St. Louis Rams: 7 Reasons to Be Excited About the 2011 NFL Season

Now that the NFL lockout is over, there is a lot of buzz about the 2011 season. The wild frenzy of this years free agency has fans constantly wondering who their team is adding.

In St. Louis, Rams fans are excited about the upcoming season. The Rams appear to be the favorites to win the NFC West and finally get into the playoffs for the first time since 2004.

The woes of Rams fans may finally end. With that said here are 7 good reasons that Rams fans should be looking forward to the season.

New Energy

Steve Spagnuolo has revived this team. When he came into town, it seemed as if Rams players had gotten accustomed to losing.

Spagnuolo has brought nothing but positive vibes to St. Louis. There has been a transformation. The players found confidence that they could play with any team in the league. Now the Rams are trying to make the next leap after going from 1-15 to 7-9. This year the Rams believe they are a playoff team.

Rams fans have also awakened. Seats are starting to sell, and they should be. The Rams have some explosive players in Jerious Norwood, Donnie Avery, and Danario Alexander. Plus, who wouldn't want to see the new golden boy, Sam Bradford?

New Coordinator

While this may not be the Greatest Show on Turf again, expect this Rams team to put up some points this season.

The St. Louis Rams offense ranked 26th in the league a season ago in scoring offense. Mark my words, the Rams will be a top 15 scoring team in the league this season. Far too many times last season did St. Louis have to settle for field goals when they looked to be headed for the end zone. 

Josh McDaniels has assembled all of the pieces that he needs to form an explosive offense. The signing of Mike Sims-Walker and the drafting of Greg Salas and Austin Pettis will give Sam Bradford all of the red zone targets he needs. Not to mention the fact that he will have a trio of running backs that can catch the ball out of the backfield. This could be a breakout season for Sam Bradford and Co.

Sam Bradford

Sam Bradford is on his way to being the next great NFL quarterback. He has the size, arm, and most importantly the leadership qualities to be a star in this league.

The pieces are in place now for Bradford to put up big numbers. I don't expect Bradford to make the rookie mistakes that he did a season ago when he threw 15 interceptions. I expect him to throw more touchdowns and less interceptions this season.

Josh McDaniels is going to air the ball out. Be ready Rams fans, because there could be a lot of exciting plays down the field. Sam could push for the first 4,000 yard passing season of his career.

Competition

This is why you play the game right here. A tough schedule will give the Rams more opportunities to prove that they are a playoff caliber team.

Having to play the likes of the Eagles, Giants, Ravens, and Packers is never easy, but as a fan it is something you want to see.

We all want to see James Laurinaitis light up Michael Vick in week one. We want to see Steven Jackson throw a nasty stiff arm in the face of Ray Lewis. And, you know we want to see Sam Bradford light up the defense of the reigning Super Bowl Champion Packers. 

Defense

The one component that always seems to get lost in the mix is defense. We're all excited to see how the Rams offense does, but expect the defense to do just as well, if not better than last season.

The Rams defensive line is going to be furious getting after the quarterback this year. Chis Long has finally begun to realize his potential, and is quickly becoming a great all around defensive end. If it all goes as planned, eventually Robert Quinn will replace James Hall on the other side. They are both very good rushers.

The Rams improved at the linebacker position by adding Zac Diles which will help them stop the run. Paired with James Laurinaitis, there is a good foundation to build on. Safety Quintin Mikell is going to prove to be a real steal for the Rams because he adds another dimension to the defense. He can come up and play the run, or drop back in coverage.

Exposure

St. Louis will finally be on Monday Night Football this season. For the first time since 2006, it seems like the Rams are finally getting some love.

Even though neither the game against the Giants or the Seahawks is at home, we'll all be tuning in to watch how the Rams do. They really played a stinker on Sunday Night Football last season so you know they will be looking to bounce back.

The main reason to be excited about the exposure is because after the Rams beat the Seahawks in Seattle, everybody in the nation will see what a threat St. Louis is.

Chance to Win

For the first time in a long time, there is optimism. The Rams finally have the chance to regain the momentum that they had in the beginning of the 2000's.

More so than any time in recent memory, the Rams have a chance to be back in the playoffs. Plus, with the way the system is, the first round game will be at home. I don't believe that it can get any more exciting than a playoff game with a sold out Edward Jones Dome cheering on the Rams.