St. Louis Rams' Top Five Overrated and Underrated Players for 2010
The 2009 season was a trying time for the St. Louis Rams. Finishing 1-15 will get you nowhere fast. Because of the last place finish, the Rams were gifted the 1st pick in the draft. They selected Oklahoma Sooner quarterback Sam Bradford.
Over the past 20 years, 11 QB's have been drafted number 1 overall. Of those 11 QB's, only 2 of them have led their team to Super Bowls. While there is no guarantee that Bradford will be one of the few, his preseason play has given hope to the possibility of another Super Bowl win.
Bradford will need a lot of help from his teammates if the Rams want to play dark horse this season. I've looked over the roster and laid out the 5 most overrated and underrated 2010 Rams.
Overrated Ram No.5: Kenneth Darby
1 of 10
St. Louis Rams backup running back Kenneth Darby is best known for being knocked on his butt by NFL Umpire Garth DeFelice (see photo).
Darby's number have been far from stellar in his 26 game career with the Rams. He's carried the ball 59 times for 292 yards and has 37 catches for 279 yards with a TD.
Darby looked awful during the 2010 preseason but won the battle for backup which featured Keith Toston and Chris Ogbonnaya.
If starter Steven Jackson gets injured, the Rams are in a world of hurt at running back.
OVERRATED
Underrated Ram No.5: Rodger Saffold
2 of 10
If Rams fans have learned anything over the past few seasons, it's that a healthy offensive line can take a team a long way.
After selecting franchise QB Sam Bradford number 1 overall in the 2010 draft, Rams brass grabbed blind side protecting left tackle Rodger Saffold with the 33rd pick (2nd round).
In Saffold's 4 college season, he missed only 2 games to injury which is pretty remarkable for a 300 pound lineman. Durability is a big issue on the line and one who has shown he can stay healthy has significant value.
UNDERRATED
Overrated Ram No.4: AJ Feeley
3 of 10
Heading into the 2010 season, the Rams knew they would need a quarterback who could start week 1 just in case rookie Sam Bradford wasn't ready.
That man.... AJ Feeley.
After signing Feeley to a 2 year deal prior to the season, the thought was that he would start the preseason as QB1 and mentor Sam Bradford until he was ready to play. Due to an injury that isn't the case anymore.
The Rams are very lucky Bradford played well in Feeley's absence.
Overrated
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Underrated Ram No.4: Gary Gibson
4 of 10
One of the bigger surprises from training camp is defensive lineman Gary Gibson. He made great use of his playing time and knocked Clifton Ryan out of the starting spot.
In his 4 preseason games, Gibson showed a great ability to pressure the QB for a team that isn't sure where it's pass rush will come from.
While I couldn't find a yearly salary for Gibson, I'm fairly confident he makes close to the league minimum after having cups of coffee in Carolina and Baltimore.
Injuries have masked his talent during his short career but if he can stay in the lineup, watch for Gibson to surprise up front.
UNDERATED
Overrated Ram No.3: Laurent Robinson
5 of 10
In 2007, the Atlanta Falcons selected Robinson with the 75th pick (3rd round). Before coming to the Rams, Robinson only played in 21 of 32 games, making 6 starts.
Prior to the 2009 season, the Rams traded for Robinson for an exchange of a few draft picks. The former 3rd round pick showed some skill in the first 3 games by leading the team in receiving with 13 catches for 167 yards and a touchdown. Tragically his season was cut short due to injury.
Robinson entered camp as the teams number 2 wideout but was promoted to number 1 when Donnie Avery tore his ACL.
In Avery's absence, Robinson had 2 catches for 27 yards.
Pretty poor showing for a guy who was pretty much gifted the title of number 1 receiver.
OVERRATED
Underrated Ram No.3: Larry Grant
6 of 10
Heading into training camp, Larry Grant wasn't sure where he fit on the depth chart. During the offeason, the Rams traded for Bobby Carpenter, who plays the same position as Grant and went to the same college, Ohio State.
It became clear early on that Rams brass loved his size and ability to find the gap up front in run blocking formations.
Grant was selected by the 49ers in the 7th round of the 2008 draft. Since being drafted, he has added close to 20 pounds to his playing weight which makes him ideal for coach Spagnuolo's system.
UNDERRATED
Overrated Ram No.2: Jason Smith
7 of 10
In 2009, the Rams had the 2nd pick in the draft. Their selection?
Jason Smith, offensive tackle out of Baylor who signed a 6 year/61.775 million contract.
The Rams had thought Smith was destined to be their cornerstone left tackle but nagging injuries forced him to the right side, which is a bit easier to play. The emergence of LT Rodger Saffold has make the transition very easy for the Rams to swallow.
Smith looked awful during the preseason consistently being beaten around the edge. What's worse is that second and third string guys were the ones blowing past him.
It's worth mentioning that Smith is still recovering from a stress fracture in his toe. Lineman traditionally take longer to heal from injuries involving their feet.
OVERRATED
Underrated Ram No.2: Steven Jackson
8 of 10
In terms of running backs, it's always, Chris Johnson this, and Adrian Peterson that. Rarely do you EVER hear the name Steven Jackson.
In 2009, Jackson finished the season second in rush yards to Chris Johnson. His 1416 rush yards and 322 receiving yards accounted for 39 percent of the Rams total offense.
Jackson is the only Ram on the active roster to go to a Pro Bowl.
UNDERRATED
Overrated Ram No.1: Sam Bradford
9 of 10
How do you pay a guy 50 million dollars before he even takes a snap?
Ask the Rams.
Enough said!
OVERRATED
Underrated Ram No.1: Danny Amendola
10 of 10
We learned week 3 in New England that Amendola is no joke. He caught 5 balls for 50 yards and returned 5 kicks for 97 yards, largely against the Patriots first team defense. Not bad for a guy who has been cut by 2 teams in 3 seasons. In week 4 at home against the Ravens, Amendola only saw action on the first drive which led to a touchdown. His contribution? A beautiful, 36-yard reception, where he made a last second adjustment to haul it in, all while diving out of bounds.
So far it looks like Amendola will be the favorite target of rookie QB Sam Bradford. I expect the two of them to hook up quite a bit, especially if the opposing defense tries to stack upfront to prevent pro bowl running back Steven Jackson from running all over them.
Amendola made a name for himself during the 2009 season with strong play on special teams. He finished 6th in the NFL in punt return average and 16th in kick return average.
UNDERRATED
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
