St. Louis Rams Roundup: Putting the Puzzle Together

Please excuse Rams' fans for getting ahead of themselves after St. Louis upset New Orleans in Week 8.  It's just that when your team is winless and looks like one of the worst teams in football, you will take any win you can get.

A win over the Saints, one of the best teams in the league, has Rams fans in a tizzy.

Rams fans have reason to be upbeat about their football team.  I believe the Rams are much better than their early season 0-6 record might indicate.  Seriously, how many of those games did the average Rams fan really believe the Rams were going to win?

Let's be honest with ourselves, okay?  If anybody had the Rams beating Philly at home, Baltimore at home or New Orleans at home, they were dreaming. 

If you had the Rams winning at Dallas or at Green Bay, then you were definitely drinking the Sam Bradford Kool Aid.

Best case scenario, this team was going to start the season 2-5, with wins at New York (not likely) and at home against Washington (50/50).  So the fact that the Rams are 1-6, with a huge upset win over the Saints in hand, means that this team isn't that far away from where they realistically should be.

So, throw aside the fact that San Francisco is 6-1 and looks like the second best team in the NFC for just a minute, and try to look at the bright side.  This football team is primed and ready to make some noise in the second half of the season. 

I'll give you five big "pieces of the puzzle" that the Rams have finally put together that will allow them to have a great second half of the season.

First Piece of the Puzzle: Awesome Pass Rush

When I graded each defensive unit, I begged the Rams' coaching staff to play Robert Quinn more. 

It looks like they listened.

Quinn was a beast in the Rams' win over the Saints.  He recorded a sack very early in the game, and he also blocked a punt.  Just as important, Quinn was constantly putting pressure on Saints' QB Drew Brees, forcing Brees to "move the pocket." 

As I noted during my live blog of the game, the Saints were actually using a running back to chip block on Quinn.  The fact that Quinn was facing a constant double-team opened up Chris Long to wreak havoc from the other side of the line.

With Long able to work one-on-one, and with Brees being forced to move the pocket towards Long on a few plays, Long was able to have a monster day.  He recorded three sacks, tipped a pass and harassed Drew Brees all day long.

Long fed off of Quinn, and vice-versa. 

The Rams have to be very excited about this dynamic duo going forward.  If the Rams can get more production out of their defensive tackles, this D-Line could really take a lot of pressure off of the Rams' depleted secondary.

Second Piece of the Puzzle: Speaking of That Depleted Secondary...

Darian Stewart is a star in the making.  He has a knack for making plays from his safety position, whether it means picking up a lot of tackles or returning an interception for a touchdown against All-Pro Drew Brees.

Darian Stewart is just a baller.

I also loved the way that safety Quintin Mickell played against the Saints.  He supported the run, and was also much better in coverage.  If Mickell and Stewart can play at a high level, it will help take the pressure off of those corner backs.

The Rams' corners were all wiped-out by injuries earlier this season and during the preseason.  So the current Rams corners know they are playing for their NFL future.  Josh Gordy played like a man who wants to stay in the NFL, making a critical interception at the end of the first half against the Saints.

So if the Rams can get a strong pass rush, that will take pressure off of the secondary.  Then if the secondary plays at even an average level, the Rams' defense should at least give the offense a chance to be balanced.

Third Piece of the Puzzle: A Dynamic Running Attack

Steven Jackson is a monster.  He is the key to the Rams' success on offense.  However, if the Rams are getting blown out before halftime, Jackson's impact on the offense is functionally negated.

So basically, the Rams' best offensive player has been a non-factor because the team keeps getting blown out.

Last Sunday against the Saints, Jackson finally got a chance to dominate a game over the course of four quarters.  His pounding style took its toll on the Saints. 

Jackson is also a dynamic receiver, and it looks like offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is making more of an effort to get the ball into Jackson's hands by any means necessary.

If the Rams' defense can keep games close and if Jackson can keep pounding away, it will open up the passing game.

Speaking of the passing game...

Third Piece of the Puzzle: A "Go-to" Receiver

Brandon Lloyd led the NFL in receiving yards last year. 

He might not be the flashiest name out there, but this is a guy who puts up numbers.  It is obvious after watching him play for two games that he is the most talented receiver the Rams have had since the "Greatest Show on Turf."

Brandon Lloyd can get open, pick up yards after the catch and is also able to come down with a couple of really tough catches in every game. 

So let's put the puzzle together. If the Rams' defense does their job and if Jackson keeps those safeties and linebackers honest, then Brandon Lloyd will have plenty of room to operate. 

When defenses start having to roll the coverage to Lloyd's side of the field, it will open things up for the Rams' younger players.

Greg Salas has been getting better and better at the slot receiver position.  Brandon Gibson and Danario Alexander have both shown flashes of potential at the outside receiver positions.  They are all capable of five-catch, 64-yard games.

The problem is that until now, that was the stat line for the Rams' best receiver!

Now, with Lloyd putting up great numbers on one side, the other receivers can nickel and dime the defense to death from the other.  Maybe Lance Kendricks will even get into the act. 

My point is that the Rams should be able to really spread the ball around and pick opposing defenses apart. 

That is the basic philosophy of the Charlie Weiss/Josh McDaniels/Tom Brady offense.  You don't need a bunch of stars.  You just need a guy or two who can create mismatches, and you need a QB who can deliver the ball.

Lloyd can get this started because he can create mismatches.  Now, it's up to Bradford to spread the ball around.

Sam Bradford

During Sam Bradford's short career, he has never had this kind of talent around him.  With Brandon Lloyd creating mismatches on the outside and with Steven Jackson finally healthy and running hard, we might finally get to see what Bradford can really do.

Maybe now he won't have to hold the ball for so long, waiting for receivers to not get open.  Maybe now he won't throw a great pass only to see his receiver not catch the ball. 

Lloyd is a game-changer. 

Jackson is the type of runner for whom the entire defense has to account.  Sallas has emerged into a player we can trust.  Kendricks is a ferocious blocker who has the talent to get open but hasn't held onto the ball. 

Brandon Gibson is a solid player.  Danario Alexander is good for one or two big plays every game.  Rookie Austin Pettis is also looking more comfortable every week.

It's up to Sam Bradford to put all of these pieces together and lead this Rams offense.  I truly believe the Rams are going to score a lot of points over the second half of this season.  I know the defense is getting better every week, and our young pass-rushers are making a name for themselves. 

If Bradford can elevate his level of play, the Rams are perfectly positioned to go on a nice winning streak.

So What Does This Mean for the Rams?

So are we getting ahead of ourselves because the Rams played one good game?  Of course it was a win over the Saints, arguably the second-best team in the NFC.  Then again, it's still just one game. 

So what does this mean for the Rams?  How many games will they win?  Where will they finish in the NFC West? 

I asked my fellow Rams' Featured Columnists these questions, and here is what they had to say:

Steven Gerwel:  The Rams were very bad in their first six games, so it’s tough to figure out which version of the team will show up for the second half of the season.  With the addition of Brandon Lloyd, I personally think they’ll do much better overall in the second half and finish with around six total wins.

I think they’ll finish in second-place, possibly in a tie with Seattle. I could see them both ending the year with a 6-10 record. 7-9 or 8-8 seems like a reach for any NFC West team other than San Francisco.

Doug Zerjal: I think the Rams will win five games this season. After watching them against the Saints, I see no reason why they can’t go 3-3 against their division rivals. I think even if the 49ers beat them twice, the Rams should be able to win three of four against the Seahawks and Cardinals.  I really think this upcoming game at Arizona is huge. If the Rams could win two in a row, who knows what might happen?

I think the Rams will finish third in the NFC West. The 49ers will win it and probably Arizona will finish second. I think the Seahawks will finish close to the Rams but not above them.

Personally, I think the Rams could sweep the month of November.  The Rams play Arizona (road), Cleveland (road), Seattle (home) and Arizona (home).  All of those games are very winnable. 

If the Rams win all of those games, they will be 5-6.

The Rams' last five games do look pretty tough, though. 

They will play the Niners (road, loss), Seahawks (road, loss because the Rams never play well there), Cincinnati (home, loss, who knew the Bengals would be this good?), Pittsburgh (road, loss) and the Niners (home, loss).

Going by those numbers, the Rams would finish 5-11.  If they could steal a win during those last five games (at Seattle is winnable, and so is the Niners game at home), then the Rams could win six or seven games. 

So I do agree with Doug and Steven. 

Either way, the Niners are going to run away with this division.

Feel free to chime in with your own predictions on how the Rams are going to finish this season. 

1. What players do you see stepping up that will help the Rams for next year? 
2. What do you think their final record will be? 
3. Where do you think they will finish in the NFC West?

As always, thanks for reading.