2-14   

2010 RECORD: 7-9   

TEAM OVERVIEW: The Rams just finished year No. 2 of Jeff Fisher’s rebuilding project.  It’s clear they lack the talent and team depth of Division rivals San Francisco and Seattle, but much of what they are trying to do is geared for long and not short term success.  QB Bradford has not proven to be a top ten QB thus far but at the time of his injury he was over 60% with a 14-4 ratio.  QB Clemons does not possess NFL starting caliber talent, yet the Rams had a half-dozen shots inside the five yard line with a chance to beat Seattle, shocked Indy 38-8, doubled up on the Bears 42-21 and later upset the Saints 27-16.  They did it with a 5th round rookie RB and a defense that became the 1st team in recent memory to record two consecutive seasons of over 50 sacks.  Armed with two 1st round draft picks, the Rams could make further noise by selecting some impact players at a couple of different positions.  I like the direction this is going, however it is now time to fix a very broken pass D.  The Rams will plateau quickly without the ability to put pressure on opposing WR’s and TE’s.  Whether by scheme and/or by talent, THIS is the must fix area for the young Rams.

KEY STATS: QB Bradford can be a playoff type QB but he needs to stay on the field.  Back-up QB Clemons is not the answer.  The team did not have a strong number of 1st downs by passing.  As a result, the 3rd down conversion rate was low at 34%.  The total yards offensively was ranked 30th.  The sack ratio of 53-36 was almost identical to ’12.  The run D improved markedly with the 3.7 per attempt allowed tied for 2nd and the 103 yards allowed per game 9th.  That DL is special but plenty of work needs to be done in pass coverage.  Even with the 105 sacks these past two years the Rams have allowed 66.2% and last year allowed 68.1% to opposing QB’s.  The Rams were lucky that opposing kickers were just 18-26.  Once again there was improvement in special team play as evidenced by their #1 rated punt return D (2.6 per return). 

2013 DRAFT REVIEW: Much of what Jeff Fisher has done is rebuild (or perhaps build) the roster.  This draft was not a home run, but given all the early picks it was expected to bring at least three immediate starters to the team.  That was accomplished, with Austin occasionally electric, Ogletree leading the team with 117 tackles and 5th round pick Stacy providing solid sleeper round value.  The concern then and now was OLB, DB and OG.  Is McDonald the right safety?  Is the current OL good enough to protect fragile QB Bradford and open larger run holes for Stacy?  When can the pass D% be expected to drop?   Along with Jake Long and TE Cook in free agency, the Rams picked up DB Armstrong after the draft.  If he stays out of trouble (good luck) he could progress to be more than just a role player (14 rookie tackles).

1-08, WR Austin: Small, fast, productive and dangerous.  Elite return skill but mediocre as a rookie. 

1-30, LB  Ogletree: Top level production on field, stupid off field.  Sideline to sideline skill.  Lacks take on power.

2-71, FS  McDonald: Has the body type but lacks great instincts.  Very decent 52 rookie tackles, but pass %?

3-92, WR Bailey: Great body control and works well in traffic.  Never fumbled.  Came on to catch 17.

4-113, OC B Jones: #1 intangibles.  Helped coaches with the game plan!  Super smart!  NFL role player?

5-149, CB McGee: Fast with good footwork, but lacks instincts and doesn’t track the ball well.  14 tackles.

5-160, RB Stacy: Strong and productive with no breakaway speed but a 5.4 career average.  973-7 in ’13.

2012 DRAFT REVISITED: The Rams worked the draft board differently than I was accustomed to but was that rare team that did it pretty good their way!  By ignoring CB early and trading down a few times the Rams got a pair of nicely rated CB’s, the DL attention Fisher craves, speed at RB and a pair of nicely rated WR’s.  At the time I wanted them to take OLB David and WR Randle instead of WR Quick and RB Pead.  I will stand by that statement.  Meanwhile, five of the top six picks started 79 of 80 games and PK (Zuerlin, 6th round) has been exceptional.  Brockers went 46-5.5 sacks.  Quick caught 18, down from 42.  CB Jenkins has 134 tackles in two seasons.  RB Pead is NOT a Chris Johnson clone.  He did little in ’13.  CB Johnson moved from 31 tackles up to 68.  As these CB’s get more comfortable the hope is that they play more press coverage!  WR Givens caught 34 with a healthy 16.4 average but no TD’s.  RB Richardson was solid as a rookie and forgotten in ’13 but may remain in the mix.

TOP STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS PRIOR TO THE DRAFT: Jeff Fisher brought pressure defense to the Rams and the Rams have over 100 defensive sacks in two seasons.  Despite the great pressure they put on opposing QB’s the pass D% is sky high.

FREE AGENCY ANALYSIS AND STAFF NOTES: The Rams brought back Roger Saffold after he supposedly failed his physical in Oakland.  Two other OL departed but they were replaceable.  Once upon a time Jeff Fisher drafted WR Kenny Britt in the 1st round.  They reunite, and Britt is young enough to be an asset to this offense if he improves his on and off-field work habits.  CB Finnegan did not play as well as expected and he’s gone.  Kellen Clemons “managed” the game with Bradford on IR.  He’s gone, but the Rams needed something more here anyway.  I remarked previously that “Hiring former Lion DB coach Tim Walton is rather curious”!  Bounty-Gate ringleader Gregg Williams is an upgrade as the new Defensive Coordinator.  His defenses tend to play more press defense, and that is much needed here with the Rams.

2014 DRAFT NEEDS: 1-2 right side OL, safety, OLB and OLB depth, elite CB, young back-up QB, extra RB.  I’ve noted elite CB.  The CB’s are young and another elite player might help IF he is a cover CB.  Any other needs here are just to add depth.  RG Dahl is gone.  RT Barksdale could use an upgrade.  Dunbar has done what he could at OLB, but St. Louis could add a real stud here, preferably again with cover skill.  I’m not completely sold on SS McDonald and even if he performs the FS is Rodney McLeod and the back-ups are not at all serviceable.  It’s time to get serious about adding a young signal caller.  Unless Richardson is out of the doghouse an extra RB could be considered.  Removed from this list is elite CB.  Kenny Britt adds to an already decent group and the Rams have far greater issues to deal with, as noted above.