St. Louis Rams: If…And…But for 2015

Aug 1, 2015; Earth City, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams quarterback Nick Foles (5) at Rams Park. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

But

If quarterback Nick Foles doesn’t look more like the Pro Bowl quarterback of 2013 than he did struggling a year ago, this team will continue to be closer to the bottom of the NFC West standings than the top.

Let us go back to what was the former University of Arizona product’s apparent breakout campaign two years ago, when Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly went through his share of quarterbacks and wound up settling on Foles, who responded with 27 touchdown passes compared to only a pair of interceptions in leading the Birds to the NFC East title.

In 2014, things changed a bit and the young signal-caller would only start eight games, suffering a broken collarbone at midseason. But Foles would total just as many touchdown passes as turnovers (13) when he was in the lineup.

Now he is the latest quarterback for the Rams, who acquired him from the Eagles in a trade that involved Sam Bradford, who missed his final 25 games with St. Louis due to knee injuries. There is a lot riding on Foles and his ability to jump-start an offense that ranked 28th in the NFL this past season in yards gained. If a new-look offensive line (featuring rookies Jamon Brown and Rob Havenstein) and the likes of running backs Todd Gurley and Tre Mason can offer some balance, this could be an intriguing unit to watch.

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