Here's how I see it right now:
Quarterback
This is still
Marc Bulger's team. For love or money, or maybe a bit of both? If Mark Sanchez becomes a star, I'm sure we'll never hear the end of it. Still, I have faith in Marc. I still think that, when protected, he can put up great numbers. Behind him, who is the QB of the future? Is it
Kyle Boller? He's intriguing, but with a one-year contract, it does not seem that he is much more than a stopgap.
Keith Null? Well, stranger things have happened. For 2009, I'm comfortable with what we have. I'm not convinced, though, that the Rams won't be talking about QBs in the 2010 draft.
Running Back/Fullback
Steven Jackson must be licking his chops. A coaching staff that really believes in the run... No contract issues... A bunch of new blockers... If he can stay healthy for 16 games, I'd give very good odds on him rushing for at least 1,400 yards. Behind him there's... well... a bunch of guys.
Brian Leonard, if used as RB rather than a miscast FB, might still be a good option. The rest of the stable, including rookie
Chris Ogbonnaya, don't strike me as more than role players. At FB,
Mike Karney is a great addition. He is a true blocking FB.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
The Rams are putting a great deal of faith in a young squad lead by
Donnie Avery and
Keenan Burton.
Laurent Robinson,
Derek Stanley, and
Brooks Foster will also fight for roles. There's a lot of speed in that group, but not much experience. Look for Avery to take a leadership role and have a great year. At TE, the combination of
Randy McMichael and
Billy Bajema is solid, if unspectacular.
Offensive Line
What a difference a year makes. The Rams will have two new Blue Chip starters in
Jason Brown at center and
Jason Smith at tackle. In addition to being talented, these are two guys with great passion, charisma and intelligence. Hopefully, they will be able to influence and motivate guys like
Alex Barron and
Richie Incognito, who do have talent, despite their "issues." The final spot will go to
Jacob Bell, who will hopefully remind us why he was signed to a FA deal.
John Greco also could be a factor, pushing at either guard spot. After years of struggles and futility, this unit could finally become a strength for this team.
Defensive Line
This unit goes six players deep. At DE,
Leonard Little will hopefully finally find the Fountain of Good Health, while
Chris Long continues to progress on the other side.
Victor Adeyanju is a utility man and a true Four Pillars guy. At DT,
Adam Carriker and
Clifton Ryan are joined by
Dorrell Scott, who I think could be a significant factor in the rotation. I'd like to see a bit more depth here. Maybe
James Hall can give the team a few more good downs, or perhaps the veteran FA market will offer something.
The key here, though, is how the young guys in this unit respond to the new system. Spagnuolo has done great things with DL with the Giants. Let's hope he can do the same with the Rams.
Linebackers
With the addition of
James Laurinaitis, this unit finally makes sense. The best WLB on the team,
Will Witherspoon, will play WLB. A true MLB, Laurinaitis, will play MLB. At SLB, there's
Chris Draft, who has played the position before, and some young guys in
Quinton Culberson,
Chris Chamberlain and
Dave Vobora. The wild card of the group is
Pisa Tinoisamoa. He's too talented to stay on the bench, so it will be interesting what role is found for him. I don't buy that he's an every down SLB, but perhaps can man that spot in certain situations.
Defensive Backs
The Rams retained
O.J. Atogwe and
Ron Bartell, who will be the leaders of this unit, along with FA acquisition
James Butler. The final starting spot, as well as the nickel role, will be the product of a fierce competition between
Tye Hill, Justin King, Jonathan Wade, and rookie
Brad Fletcher. Whoever gets the job will have earned it, which is a good thing. I like this unit's potential, not just in 2009, but for years to come.
Special Teams
The Rams have great set of legs in
Josh Brown and
Donnie Jones. Return men will have to emerge. I, for one, am just glad the team has a new ST coordinator who didn't come from a High School staff.
Overall
The Rams have done a very good job of improving the roster with the resources they possessed going into the season. I think that the offensive line and the defensive backfield could be strength areas. I still have concerns about depth at RB, WR and on DL. In all, though, if the team can stay reasonably healthy, particularly at a few key spots, I think we will see some improvement in the W/L record. I'm not ready to predict a playoff birth at this point but, then again, do the Dolphins (who made a huge turnaround last year) really have superior talent? I don't think they do. So, at least, there's hope.
Linear Mode
