St. Louis Rams Will Be The NFL’s Worst Team This Year

Dec 30, 2012, Seattle, WA, USA; St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford (8) scrambles out of the pocket against the Seattle Seahawks during the third quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Come on Rams fans – even you guys know it’s the truth. You just lost two of your best players in running back, Steven Jackson and wide receiver, Danny Amendola as well as losing the services of WR Brandon Gibson and a couple of others as well. It’s not as if things weren’t bad enough for the Rams, given that they weren’t very good when they actually had all those players on their team. They finished last season 7-8-1, but I firmly predict they won’t get close to that many wins this time around.

Now, let’s be fair to them; they did well by signing offensive tackle, Jake Long who is arguably one of the elite linemen in the league and former Titans tight end, Jared cook could add a little something in the way of production, although he remains firmly in the second to third tier of players at his position.

If you take a look at their current roster, it sort of makes you want to cry if you are brave enough to call yourself a Rams fan. Quarterback Sam Bradford has all the ability to become very good in this league, and has pretty good looking career statistics, but he hasn’t always been blessed with the best receivers. And unless they upgrade things quickly, he’ll be left throwing the ball to Brian Quick, Chris Givens, Austin Pettis, and Cameron Graham. Not exactly household names.

The Rams really need to consider drafting a wide receiver with their first round pick. They will be picking 16th, and if things go their way, West Virginia’s Tavon Austin could still be available. In my opinion, he would instantly be their number one receiver and offer Sam Bradford a viable target. He is a small receiver but is quick and has good top end speed. Rams fans rejoice if your team ends up with Tavon Austin. You could do a lot worse.

If they play their cards right, a running back such as North Carolina’s Giovani Bernard could be sitting their waiting for them in the second round. Ok, so he’s not exactly Adrian Peterson, but he could prove to be a serviceable rusher, and might develop into something really good. Check some of his highlights HERE.

Defensively, the Rams aren’t in too bad shape. Last season they allowed 21.8 points per game, and gave up 342.6 yards per game as well. There’s room for improvement, but they have a good foundation to build upon. Linebacker, James Laurinaitis is developing nicely and defensive end Robert Quinn has shown he can get to the passer, racking up 10.5 sacks last season. Even though he had his issues during his college days, cornerback Janoris Jenkins has shown potential and I have him  marked as one to watch.

But let’s be honest. Right now, the best player on the St. Louis Rams is kicker, Greg Zuerlein. And when your kicker is your best player, you know you’re in trouble.

Most of the wins the Rams did manage last season were against some pretty poor opponents. Teams such as the Cardinals and the Bills were hardly striking fear into their opponents last year, were they? And their wins against Washington and San Francisco could quite easily have ended up as losses. Basically, they were pretty fortunate to come away with as many wins as they did, and, looking at their opponents this season, I don’t see them coming away with any more than four wins. Sorry, but it’s true.

Granted, there are quite a few teams that we could call awful, but I just can’t look past how ineffective the Rams look offensively, right now. Teams need great players, even if it’s just one or two, but the Rams don’t even have that. Think of your fantasy team for a minute, and then go and look at the Rams roster. How many of their players would you want on your starting lineup. None, right?

Could I be wrong? Possibly, but I doubt it. For now, I am sticking by prediction and I dare you to prove me wrong. The St. Louis Rams will indeed be the worst team in the NFL this year.