St. Louis Rams Could Benefit from a Lengthy NFL Lockout

Could the St. Louis Rams possibly benefit from a lengthy lockout? No one has made that prediction yet for the Rams, in fact they have been the exact opposite.  

All we've heard regarding the St. Louis Rams and the lockout is how they will suffer, mainly due to Josh McDaniels' new offense that the players need to learn, and the fact that they have a second year quarterback (Sam Bradford) who is still developing.

Both points are very true and could certainly prove to be harmful for the team.

Not every team in the NFL is learning a new offense like the Rams, but every team will be missing the same amount of practices and training camp, so they are not at a disadvantage in that sense. 

We don't know how quickly the players will learn the offense, but we do know that the Rams play three very intimidating opponents to start the season. 

They open the season in St. Louis against the Philadelphia Eagles, who have a potent aerial attack that could expose the Rams' weak secondary. 

The Week 2 game has the Rams facing off against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football at the Meadowlands. The Giants have a fierce defensive line and an offense that can get it done on the ground or in the air. 

Then the Rams go back to St. Louis to play their third consecutive difficult game, this time against the Baltimore Ravens, who have a notorious defense that could completely shut down the Rams' offense.

If the NFL lockout lasts several games into the season, it's hard to believe that the Rams would not benefit from skipping one (or all) of their first three games.

Of course the fans would be losing by missing out on those games—and some of the players would certainly struggle to grasp the new offense in a short period of time—but if the ultimate goal is to make the playoffs and secure a higher seed with the best possible record, missing the first couple games could be beneficial.   

Here is what the 2011 schedule would look like if they missed the first three games:

1. Vs. Washington Redskins 12:00 PM

2. @ Green Bay Packers 12:00 PM

3. @ Dallas Cowboys 3:15 PM

4. Vs. New Orleans Saints 12:00 PM

5. @ Arizona Cardinals 3:15 PM

6. @ Cleveland Browns 12:00 PM

7. Vs. Seattle Seahawks 3:05 PM

8. Vs. Arizona Cardinals 12:00 PM

9. @ 49ers">San Francisco 49ers 3:15 PM

10. @ Seattle Seahawks Mon. 7:30 PM

11. Vs. Cincinnati Bengals 12:00 PM

12. @ Pittsburgh Steelers 12:00 PM

13. Vs. San Francisco 49ers 12:00 PM

As you can see, it is a fairly light schedule with Green Bay, New Orleans and Pittsburgh being the three clear exceptions. Every other game is perfectly winnable, so if the league loses the first three games, then the Rams are clearly at an advantage as far as conquering their grueling schedule.