St. Louis Rams Not Tanking In 2015

When the St. Louis Rams fell to 4-8 following a Week 13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals many thought it was time to start looking ahead and tank the remainder of the season to better the Rams’ position in the 2016 NFL Draft.

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Rather than throw in the towel, the Rams fired offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti, made a full-time move to Case Keenum at quarterback and have won back-to-back games to inch closer to .500. While many wanted to see the Rams selecting in the top-10 of the draft for the second consecutive season, there appears to be no plans to tank in the 2015 Rams.

Dec 17, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson (22) breaks a tackle against Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Adam Humphries (11) in the second half at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams won 31-23. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

If the season came to an end today, the 6-8 Rams would select 12th in the upcoming NFL Draft. Assuming they split their final two games (loss at Seattle and win at San Francisco), the Rams would finish at 7-9. This would likely push them close to the 15th overall pick, but it appears Fisher and the team are determined to continue their winning ways.

“That was a great way to end the week,” head coach Jeff Fisher said following the Rams’ 31-23 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday. “We had a sense yesterday at practice, with the energy out there and the way they were running around, and I don’t want to say intensity, but just the emotions and excitement about this game. Started out fast for us, which is good. We haven’t had that experience in recent weeks. Credit to Case (Keenum). Case made a lot of great plays and great throws early and got us some points.”

While the run game was not successful against Tampa Bay, Todd Gurley and the other running backs have been the focal point of the offense. In Thursday’s win, Gurley eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark – joining Eric Dickerson and Jerome Bettis as the only Rams rookies to accomplish that.

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With the offense clicking under new offensive coordinator Rob Boras, the defense continuing to be dominant and a winning streak going – there appears to be no tank in the St. Louis Rams this season. While they may miss out on top prospects such as Paxton Lynch, Jared Goff and others, their commitment to winning should create a culture of winning going forward into 2016.