St. Louis Rams: Will Les Finally Mean More?

For those who like to focus on the negative of sorts, we are all aware of the issues that have surrounded the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders for more than a decade.

The Bills haven’t circled the postseason wagons since 1999 while the other two aforementioned franchises have not been to the playoffs since 2002.

November 2, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore (21) is tackled by St. Louis Rams outside linebacker Alec Ogletree (52) and defensive end Alex Carrington (92) during the first quarter at Levi

For whatever reason, the St. Louis Rams aren’t often lumped in with those other organizations. Perhaps the reason lies in the fact that the Silver and Black hasn’t enjoyed a winning season since ’02 and their last Super Bowl title came in 1983 when the franchise was located in Los Angeles.

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Meanwhile, the Bills and Browns have yet to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, the former winning back-to-back titles in the American Football League in 1964 and ’65. The latter won eight professional football championships, four each in the All-America Football Conference and the NFL. Still, the Browns have not won a league title since 1964.

Back to the Rams, who reached the Super Bowl two times in a three-year span and won the whole ball of wax in 1999, defeating the Tennessee Titans, 23-16, in Super Bowl XXXIV at the Georgia Dome in 1999. Two years later, the Rams would fall to the New England Patriots, 20-17, at the Louisiana Superdome.

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In 2003, head coach Mike Martz led the team to a 12-4 record and the NFC West title. In ’04, the club slumped to 8-8 but would not only capture a playoff berth but stun the Seahawks at Seattle in the Wild Card Game before losing to the Atlanta Falcons one week later.

But that’s it. No playoff appearance since ’04 and no winning campaign since ’03. Since 2012, the team has been led by Jeff Fisher, the franchise’s sixth head coach since 2003. Over the past 10 seasons, the Rams are a combined 49-110-1 and have finished below .500 nine times over that span.

With the arrival of Fisher also came the hiring of general manager Les Snead, who has not been shy about moving up and down the draft board, most notably in the first round these last four years. In 2012, he swung deals with the Washington Redskins and later Dallas Cowboys to move down and eventually acquire defensive tackle Michael Brockers. Of course, the trade with Washington included extra first-round picks in both 2013 and ’14.

Snead moved up and down the board one year later and eventually grabbed wide receiver Tavon Austin and linebacker Alec Ogletree.

Nov 9, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald (99) against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Rams 31-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

In 2014, the Rams stood pat at No. 2 and No. 13, opting for tackle Greg Robinson and defensive tackle Aaron Donald. The former looks like a keeper for years to come while the latter won Defensive Rookie of the Year honors this past season.

In April, Snead once again held his ground and stayed at the 10th spot and selected running back Todd Gurley, who may or may not be ready to play right away. This offseason, the Rams parted ways with quarterback Sam Bradford, the first overall selection in 2010, dealt him to the Philadelphia Eagles and wound up with former Pro Bowl signal-caller Nick Foles. Could he be the stability the team has lacked at the position for a number of years?

Why bring up all of this recent revisionist history? Because eventually you have to figure the talent than Snead and Fisher have added would pay dividends. When you consider some of the aforementioned talent and combine that with the likes of defensive ends Chris Long and Robert Quinn, the Rams should be in playoff contention. Instead, they have made the NFC West basement their home six of the last eight seasons.

Sep 28, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles (9) hands off to Eagles running back LeSean McCoy (25) during the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi

With the addition of Foles and a defensive unit that played very well late last year, you should expect this team to be in the thick of the playoff face. But expectations have been a four-letter word for this four-letter team. And it will be interesting to see if Fisher and his Rams can get out of their own way this upcoming season.

Next: Todd Gurley will reignite St. Louis Rams' offensive attack

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