RamsFanCentral
The NFC West is going to be the Wild West this season. The St. Louis Rams have as much a chance as any other team to make a run at the division title. The Rams may be in the NFL playoffs for the first time since 2004 after the regular season.
Head Coach Scott Linehan and new Offensive Coordinator Al Saunders will try and jump start an offense that limped through last season. With Isaac Bruce gone, Torry Holt takes over as option number one for quarterback Marc Bulger. He is preceded by Drew Bennett and then by…nobody knows yet. Dane Looker and Dante’ Hall will battle for a chance to be relevant again in St. Louis.
The running game is set with Steven Jackson and helped by the addition of left guard Jacob Bell to the young offensive line. The signing of Trent Green gives the St. Louis Rams a quarterback who could start on most teams. He made need to start a few games on the Rams if left tackle Orlando Pace has not completely healed.
The defense is in need of a massive overhaul. The drafting of Chris Long with the number two pick will go a long way to improve the line. He may not start at the beginning of the season, but should definitely be in the rotation of defensive ends.
Otherwise, defensive tackle Adam Carriker is expected to continue to develop along side veteran La’Roi Glover. The loss of Brandon Chillar will not help the struggling linebackers, but the coaching staff is hoping Pisa Tinoisamoa, Will Witherspoon, and Quinton Culberson step up their collective play from last season.
The defense simply needs to improve to give the Rams any kind of a chance this upcoming season. Last year they gave up 438 points. That number was probably inflated by a tired unit being on the field as the toothless offense did way too many three and outs at the Edward Jones Dome.