The St. Louis Rams struggled last season going 6-10. They closed out the 2005 season going 1-4 in the last five games. The only victory was against Dallas (20-10) in a meaningless game. This season the Rams have a new coach: Scott Linehan. Are the problems gone too? Linehan is not only entering the Rams coaching job for the first time, but also as an NFL head coach.

attacking player

Marc Bulger will be the guy in St. Louis again. The main question surrounding Bulger isn’t his ability, it’s his health. He has had arm problems in the past. However, the QB position is one of the strongest on offense. Waiting in backup is the competent Gus Frerotte. They also have Ryan Fitzpatrick. He has had limited duty, but is impressed.

running backwards

Marshal Faulk is gone. He had knee problems and will miss the entire 2006 season. He is technically retiring, but there is a chance he will return for one final season in 2007. The Rams’ man is Steven Jackson. Although Jackson did gain more than 1,000 yards last season, he wasn’t a “great” running back. He has the potential, but he will have to step up this season.

receivers

The Rams receiving unit is above average. Any unit with Tory Holt and Isaac Bruce would be. In the 2006 draft, the Rams selected TE Joe Klopfenstein from Colorado in the second round and TE Dominique Byrd in the third round. Both will fight for playing time and could help improve the offense. If any of the TEs perform well early, the Rams will have a very complete offensive attack.

Defense and Special Teams

This is where it goes downhill for the Rams. Until this point, the Rams seemed like a competent team. Defense is average. The defensive line was weakened by the loss of NT Ryan Pickett. This season there have been some changes in the lineup and the Rams hope it’s for the better. One thing that affects poor defense is poor tackling and the Rams got their share and fell back by seconds. They brought in LB Will Witherspoon to help solidify the linebacking unit.

The biggest question mark in this Rams defense is with the secondary. Will they be able to cover teams with solid receivers? The answer, as it stands, is probably no. The Rams are hopeful that new additions like S Jerametrius Butler will help instill leadership in the secondary and set it on the right course. Special teams need some work, but they should do an adequate job.

2006 prediction

The St. Louis Rams are really on the bubble this season. His schedule is not that difficult. They have 6-7 games that are probable losses, 2-3 that are winnable games and the rest should be winning games. Depending on how they go, the Rams could go anywhere from 6-10 to 9-7. A 9-7 result could be enough to sneak into the NFC playoffs. Two critical games come at the end of the season when they play in Washington and Minnesota. The first five games are very soft, with the exception of the Denver game. After Denver, the Rams play in San Francisco, Arizona, Detroit and Green Bay. They might be 4-1 at that point, but that’s where their schedule starts to get tough.