NFL Draft Info - St. Louis Rams

St. Louis Rams 2009 Report Card

by: Kecia Bailey

The 2009 Rams avoided the goose-egg that the Detroit Lions laid last season, by at least winning once…over the Detroit Lions. That’s hardly a ringing endorsement. Well, it's actually no endorsement at all. When you have 15 losses on the other side of the ledger there's nothing morale-building about a lone win no matter who it was against. The Rams did have a few "almost wins"  over Jacksonville and New Orleans, but most Sundays the Rams looked overmatched when squaring off against the talent of other teams.

The Rams ranked in the bottom five in nearly EVERY offensive and defensive statistical category. Their scoring (or lack thereof) threatened to set new league marks for futility.

St. Louis Rams General Manager Billy Devaney assessed his squad and told the media after the season,

“We need playmakers, guys that can score touchdowns from way out, that can sack the quarterback, make a difference, impact the game. I think that’s what we have to focus on at this point, guys that are game-changers on both sides of the ball.”

Welcome to rebuilding.

With the front office headed full throttle into re-constructing this roster from top to bottom, all that’s left now is constructing a long-term plan that helps the process take less time than the degradation did.

For their futility, St. Louis was rewarded with the first pick in the 2010 draft but they need help, as Devaney says, on both sides of the ball so it isn't likely that one (fingers-crossed) franchise player at the top of the draft can cure all that ills the Rams overnight but it’s a good start if they make the right choice on how to use it.

It’s also worth noting that the Rams enter the offseason not only on the clock, but likely on the block as conversations about a sale (or possibly relocation) continue to swirl around the franchise.  This certainly stands a good chance to tighten the budget Devaney will have to work with.  As history as shown, signing the top overall pick in the draft has proven to be an expensive proposition.

With all this in mind, let’s take a look at how the various parts of the Rams machine graded out for 2009.

Quarterback:  D+

Let's see, the chain of command went something like this in 2009:  Marc Bulger (until he got hurt), journeyman Kyle Boller (meh) and rookie Keith Null (who?).  There's not much to work with. Bulger's done; Boller isn't a franchise resurrecting quarterback nor is Null who, at times, looked passable in the role. Irrespective of who was behind center, they were in charge of the league's worst offensive output.  Definitely there is a need for an upgrade here and dipping into the draft to take a big arm/big game quarterback is certainly worthwhile.  A lot of buzz surrounds former Notre Dame signal caller Jimmy Claussen. That might not be a bad choice to trade down to get him since the Rams have holes to fill everywhere.  An even more intriguing consideration is handing the keys over to the likely-soon-to-be-available Michael Vick and use the draft picks for other major need areas.

Running Back B+

Steven Jackson. Seriously, is there anything more to say here? Pro-Bowler Jackson ended the season as the NFC's leading rusher and pretty much all that was good about the anemic Rams offense in 2009. It was Jackson's second highest yard total in his career.  But who else is on the depth chart him?

Right, not much.

This isn't the most pressing need, but they definitely could use another quality back or two to spell Jackson and give the Rams offense a change of pace.

Offensive Line: C-

This was a tough grade to give. The Rams used their first pick in 2009 on OT Jason Smith (lost to season ending concussion syndrome problems) so this was an area they wanted to address and the 2009 draft and its crop of offensive linemen was as good a place as any. Looking at their actual performance, the Rams offensive line was good enough to help spring Jackson for over 1,400 yards.  On the other hand, the line and schemes supporting the passing game had the quarterback running for his life or on his back more than he was set and upright. Or at least it seemed that way. (Exhibit A:  Giving up a season-high eight sacks against San Francisco (yes, the no discernable pass rush having San Francisco 49ers) in the season finale.  Much of the Rams' problems here can be attributed directly to injuries so maybe more health and less revolving door is what they need in 2010.

Tight End:  C

I'll keep these guys in the middle of the pack as far as grades go. Daniel Fells was a nice surprise (21 catches for 273 yards) following up a decent rookie year, well until he went out with a season-ending injury. But not much else was really exciting about this spot on the roster. Well, throw multi-purpose Billy Bajema and sure handed starter Randy McMichael (34 catches for 332 yards) in there too and you have a nice three headed monster.  But this again epitomizes the problem the Rams had nobody really stands out and nobody really makes opposing defenses pay attention.  Maybe you don't care if you have playmakers elsewhere, but the Rams don't…, so put this in the "Needs Fixing" side of the ledger.

Wide Receivers:  C

Of the many needs the Rams had coming into 2009, wide receiver was among them. No veterans or playmakers really in the bunch the Rams trotted out this season.  For a while it seemed that Bulger had a nice connection brewing with Donnie Avery but that quickly fizzled as the quarterback rotation started.  Avery was the Rams' leading receiver going for 589 yards and 5 touchdowns to improve on his rookie numbers from 2008.  In October, the St. Louis picked up rookie Brandon Gibson and the move quickly paid dividends as he went for 7 catches and 93 to lead the Rams in receiving in his second game as a Ram.  Though the youngsters were nice pieces, the puzzle still had holes. Running back Steven Jackson had the most receptions in the St. Louis offense.  Coupled that tidbit with how active the tight-ends were, it only confirms what all the statistics have been screaming - this wasn't a very scary vertical offense for opposing defenses to try to game plan for.

Special Teams:  B

Here was another positive area for the Rams.  I bumped this grade up a smidge, because I think all in all, this was a pretty solid area for a team that could only muster one win and barely broke a double-digit scoring  average on the season.  Teams that struggle on offense need to have two things to stay remotely competitive: a solid punter and field goal kicker.  Punter Donnie Jones ranked in the Top 5 in most categories you want your punter to be in:  average yards per punt, net yards per punt, punts inside the 20-yard line; and the Rams leaned on his leg a lot.  Placekicker Josh Brown was among the league's best kickers (6-7) from 50-yards or more.  That's helpful when you can't move the ball.

Danny Amendola handled the punt and kick returns and was very respectable handling both.  If the Rams can find more quality receivers to beef up their wide out combinations, Amendola can look to this duty being where St. Louis counts on him to make the most impact.

Defensive Line and Linebackers C-

Rookie MLB James Laurinaitis was the heart of the Rams defense. He led the club with 146 tackles and chased anything and everything when he was on defense.    The Rams also got solid play from rookie DE Chris Long (5.0 sacks) who made impression felt chasing quarterbacks around in the backfield. Long-time Ram Leonard Little led the team with sacks with 6.5 for the season.  This was another spot where the injury bug hit St. Louis hard as Adam Carriker went down in the preseason and a laundry list of players fell by the wayside throughout the season.

Here's where things get interesting for the Rams though.   They spent a few high draft picks last year on defense; choosing Long with their second pick in the first round and Laurinaitis high in the second. It makes it kinda hard to go back in that direction, but if Devaney is truly looking for dynamic playmakers, a defensive tackle like Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh to pass on.

Secondary: B-

The Ram secondary revolves around FS Oshiomogho Atogwe who finished second on the team with 84 tackles despite missing the final four games of the season with an injury.  He also was among the team leaders in interceptions, fumble recoveries and forced fumbles.  The Rams feel good about S James Butler and CB Ron Bartell. While things look promising here for the Rams, they're going to have a contract decision to make on the injured Atogwe who is set to be an unrestricted free agent. Depending on how they play it, they could easily find themselves in need of more depth in the secondary.

Coaching:  C

On the premise you can't coach against injuries and that you can only do so much with inherited talent but evaluate it during a rebuilding phase, I'm going to give rookie head coach Steve Spagnuolo a relative pass here. Spagnuolo certainly tried to push the right motivational buttons to keep his squad competing hard throughout a dismal season.  What they’ll need to do definitely in the offseason is toss their offensive game plan out the window and find one that offers a more inspired scheme.  NFL teams should accidentally be able to score 10.9 points a game, but it often seemed in 2009 that the Rams had to work to be even that anemic on offense.