The St.Louis Rams 2012 season ended in losing fashion to the Seattle Seahawks 20-13 last Sunday. But this young, up and coming team, led by Coach Jeff Fisher, also ended the season with a lot of respect from the fans and media. There weren’t many that gave the Rams a chance to believe they could win in such a hostile environment. They lost as most knew they would.
But they grew from another defeat – a defeat in which the Rams beat themselves, with more penalties (14) than points (13). That’s typically what happens with a team filled with youth. Yes, there are a handful of other players like Steven Jackson, and Scott Wells that has been the NFL for a while, but young players like Chris Givens, Darryl Richardson, and several others got their first chance at playing in one of the loudest outdoor stadiums in the country.
Despite the loss on the scoreboard, the young Rams gained something in the defeat at the hands of the red hot Seahawks. I’ll guess we’ll really see next season how much they have grown from this game and this season, not to mention the other close games that they’ve had. In the eight losses the Rams were dominated only once and that was in the 45-7 blow out to the New England Patriots.
There were a lot of positive things that did happen this season. Rookie Janoris Jenkins scored 4 touchdowns. The other rookie cornerback Trumaine Johnson started off rough but finished strong and eventually earning a starting spot and also snagging two interceptions. The superior play of linebacker Jo-Lunn Dunbar and defensive lineman William Hayes, who were both free agent acquisitions that didn’t make much a ripple on the offseason, however made waves during the season. Dunbar’s ability to play the run and be a sure tackler and blitzer, has taken some of the load of middle linebacker James Laurinitas.
Darryl Richardson came out the smoking as the number two tailback behind Steven Jackson and then as the season wore on he looked a little tired. Lance Kendricks made some big improvements compared to his lackluster season a year ago. Chris Givens emerged as a viable deep threat target for the quarterback Sam Bradford. And Brian Quick showed us a little something and we hope to see more.
The expectation level for 2013 will be higher for the Rams. For the first time in years it looks like this team is heading in right direction. For Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead there is reason to smile a little. Sure the Rams were 7-8-1, and they pick 16th and 21st in the NFL draft. Well it beats the hell out of 2-14 plus the four pillars.
