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The Rams at 22? Not cool, Cabby.

Good ranking, I didn't see too much that I disagreed with enough to make a protest, except for the Rams. I know you must feel like the local St. Louisans are ganging up on you, but the defense, O-line, and special teams will all be significantly improved next year, more the O-line and special teams than the defense, but still.

Most of the improvement will probably come from getting players back from injury. About the o-line, they lost Pace in week 2, Barron finally figured out how to listen to a snap count, and not having Incognito having to play Center when he had no clue how to play Center.

The defensive line has nowhere to go but up(and Adam Carriker the draft pick should help), and the linebacker corps will get back one of it's better players who will hopefully finally stay healthy(Tinoisamoa). With all of that, the Rams got some pretty stellar play at times from their safety crew(Tye Hill the '06 Rookie, included).

Dante Hall who, while some of the Chiefs fans might argue is a shadow of his former self, is still the best kick return/punt return player the Rams have had since '99, and if Dick Vermeil's comments over some radio show are any indication, he may make a serious comeback from feeling sleighted by the Chiefs organization.

The offense speaks for itself, if Bulger stays healthy and the o-line holds up(the two have a lot to do with each other). Steven Jackson finished just behind LT for total yards from scrimmage last year; fantasy owners look out, he's primed for a breakout year. Holt actually had a pretty down year last year and is due for an upswing, again due to injury.

Finally, the Rams' schedule isn't that tough at all. The toughest games will be @Ravens 10/14, @Seahawks 10/21, @Saints 11/11, and @Bengals 12/9, only the latter two of which I don't think the Rams can win. All the rest are winnable.

I don't think assigning the Rams around 20 or so is too much of a sleight given that they'll have a lot to prove, but saying they're the second worst team in the NFC west kind of is. Seahawks shouldn't have made the playoffs last year, the Cardinals are the Cardinals, and while the 9ers are slowly improving they're not an upper echelon team yet(though they might be better than the Hawks). I'm not saying the Rams will make the playoffs, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did.

pop_haines wrote:Nice job, cabby.

My only 'hmm' moment is that Da Bears seem
kinda high in the rankings.

Bears are a weird team. They don't compare to the Colts, Pats, Chargers I don't think, but they are in the NFC, so they have an amazing chance to make it back to the Superbowl (and lose.)

Cronos69 wrote: Dante Hall who, while some of the Chiefs fans might argue is a shadow of his former self, is still the best kick return/punt return player the Rams have had since '99, and if Dick Vermeil's comments over some radio show are any indication, he may make a serious comeback from feeling sleighted by the Chiefs organization.

The other ten guys on the return unit are going to have to learn how to block for returns if Hall is going to do any good.

No one will accuse Hall of being the fastest guy out there. He does use the blocking very well--when it's there.

He took a couple monster hits last year and turned gun-shy. Hope he gets over that. He also must be agressive and go upfield.

cabby7588 wrote:

ZigZagCardsFan wrote:I too think you're underestimating the Rams defense. I love how the mainstream media types discard the Rams acquisitions on defense.

James Hall is the best DE the Rams have had since Wistrom was going strong. He'll help against the run and the pass rush. Adam Carriker will probably make an impact right away and is a beast against the run. Claude Wroten will also push for starting time at DT. He's one of the biggest draft steals the Rams have gotten in a long time. LB is still a bit suspect but the addition of Chris Draft is a definite plus, even if he's the 4th LB. The secondary has question marks but Tye Hill and Ron Bartell played great in the second half of last season. Todd Johnson provides good depth.

The offense will be amazing this year. The patchwork line played great last season and the Rams have done a great job transitioning from an aging line to an infusion of youth. Pace and Barron are one of the best tackle duos in the league. With Drew Bennett and Randy McMichael involved in the passing game, this offense is going to be fun to watch.

I haven't really bought into the defensive 'improvements' they've claimed to have made over the past few seasons but this year I'm buying it. If the Rams don't make the playoffs, I will be very surprised.

Curious...I don't follow the Rams TOO much...I know Pace is amazing (obviously) and Barron was a huge draft pick. How did Barron do last year? I heard he was kind of a disappointment out of the gate..Do you think he is a legit right tackle now? My cousin is a huge Rams fan and he was kind of down on Barron his first year or two, but I didn't hear how he did last year.

Outside of mental lapses with false starts which he really improved on as last year went along, Barron has been a solid to good players since day 1. There was never question of ability, it was all the false starts that got the fans down on him. His blocking ability/technique is very good, and if he eliminates the mental breakdowns pre-snap he'll have a long and successful career in the NFL.

ZigZagCardsFan wrote:

cabby7588 wrote:

ZigZagCardsFan wrote:I too think you're underestimating the Rams defense. I love how the mainstream media types discard the Rams acquisitions on defense.

James Hall is the best DE the Rams have had since Wistrom was going strong. He'll help against the run and the pass rush. Adam Carriker will probably make an impact right away and is a beast against the run. Claude Wroten will also push for starting time at DT. He's one of the biggest draft steals the Rams have gotten in a long time. LB is still a bit suspect but the addition of Chris Draft is a definite plus, even if he's the 4th LB. The secondary has question marks but Tye Hill and Ron Bartell played great in the second half of last season. Todd Johnson provides good depth.

The offense will be amazing this year. The patchwork line played great last season and the Rams have done a great job transitioning from an aging line to an infusion of youth. Pace and Barron are one of the best tackle duos in the league. With Drew Bennett and Randy McMichael involved in the passing game, this offense is going to be fun to watch.

I haven't really bought into the defensive 'improvements' they've claimed to have made over the past few seasons but this year I'm buying it. If the Rams don't make the playoffs, I will be very surprised.

Curious...I don't follow the Rams TOO much...I know Pace is amazing (obviously) and Barron was a huge draft pick. How did Barron do last year? I heard he was kind of a disappointment out of the gate..Do you think he is a legit right tackle now? My cousin is a huge Rams fan and he was kind of down on Barron his first year or two, but I didn't hear how he did last year.

Outside of mental lapses with false starts which he really improved on as last year went along, Barron has been a solid to good players since day 1. There was never question of ability, it was all the false starts that got the fans down on him. His blocking ability/technique is very good, and if he eliminates the mental breakdowns pre-snap he'll have a long and successful career in the NFL.

That's good, nothing worse than a 1st round bust. Sounds a lot like a young version of Tarik Glenn. As the Colts left tackle he has solidified himself as one of the best tackles in the league, leading Peyton's blockers, but MAN can he have some false starts. We call him Tarik "false start" Glenn. He is a heck of a tackle, and resigning him this offseason will probably be impossible for the Colts, but even with his mental mistakes, he is going to be a pain to replace, because he's one heck of a player.

I don't know how you can say the Colts don't deserve a #1.

They won the Super Bowl with ease last year over the Bears. They now have the SB monkey off their back. All they lost was a bit of overrated secondary which has been easily replaced with better, young talent. Their only real hole is at Linebacker. They still have the best player in the league at QB and Addai was already a superstar in his rookie season.

The Patriots about them? Why? Because they signed a reciever that is past his prime and doesn't even workout hard anymore? Moss' past teammates have said that he has lost all motivation to stay in shape and his skill has greatly deteriorated. He is also a major headcase. Sure, they got Adalius Thomas too, but Samuel is holding out and their defense is getting up there in age.

As for the Rams. Their defense is still awful and they are in a division where every team is improving greatly. A 9-7 record won't win that division anymore...

lazypenguin wrote:As for the Rams. Their defense is still awful and they are in a division where every team is improving greatly. A 9-7 record won't win that division anymore...

The thing is though, that a #22 ranking represents about a 7-9 record. The Rams should be improved somewhat and went 8-8 last year (and that's the record their run differential suggests -- 7.7 wins anyway).

Guess who had an expected W/L record of 9.3/6.7?

cabby7588 wrote:

thrill wrote:How is McGahee a more accomplished runner than Jamal Lewis?

Seriously? The Ravens O-line is pretty damn solid lead by the best OT in the NFL, and McGahee is coming from an absolutley horrible line, and is about 5 years younger. Jamal Lewis isn't any good anymore, trust me, he was on my fantasy team two straight years. Jamal is brutal, and McGahee should be awesome behind this O-Line.

You know nothing about football. Mcgahee is not an upgrade, trust me im a bills fan. He is nothing but hype. Anthony Thomas didnt have problems running the ball when he was starting why does mcgahee get a slide? Mcghaee is better then Jamal Lewis by a little bit now because of age but mcgahee is always hurt and will never touch 2,000 yards....

Also the colts and rams are comparable offenses and qb's. Peyton is the best but that doesnt mean hes uncomparable. St.Louis is comparable with any offense in the league.

A little too much AFC love.