St. Louis Rams: Reasons for Optimism in 2012

There were not a lot of things to be happy about if you were a Rams fan this season. Dozens of injuries, the regression of Sam Bradford, blowout losses, and a 2-14 season culminating in the firings of the head coach and GM. The emergence of Chris Long and another 1,000-yard season for Steven Jackson were the only bright spots this year, but better days are closer than many fans think.

Here are a few reasons why 7-9, or even a winning record, will be within reach for the Rams next season.

1. The Offense Will Be Upgraded Significantly

As a fan this season, whether it was Bradford, Feely, or Clemens leading the offense, I didn't expect much. A quick three and out, or a field goal at best. If somehow the offense managed a long drive ending in a touchdown, that in itself was a victory. Popular sentiment is down on Sam Bradford, but I'm not ready to give up on him yet. I am concerned, though, that with a new OC coming in, he may have to learn yet another new system.

Imagine Sam throwing to a wideout who demands a double-team when he is on the field. Imagine Lloyd and the other receivers getting single coverage most of the game. Imagine Steven Jackson running wild because teams cannot afford to stack the box anymore. Take all those things together, and you can see what Justin Blackmon would bring to the Rams.

Getting a game-breaking receiver should be the top priority of the new GM, and the second should be improving an unnaturally porous O-Line. Blackmon and Lloyd would be a good 1-2 punch, and if St.Louis can keep Bradford confident and upright long enough to find those two, it's not a stretch to say fans could be seeing echoes of the Greatest Show on Turf in the near future. 

2. The Defense Will Continue to Improve

An area of optimism for the Rams this season has been the play of the defense. Despite a rash of injuries in the secondary, and almost always playing from behind, the defensive unit played relatively well.

James Laurinaitis is quietly turning into one of the top middle linebackers in the league, and another of the building blocks the team has on this side of the ball is Robert Quinn. In the likelihood that he improves on a good rookie year, Quinn will end up being a great complement to Chris Long, and together they will provide the Rams with bookend pass rushers for years to come. Although there are many needs to be filled, I am of the opinion that they will be, which leads us to...

3. Cap Space and Draft Picks

St.Louis is well positioned to load up on talent for next season, as the Rams are near the top of the league in cap space, and they will have plenty of picks in the 2012 draft. Someone the Rams should be targeting is Aubrayo Franklin, one of the best defensive tackles in the game, who would also fill a significant need. I would expect the new GM and head coach to be aggressive in bringing in talent, with the focus of the draft being more on the offense, while using free agency to strengthen the defense.

4. New Management

Stan Kroenke needs to be agressive and fill the staff with the best minds available. It is looking more and more likely that Jeff Fisher will become the new head coach. I think this would be a good hire. As has been discussed in other articles, Fisher knows how to win, coaching in a tough AFC South when he did battle with the Colts.

My pick for general manager would be Bill Polian. It was shocking to hear that he had been fired by Indy, because the Colts' collapse this year was really an example of how good Peyton Manning is, rather than team-building flaws that could be blamed on Polian. The Rams need to hire him. He knows how to put a winning team together, and it would be exciting to see what a guy like Polian could do with the money and the picks the Rams have. 

Add all of these things together, along with probably a much easier schedule and healthy players, and you will see why fans will have a lot of positives to talk about when it comes to the Rams next season.