It was not that long ago when Rams fans were headed for cover, giving up their tickets and wondering when they were going to leave St. Louis because of a 1-15 record that brought them yet another top five draft choice.
It seems like yesterday when Mark Bulger was the poster child for Ram ineptness. You also could cite Alex Barron as the prime example of what has been wrong with the draft, and there are your St. Louis Rams in past tense. Those days are not in the rear-view mirror that far. Gone are many of the players, as well as the people who drafted and coached them. If you want to lay blame, you have a new cast now.
This year, the Rams have new faces and young players. While I am not sure if they can actually draft, coach or play, I have a better comfort level regarding where they could be headed, as up is the only thing left.
This is an interesting league these days. I am certain they are not better or tougher than just a generation ago, and in some cases that is not their fault. It falls somewhere between “they are what they are” and “changing times.”
So, what do we have here with this year’s version of the Rams? It almost seems to be an annual tradition to say they are young and developing, and this year is no different. Are they getting better? I’m not sure, although you have to think so. If that is the case and they stay away from key injuries, they could be interesting.
“Interesting” should not be confused with contenders. Granted, they are in one of the weakest divisions in football, yet they still do have to play against teams that are further along and in most cases flat out better.
I will be looking for effort, maturity and execution. No more dumb penalties like jumping off-sides, piling on after a play or the pass interference penalty where they were not in position. No more interceptions because someone ran the wrong route. Those mistakes have to be minimized. If the Rams can grow in that area, they will be in more games late and they will not be playing in front of so many empty seats.
As for leadership, they should be fine. Steven Jackson is as big-time as they get. He has embraced his role on and off the field. I have great respect for him. He understands his role. Being on a bad team has normally been the motive for a player to ask for a trade, but you have not heard one peep out of Jackson other than being positive and believing in his teammates. He is an under-appreciated pro in St. Louis. We should all appreciate and respect his effort.
There are others that get it when it comes to being pros and being leaders, like James Hall and Chris Long. We are not talking about some of the clown acts in the league that can not live up to their words being louder than their actions. We are talking about real professional athletes whom we should be happy to have in St. Louis. They have faced somewhat of an up-hill battle and are making strides. If a few more could toe the line, this could be fun.
The Rams do have one big shortcoming. They are short on backups as most of them are unproven. Welcome to the NFL. They have to stay healthy in order to stay in this thing. They need some backups, especially when it comes to having more than Steven Jackson in the backfield.
Now comes the question of the year. What’s up with Sam Bradford?
I liked the pick. I like the way the Rams are bringing him on. He has shown the ability to digest a lot of things so far. He will be better by playing than watching provided the offensive line not only protects him but also making sure that there is a legitimate running game where Jackson can make people pay as well as respect the entire offense. If the Rams can get that going, then Bradford may survive.
Defensively, there are a lot of concerns due to a lack of depth. There needs to be a pass rush, and can the cornerbacks actually play conerback in coverage and just tackle?
A lot of work needs to be done, but I have a better feeling about the coach and his players for now. After all, could it be worse that what we have seen in the past few years?
