2013 St. Louis Rams Preview

2013 St. Louis Rams

With all the success the 49ers and Seahawks had last year with their flashy young quarterbacks, people forget about how good this Rams team was. Do you know which NFC West team had the best divisional record last season? At 4-1-1, it was the St. Louis Rams. Remember, they did not lose to San Francisco, defeating them once and tying them in the other. They beat up the Cardinals twice, and were .500 against the Seahawks, their lone loss in the division. Their defense ranked in the top ten in several categories, and have added numerous weapons to help out the offense. Jeff Fisher is a veteran head coach who knows how to win, and will find ways to get the most production out of his young players. Sam Bradford has had a tough career to say the least, but this season will be his best opportunity to succeed, if he himself is able to step and and join the upper echelon of quarterbacks. Steven Jackson, after many dutiful years of service for a bad team, has moved on, which means that the Rams will turn to a committee of young backs, led by Daryl Richardson and Isaiah Pead. Their number one receiver last year, Danny Amendola, is gone as well, but St. Louis has plenty of young pass catchers to fill his void. Chris Givens, Austin Pettis, and Brian Quick will return, and in the first round, the Rams drafted exciting wide out Tavon Austin out of West Virginia. None of these receivers have had much success in the NFL so far, but all have breakout ability if things go right. They also added Jared Cook, a tight end who has supposed to have broken out for the last four years, and also Jake Long, a fantastic left tackle to help solidify the offensive line. The defense, as previously mentioned, are top of the line. They pressure the quarterback all game long, with Chris Long and Robert Quinn racing around the edges. Their linebackers are forceful; James Laurinaitis has been a Pro Bowler multiple times, Jo-Lonn Dunbar is becoming a household name, and rookie Alec Ogletree is a playmaker who can be dynamic. At corner, Cortland Finnegan and Janoris Jenkins aren’t the most model citizens, but they are frantic and don’t back down from a challenge. The Rams’ stock is going up, and they’ll be competitive sooner rather than later. Some people like the Cardinals to be the surprise of the NFC West, but if either team has a chance of cracking the top two, I believe that the Rams have the ability to make that jump. For the final time, let’s look at the schedule.

Schedule

Week 1: W vs ARI

Week 2: L at ATL

Week 3: W at DAL

Week 4: W vs SF

Week 5: W vs JAC

Week 6: L at HOU

Week 7: L at CAR

Week 8: W vs SEA
Week 9: W vs TEN

Week 10: L at IND

Week 11: Bye

Week 12: W vs CHI

Week 13: L at SF

Week 14: L at ARI

Week 15: L vs NO

Week 16: W vs TB

Week 17: L at SEA

I believe that the Rams will get off to a very fast start, to the tune of a 6-3 record. They will be in position to make the playoffs, until they hit that stretch after their bye which is murderous. They have all three road games against their divisional opponents, to go along with home contests against the Bears, Saints, and Buccaneers, who should all be fighting for playoff spots as well. After finishing the year 2-5, I believe the Rams will be another team who will be at 8-8, just a game or two away from postseason contention. While I still think other average teams in the NFC are better than St. Louis right now (Bears, Panthers, Bucs, etc.), the Rams are on their way to success, and could make the playoffs as soon as this year depending on the play of Sam Bradford. This concludes my team previews, and in a day or two I’ll have my official season predictions up and ready to be seen. This will include final standings, all the playoff games, smart bets to make, fantasy rankings, and, of course, a Super Bowl Champion. As of right now, because I still don’t know which teams I officially have in the playoffs from this conference, here is what my NFC playoff picture looks like, in seed order: SEA, ATL, GB, NYG, SF, DAL. However, that isn’t locked in, because right now I’m a bit down on the Giants, and because of tiebreakers, if they don’t win the NFC East, they will not make the playoffs, freeing up a space for a Carolina, Tampa Bay, Chicago, etc. Or maybe Dallas won’t make the playoffs, and another spot could be available. Plus, Atlanta, Green Bay, and Seattle are all 11-5, and the seeding tiebreaker is crazy, so those seeds might change as well. I’ll know for sure when my official predictions come out, because whatever I feel will be locked in. So, after a bold prediction, my official predictions will be out soon, followed by my Week One predictions with the point spreads. There’s nothing like the start of a new football season.

Bold Prediction: The Rams D/ST will finish as a top five fantasy option, and Alec Ogletree will be the Defensive Rookie of the Year.