The St. Louis Rams are about to play their third preseason game, the game where many of the starters are supposed to play a lot – a dress rehearsals for the regular season. Excitement, hope and big things are ahead for the upcoming season.
Not so fast.
The St. Louis Rams are at the bottom of the pile of the NFL. The elevator can only go up with this team. Welcome to rock bottom.
Now before you say I am not giving them a chance, understand that if it were not for the new regime I dare think what this season would be like. They could build a dome a la the palace Jerry Jones built in Dallas and no one would show up, due to the past few seasons of futility and borderline embarrassment.
Thank goodness the Detroit Lions are still in the NFL.
The preseason games have been predictable. Lackluster, filled with mistakes and injuries that could make the season even more painful. Looking at the game at the dome on Thursday, some would say the team had regressed from their first game against the New York Jets, where they won and showed a pulse when it came to the Ram defense stopping the run.
Now before you start saying “bring on the New England Patriots,” let me remind you that the Jets were playing without three of their best offensive linemen – an offensive line that chewed the Rams up in a game last season. This is why this whole preseason game thing can be so misleading.
In short, the Rams have made small improvements, many of which started with the coaching staff. While I have a better feeling about the direction of the team, I must say that this will take more time to turn around that anyone may have imagined.
This team is way short on talent and top-heavy with previous bad draft choices that have not even come close to being worthy of an NFL drafted player, let alone a top pick. The players are not to blame here – they were put in a bad situation due to the spot they were drafted, with the expectations higher. They have worked hard, and have responded to the new message from the coaching staff. With that, they will try hard to be better.
One problem … as former L.A. Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda once said, “I can get a truck driver to try.” In this case, bring on the truckers – especially if they can block and tackle.
It would be nice to see this team turn things around quick. I am not sure if that will happen. I can’t make a prediction on how the season record will turn out – there are too many new moving parts. They do deserve a chance and that what they will get from me.
I warn you though that if you get on this elevator to the top, it may take a while. They have a lot of work to do and only 16 games to do it in.