St. Louis Rams: What Can the Rams Learn from the 49ers?

Coming into the 2011 NFL season, the St. Louis Rams were a trendy pick to win the NFC West. Coming off of a 7-9 record, with a promising young QB in place and a talented young defense, the Rams appeared to be a team on the rise.

Steve Spagnulo had supposedly changed the losing culture at Rams Park, and to top it off, he added offensive guru Josh McDaniels to his staff. Sure, the 2011 schedule was brutal, but with a little luck, the Rams would surely win their division, the lowly NFC West, right?

As the old saying goes, "That's why they play the games."

The NFC West looked very weak on paper. Pete Carrol was about to enter the season with Tavaris Jackson as his starting QB in Seattle, and the Seahawks were coming off of a very questionable draft. Arizona had traded for Kevin Kolb, the QB from Philly, but they had numerous roster holes.

Then there was San Francisco, the team with the rookie head coach, Jim Harbaugh, and the embattled starting QB, former No. 1 overall pick Alex Smith.

The Niners had talent on both sides of the ball, but the lack of a quality QB had most fans talking about the chances of Harbaugh reuniting with his former QB, Stanford's Andrew Luck, more than they talked about the Niners chances of making the playoffs.

The Niners just came within an eyelash of making it to the Super Bowl.

How did this team turn things around so quickly? Did we just underestimate the Niners? Was there hidden talent on this team all along? Did Harbaugh make that much difference in the way this team played?

Today, I want to take a look at the Niners turnaround, and apply those same principles to the Rams moving forward. What can the Rams learn from the Niners?

1. Old School Football Still Works

The Niners didn't beat themselves. They ran the ball, they stopped the run, they protected their quarterback, and they were solid on special teams. In an era of "video game offenses," the Niners reminded us that football is still a game won in the trenches.

The Rams tried to win using this approach, spending high draft picks and free agent dollars on offensive linemen (Jason Smith, Jacob Bell, Harvey Dahl, Roger Saffold, and Jason Brown) and defensive linemen (Chris Long, Robert Quinn, Justin Bannan, and Fred Robbins).

The problem is, the Rams swung and missed on too many of these players. The Niners' additions along the offensive and defensive line (Justin Smith, Aldon Smith, wow!) paid off.

2. A Coaching Change Can Make a Huge Difference

Harbaugh breathed life into this football team. He took the aforementioned talent along the lines and got them to play nasty, physical, hard hitting football. He got Alex Smith to play winning football, something nobody saw coming.

Jeff Fisher has a similar "tough guy" mentality, and he will mold these Rams to play the same type of football. Expect the Rams' D to hit you in the mouth from the first snap to the final buzzer, and expect Fisher to put Bradford in situations where he can finally show his potential.

3. You don't need elite wide receivers or video game stats to win in the NFL

The Niners' best receiver is Michael Crabtree, and he is flanked by guys like Tedd Ginn, Jr. If the Rams can resign Brandon Lloyd, the argument could be made that Lloyd would be better than any receiver on the Niners roster.

But we all know that the Niners' most dangerous offensive player is Vernon Davis, the ultra talented tight end out of Maryland. I've said numerous times that every good QB in the NFL has a good tight end to throw to, and Bradford needs a good tight end more than he needs a No. 1 wide receiver.

If Lance Kendricks can step up in 2012, he could help Bradford take his game to the next level.

The Niners had the best turnaround in the NFL this season. Can the Rams' make the same type of improvement next season? I think even the most biased Rams' fan would say the NFC Championship game is out of reach next season, but I do think the Rams could be a dark horse playoff team.

After all, the Rams were supposed to be a playoff team this year, right? If they get healthy, add a few players via the draft and free agency, and with a new coach and a new attitude...

I'm just saying, it's possible, right? I mean, if the Niners can go from "Suck 4 Luck" to "NFC Championship Game," then anything is possible, right?

That's why they play the games.