St. Louis Rams: Is 2009 The Year Of Resurrection For The G.S.O.T.?

There were more holes in the St. Louis Rams than in A-Rod and Barry's story about their steroid use. With Scott Linehan out of the picture, and its two most prolific athletes dealt in the past two seasons, the offensive line was beyond atrocious, and the defense had severe problems finishing things off for the offense.

So what could the Rams do to improve on this? How about getting someone who has proven to be one of the best at his craft.

The rebuilding process officially began when the Rams started cleaning house.

The Rams said goodbye to Linehan and their interim coach Jim Haslett. They brought in the fire that ignited the Giants defense during their Super Bowl run two years ago; Steve Spagnuolo.

Right off the bat, Spagnuolo started making the necessary moves to bring St. Louis back to the promised land, which is, in this case, the NFC West Division Championship and a winning record.

The new Rams regime could become crazier than before, considering the moves they made in the offseason. They opted to give Torry Holt a chance to end his career… with a different team. To top it off, they lost a majority of the team in the offseason.

Corey Chavous, Drew Bennett, Orlando Pace, Anthony Becht, Holt, and now Pisa Tinoisamoa have worn the Blue and Gold for the last time. So what did the Rams do to fix the problem? Just ask their new head coach, Steve Spagnuolo.

The Rams are starting to realize that, contrary to what Peyton Manning and Tom Brady think, defense does win championships. With a defensive-minded coach to lead them into the 2009 season, can the Rams return to greatness, even without their primetime receiver?

I would say yes.

Spagnuolo is a former wide receiver from Springfield College, which is oddly enough the same school attended by WWE superstar John Cena, but Spags is a defensive guru who has a reputation for loving the blitz.

Under Jim Johnson, he learned from the master. Now the student gets to put it to good use with a team that ranked 28^th in the league in defense and 27^th in offense.

Does anyone else feel like vomiting right now?

Last season, the Rams had the talent to make something happen, but this year, they will have to rely on what got them to the dance to begin with.

Some will say that this is yet another rebuilding season for the Rams, I happen to have been one of those people, but after grabbing some much-needed help in the draft, the Rams could be realizing that if they want to return to the dominance they once had, they need to make the changes now.

And they started in the 2009 NFL Draft.

The Rams parted ways with Orlando Pace, arguably their best offensive linemen in years, but they found his replacement in the form of Jason Smith out of Baylor. Though he plays left tackle, Smith did have some time as a tight end while with the Bears. So the Rams lost Pace, but quickly got someone to replace him in Smith.

But that’s just one of the many holes the Rams needed to fill in the offseason. Donnie Avery quickly became the No. 1 receiver when Holt was released, but the Rams knew they couldn’t win with just one go-to guy on the outside.

So they went out and grabbed someone in the later rounds of the draft; Tar Heel possession player, Brooks Foster. Laurent Robinson becomes the new No. 2, while Foster will be the third stringer. So, can the Rams win with this group of no name receivers? Anything’s possible, right?

As for the defense, the Rams needed help. Point blank, the Rams defense was not the best in the league, but they were not the worst.

This is almost a completely different look for the Rams. With Leonard Little leading the way, the Rams look to make this year better than the last two. And with the Broncos throwing out every player they've got right now, why not go after Jarvis Moss to provide some added firepower to the defensive line?

After being either the No. 2 or No. 3 team in the draft for the past two years, the Rams want something different. At this point, they could use anything to make them froth at the mouth.

Enter newest Rams LB James Laurinaitis.

The linebackers have found their new leader in Laurinaitis. The Ohio State standout now brings his father’s brand of smash mouth football to the Gateway City.

Alongside last season's top draft pick, Chris Long, the Rams now have two hall of fame dads to worry about. Just makes me wonder how Howie and Joe will get along? If their sons are living proof, this should be a good year for the Rams defense.

But despite all that, they still have holes to fill on both sides of the ball.

The mood around the Rams mini-camp has been pretty good to start. After an emotional 2008 that started with the loss of their proud owner, Georgia Frontierre, the Rams are ready to get back to basics in the 2009 season.

But they’re not comfortable with just breaking .500 this season, they’re looking to beat all three teams in the division—both home and away.

So is this a rebuilding year for St. Louis or a resurrection year for them?

From my standpoint, every year is a rebuilding process for every team, but in the eyes of St. Louis, they have been rebuilding since the death of The Greatest Show on Turf. Now they’re eyeing the possibility of getting back to the top of the NFC West.

With that said, here’s the way it looks with Free Agency being the last stop on the road to redemption for St. Louis.

Offensive Tackle: Orlando Pace for Jason Smith

Linebacker: Pisa Tinoisamoa for James Laurinaitis

Wide Receivers: Torry Holt for Brooks Foster

Backfield: Brian Leonard for Chris Ogbonnaya

Defensive Tackle: Dorell Scott and Orien Harris

Looks like the Rams are getting the message loud and clear.