The St. Louis Rams have far exceeded anything I could have ever expected so far this season. And that’s no stretch by any means. By beating the Carolina Panthers 20-10, the Rams have won four in a row at home. Plus, they carry a 4-4 record going into the bye week. Your eyes are not deceiving you. The Rams are 4-4.
Now, that we are at the halfway mark of the season, what else can we expect from the Rams? Do we raise our level of expectations? Do we dare to get our hopes high about finishing .500 or better? Is winning the NFC West really a reality?
These are good questions to ponder. It’s a lot better than being consumed about who we would love to be the next head coach. Or who would make a better GM. Present general manager Bill DeVaney has felt the wrath of the fans and some of the nitpicking by the media (me too). Some of it is warranted – for example, finding that home run playmaker for the offense.
Well, he did decide that Sam Bradford was going to be the Rams quarterback for today and the future. The year before DeVaney drafted a linebacker in the second round of the draft who poses as a wrestler after a sack. I wonder who that could be. He added some more pieces to the defense. Defensive tackle Fred Robbins and defensive end James Hall were two of his best acquisitions during the off season.
Cornerback Bradley Fletcher has had ups and downs this year but, I think he can become a stalwart in the Rams secondary.
Ups and downs are nothing new in the NFL. His growth as a player reminds me a lot of O.J. Atogwe when he first got to St. Louis along with Ron Bartell in 2005.
In other Rams related news, Isaac Bruce’s No. 80 was officially retired at the game. He was one of my favorite players. Isaac Bruce gave me chills the way former St. Louis Cardinals wide out Roy Green used to. I’ll give Green the advantage when it came to speed. But, anything after that is all Bruce.
In 2003, when I first started covering sports I would stand to the side at a Rams practice and marvel at the way he practices. What you saw in the game is what he does in practice.
Isaac Bruce was one of the greatest athletes I ever had to cover. Bruce gave me and thousands more so many great memories. I’m glad he didn’t have to wait as long as Deacon Jones did.
And I look forward to the day Torry Holt’s number is retired as well.