St. Louis Rams: Why the Rams Will Win the NFC West

The landscape of the NFL has changed rapidly with this free agent frenzy. There have been major additions to NFC West teams like Kevin Kolb to the Cardinals and Sidney Rice to the Seahawks.

Quietly, the Rams have been making additions to their roster this offseason. They didn't land any big name free agents, but the team will definitely be better with the pieces they did add.

After last season, many people looked at this Rams roster and said that they will be the NFC West champs next season. Now that teams have added and lost players, there are many questions about who will reign supreme out west.

These slides will reassure you that St. Louis will win the NFC West and that there should be no question about whether or not they are the best team in the division. 

Youth

Last season, the Rams were the 10th youngest team in the league. Good for the youngest team in the division.

If there is one thing that is true in this league, it's that younger players tend to improve and that older players tend to decline. The reigning champ Seahawks were the seventh oldest team in the NFL. Granted, they did get younger with the loss of Matt Hasselbeck, but across the board they are one of the oldest teams in the league.

It's also very easy to point to the promise of these young Ram players. Obviously, everybody knows about Sam Bradford at this point, but look at guys like Jason Smith, Rodger Saffold, Chris Long and James Laurinaitis as some of the young guys on this team yet to reach their peak. It appears that the Rams are a leg up on their competition as far as the potential of their youth. 

Schedule

Most fans at this point know that the Rams will have a very tough road to the playoffs this year. The good news is that the other teams in the division have to follow very similar roads.

The Rams showed that they can play with top notch opponents a season ago more so than other team in the NFC West. One of the highlights of the season was when they upset one of the best teams in the NFL, the San Diego Chargers.

Let's take a look at how the rest of the division fared a season ago. The Cardinals flat out couldn't hang with any team in the league other than the measly Denver Broncos. The 49ers only won two games outside of the division. Lastly, the Seahawks were definitely the most up and down team. They beat the likes of the Bears and the Chargers, but every game they lost was by 16 points or more.

The Rams will improve their 3-3 record against the division a season ago en route to the playoffs.

Talent

This one can be argued, but I believe that the Rams are the most talented team in the division. When I did the analysis on the NFC West position rankings, it appeared to be pretty clear that the Rams were ahead of the pack.

St. Louis is the only team in the west that has a quarterback who has proven himself capable of leading a team to success. They also have one of the top five running backs in the league in Steven Jackson. Oh yeah, and they have emerging stars in Chris Long, Jason Smith, Rodger Saffold and James Laurinaitis.

Maybe there's something I'm missing here, but the last time I checked, talent normally takes you pretty far in this league.

Time Is of the Essence

It's way to early to make a call on this, but Steve Spagnuolo may be running out of time. I believe that Spag is one of the best coaches in the entire league and has done a masterful job of turning around the team. But, as we all know, patience runs thin quickly.

If the Rams don't produce for their coach in his third season, Spagnuolo could end up on the hot seat. General Managers don't usually look at a team's performance as much as they do wins and losses.

Time isn't just running out on Steve Spagnuolo. It's running out on the team's leader, Steven Jackson. Jackson hasn't been to the playoffs since his rookie season and it's evident that he will do anything to get the Rams there. Jackson won't just carry the team with his physical abilities, he will no doubt in my mind be the emotional leader of this squad.

The Fans

Let's just be honest here. The Edwards Jones Dome has been lacking the energy that players need to get motivated. There is a simple solution to this problem. More wins equals more fans.

Fans are excited about the prospects of this season. The Rams have a legitimate chance to be in the playoffs for the first time in a long time. Look for the energy in the dome to increase this season. Especially towards the end of the season when the division rivalries that will decide the champ take place.

When the Rams win the division this season, fans have to reward them. A sellout stadium in the wild card round would show that the St. Louis Rams are ready to be back in the spotlight.