NFL Rumors: Are St. Louis Rams' Staff, Quarterback, Realignment Moves Certain?

Are the St. Louis Rams the NFL's worst team, or was last night's Sunday Night Football Rams game against the Seattle Seahawks game just a bad game?

It seems certain that last night's game was for the division championship of the most inept group of sports teams in one division in professional sports history. The game matched two teams without a quality quarterback, showing that the Rams should be back on the West Coast: At least the cost of travel might be reduced.

Stan Kroenke, the new majority owner of the St. Louis Rams, says he is interested in making money. So while not enough, it just might be that a move could happen in the next few years. It is also likely that Kroenke is going to spearhead consideration of international expansion for the NFL. And it is certain that he will begin cleaning house by the end of next year if not before.

No job is secure at this time in the Rams organization.

Even before last night's game for the NFC West championship, it was apparent that Kroenke will make huge changes in the Rams' management and players. Unlike the Seahawks, the Rams now have the money and courage to do so.

While involved in the move of the Rams to St. Louis as a minority investor, it is a good guess that Kroenke the business man had a special clause in his contract with the NFL in purchasing the franchise. It is almost certain that he would not have given up the NFL and NBA franchises (which he has agreed to divest by 2014) without some negotiations that included the right to move the team, at least to Los Angeles, and the right to own an overseas franchise if and when the NFL expands to Europe.

A man of Kroenke's immense wealth could be more inclined to stay in St. Louis because of his Missouri roots. After all, he "lives" in Columbia, Missouri, went to the University of Missouri and is next door to his wife's native Arkansas. But he is also in business to make money. And that is a question if his team continues to drift into obscurity.

Is any move likely before the 2014 divestitures? Probably not. Let's not forget that the Rams were able to win a Super Bowl after the move to St. Louis.

On the other hand, the Rams need to win quickly because the NFL is certain to go back to Los Angeles, and to do so without expansion. The talent available is like that in the NBA. Only a few teams can muster winning records without massive cash injections, and only a few markets can sustain them.

The reasons for these speculations are obvious for everyone to see. One just cannot have a competitive team without the combination of coaching, quarterback and defense that is evident this year in only about eight of the NFL's 32 teams.

And then, even with that multiple blessing, the quarterback is more critical today than ever before. This is so more today than during any other NFL era because of the change in the NFL's receiving and quarterback rules promulgated over the past 10 years and the quality of the current crop of quarterbacks.

It is no coincidence that quarterback quality is key to winning in the NFL more than in any other era in part due to the changes in these rules. And no quarterback of substance would willingly choose St. Louis. After all, the one Super Bowl win came from a largely unknown quarterback from the Arena Football League.

As important is the quality of the current crop of quarterbacks. If a quarterback is able to continue to score after the other team, defenses are less important. And to continue to score, the offensive schemes need to be better than average if not outstanding.

Left to the draft, there is a real opportunity but little guarantee that money will be well-spent. While this is also speculation, it is apparent that Bradford is no panacea for the dearth of talent on the Rams. And there is substantial question despite Sam Bradford's fairly successful campaign in the NFL's weakest division that his talent is sufficient to take the Rams to the top.

While the offensive schemes may be insufficient, the most likely coaching change in the Rams' immediate future, the most likely acquisition is another quarterback. The view here is that Bradford will not last. Instead, a seasoned quarterback is more likely to start next year.  

The NFL may also develop an international system like soccer's World Cup. While the talent stream is far different, making this a very difficult proposition indeed, the NFL has far too many teams in the current environment to make real sense on the world stage. The numbers watching terrible games are too low to sustain these teams over the long-term, and an international move would give owners a chance to work with a new and different system for a while.

A move to L.A. for Kroenke makes sense from this perspective. Kroenke had to have gotten something more in the international arena when he gave up his MBA and NFL teams. This could have been some right of first refusal in any new international expansion league. And these are likely to be paired with other NFL franchises. L.A.'s international profile is relevant here, and a move to L.A. in the short term  (probably by 2014) is likely.

As Kroenke said, when becoming majority owner, making money is the key:

"I've been around St. Louis and Missouri a major portion of my life," he said. "I've never had any desire to lead the charge out of St. Louis. That's not why we're here. We're here to work very hard and be successful in St. Louis." 

Then, he added, "Now, the realistic part of that. I live to be competitive. To be competitive, you have to have revenue. We're going to work really hard to have a model that produces revenue where we can be consistently competitive. Anyone can be a contender in the pro sports business every so often. The real challenge is to be competitive every year."

If the NFL expands internationally, a move is almost certain since money is hard to earn in St. Louis given its current and likely future profile and demographics.

With the new record-low established by the Seattle Seahawks, the only losing record team to win the division in NFL history, comes the sad fact that none of that division's teams are competitive. And that fact is largely due to the current alignment.

Will NFL divisions be realigned?

The speculation so far about the NFL's NFC West has been largely devoted to changing NFL rules for automatic qualifying for the playoffs. That will never happen.

What could happen is another realignment. There is no doubt but that the current alignment in several divisions makes little sense. While realignment is a drastic step and the issues become whether the owners would be willing to realign themselves, it is also the most sensible.

So far, it is obvious that the worst division should be willing to do so.

But would the better teams be willing to move? Probably not. Yet the West Coast deserves more competitive NFL teams.

How will they get competitive today? Certainly, not with their quarterbacks. Unless Bradford is the best quarterback in that division by the end of next season, he is gone.

In addition to the quarterbacks, coaches are generally on the hot seat when they fail to win. While Kroenke may not terminate the entire Rams' front and back offices, some tweaks are required. He may not go for a change in coaching yet, but he is likely to decide that some changes need to be made in the Rams' offensive coaching; The head coach's job on is on the line in the near future unless he takes the team to the playoffs next year.

With the sea of change coming to the NFL, including greater consideration of an international NFL and realignment, it is likely that Kroenke will play a huge role during the next several years. And as a leader, Kroenke will also demand more of his NFL team. The franchise will sustain higher salaries only if it wins.

If the Rams need to be re-energized, look for the team to be moved. Nothing re-energizes like a move. Just ask the Colts, Raiders and Cardinals.