Written by: Matthew Blunk
Former longtime Tennessee Titans coach
Jeff Fisher had his year off, and now comes into 2012 as the St. Louis
Rams' head man. The Rams completely cleaned house, with a new owner
(Stan Kroenke), new general manager (Les Snead), and Fisher as the new
coach. And while the Rams opted against bringing in a new quarterback,
they have a slew of other positions to strengthen.
Indeed, Sam
Bradford is safe as the franchise guy in St. Louis. Fisher has a lot of
faith in Bradford, which is something that could conceivably be
challenged in the next year. If Bradford does not follow up his
pedestrian sophomore season with some strong progress this season,
you've got to wonder what Fisher and the new regime will do. Bradford's
was the last of the ludicrous rookie contracts, which puts St. Louis in a
tough spot. Or perhaps it puts Fisher in a more relaxed spot, with less
pressure to win now and with lowered expectations (and therefore, more job
security). Whatever the case, the Rams are committed to Bradford, and
they now must surround him with the best talent possible. An ideal place
to start would be...
Wide Receiver
The Rams have a bunch
of young prospects at receiver. Brandon Gibson sort of is what he is at
this point (a no. 3 at best). But Danario Alexander, Greg Salas, and
Austin Pettis are all guys with potential. Steve Smith could become
Bradford's safety valve if he manages to regain his pre-injury form.
Smith was Eli Manning's most reliable receiver for years with the New
York Giants. But these names aren't enough. In this passing era of the
NFL, you've got to have weapons. If Bradford is to develop as a passer,
he'll need more reliable wideouts. Justin Blackmon or Michael Floyd
would be monster additions to this receiving corps. But if the Rams
don't go for one of them, they shouldn't bother drafting a guy in the
middle rounds. They already have three of those types on the roster.
Outside Linebacker
St.
Louis had one of the worst linebacking corps in football last season,
and that's going to change in 2012. The middle linebacker is James
Laurinaitis, who is solid. But there's no way Snead and Fisher don't
address outside linebacker specifically, seeing as the best player at
the position on the team's roster right now is Jo-Lonn Dunbar.
Guard
With
Rodger Saffold and Jason Smith at tackle, Scott Wells at center, and
Harvey Dahl at guard, the Rams are just about one piece away from having
the best offensive line they've had since the Orlando Pace era. Smith's days with horns on his helmet could be numbered (unless of course he eventually signs with the Minnesota Vikings), but he remains a player with great
promise. What the Rams have to do is find a reliable fifth man to complete the O-line.
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