| Jeff Risdon. 15th August, 2006 - 4:08 pm
 Last season: 6-10
Coming: DT LaRoi Glover, CB Fakhir Brown, LB Will Witherspoon, S Corey Chavous, T Todd Steussie, FB Paul Smith, QB Gus Frerotte
Going: RB Marshall Faulk (injury), LB Chris Claiborne, S Adam Archuleta, DT Ryan Pickett, WR Mike Furrey, TE Brandon Manumaleuna, G Rex Tucker
Rookies of note: TE Joe Klopfenstein, CB Tye Hill, DE Victor Adeyanju
What I like: The Rams needed an overhaul and they got one. New Head Coach Scott Linehan and defensive coordinator Jim Haslett are near polar opposites from whom they replaced, and that’s a good thing. MLB Witherspoon is a playmaker and a major upgrade. QB Marc Bulger is above average, and though they are aging, there are not many better 1-2-3 WR combos than Torry Holt/Isaac Bruce/Kevin Curtis. There’s decent depth behind them too. The OL looks both healthy and energized to adapt to Linehan’s more smashmouth style. Their bookend tackles of Orlando Pace and Alex Barron are both capable of dominating games. RB Steven Jackson has excellent speed and power and might finally achieve the greatness expected of him. The new additions at DB are upgrades and should noticeably improve tackling. DE Leonard Little is a sack machine, and Glover will improve the push up the middle. K Jeff Wilkins is one of the best long-range kickers around. Their non-divisional road games are mostly winnable, and they get some historically poor dome teams headed into the Edward Jones Dome.
What I dislike: It often takes a year for an entirely new coaching staff to transform a team, and the Rams cleaned house. They still have issues in the secondary, which was the worst in the league at both pass coverage and tackling. The newcomers will help, but Chavous is aging and Hill and Brown are both on the small side. The acquisition of Witherspoon raises the number of quality LBs to one. There is some promising young depth on both the OL and DL, but it’s very unproven. This team led the league in pre-snap penalties in 3 of the last 4 seasons, a trend that’s tough to break. The coverage units on special teams are abysmal, and the return units are nothing special. They’re going to start 3 guys on the OL that have played at least 10 seasons and all have injury histories. Playing a more smashmouth offensive style isn’t going to help them physically, and Pace is already gimpy after the first preseason game. The top 2 TEs are both rookies. It’s a mishmash roster in terms of talent peak. Most players hit their peak in seasons 4 thru 8; of their 22 starters, just 5 fit that bill. That means they are going to ask a lot of a lot of players either on the downside or lacking experience and/or premier talent. I believe they are going to miss Marshall Faulk more than most people think they will. The Rams also have an interesting coaching mix: a rookie head coach and a defensive coordinator who has been a head coach the last few seasons. It could work, but it could also be a mutinous disaster.
Best case: The skill players on offense adapt to the new system and return to being a lethal threat from anywhere on the field. The creaky OL stays healthy and aggressively effective. Little piles up 15+ sacks and gets help from his linemates for at least equal that many. The new blood in the secondary drastically improves coverage, and the entire defense improves tackling. The speed on both sides of the ball creates problems for opponents, particularly non-dome teams. The stupid penalties diminish, and the forced turnovers rise.
Worst case: Another season of Bulger playing just 10 games, and Gus Frerotte regressing to Gus Frerotten in his stead. Jackson continues to be merely good, and Bruce and the vets on the OL show their age. Once again getting no pass rush from anyone but Little. There’s little to no improvement in run defense, and the secondary remains a revolving gate for opposing RBs. Jeff Wilkins is below 85% accurate on FGs and loses his 50 yard+ range. Early losses lead to a acrimonious locker room, a real danger with so many end-of-career vets and new young faces.
Prediction: Last year I wrote a piece proclaiming the Rams as my sleeper for playoff success. I’m not making that mistake again. I like the offseason moves they made and these Rams should be tougher and more consistent from week to week. But the defense needs more skill and time to congeal, and I don’t trust the mileage and wear and tear of so many of their starters. This is another team that should be better in Week 14 than Week 4, but that’s small consolation when you’re 4-9 and winless on the road. Like last year’s Ravens, they’ll go 6-2 at home and 0-8 on the road for a 6-10 finish.
Jeff Risdon's other 2006 Team Previews
Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens
Buffalo Bills
Chicago Bears
Green Bay Packers
Jacksonville Jaguars
Kansas City Chiefs
Miami Dolphins
New York Giants
Oakland Raiders
Pittsburgh Steelers
San Francisco 49ers
St. Louis Rams |
