- The Rams were a team beginning the rebuilding process last year while still using an experienced QB in Mark Bulger
- The teams only victory during the 2009 season was against the Detriot Lions
- The Rams finished with a 1-15 and received the first overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft
- Scored 175 points while allowing 436 points against
St. Louis Rams
NFC West
Players
2010 Schedule
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Week 1
ARI @ STL
09/12/10
4:15 pm
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Week 2
STL @ OAK
09/19/10
4:00 pm
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Week 3
WAS @ STL
09/26/10
4:00 pm
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Week 4
SEA @ STL
10/03/10
1:00 pm
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Week 5
STL @ DET
10/10/10
1:00 pm
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Week 6
SD @ STL
10/17/10
1:00 pm
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Week 7
STL @ TB
10/24/10
1:00 pm
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Week 8
CAR @ STL
10/31/10
1:00 pm
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Week 9
bye
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Week 10
STL @ SF
11/14/10
4:15 pm
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Week 11
ATL @ STL
11/21/10
4:00 pm
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Week 12
STL @ DEN
11/28/10
4:15 pm
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Week 13
STL @ ARI
12/05/10
4:15 pm
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Week 14
STL @ NO
12/12/10
4:00 pm
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Week 15
KC @ STL
12/19/10
1:00 pm
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Week 16
SF @ STL
12/26/10
1:00 pm
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Week 17
STL @ SEA
01/02/11
4:15 pm
Offensive Depth Chart
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Quarterback
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Running Back
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Wide Receiver
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Tight End
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Kicker
2009
By Air
- Sam Bradford was drafted with the first overall to be the franchise QB of the future
- Bradford is currently being penciled in as the start for the upcoming season but A.J. Feely was signed in case he needs more time to develop
- Last season the team ranked 28th in the league with 2,686 passing yards
- Donnie Avery, Keenan Burton, and Mardy Gilyard will provide the targets at WR
- Randy McMichael will be the main target at TE
- The RBs are also used as receptions in this offense so look for Jackson and Darby to catch passes out of the backfield
Ground
- The Rams had a workhorse back who has been a steady performer when healthy in Steven Jackson
- St. Louis ranked 20th in the league with 1,784 yards on the ground in 2009
- Kenneth Darby will serve as the teams primary back up and started one game in place of Jackson due to injury
QB
- Bradford was drafted #1 overall and is slated to be the teams starting QB going forward
- In his last full healthy season at Oklahoma he completed 67.9% of his passes for 4,720 yards and 50 TDs and 8 INTs
- Look for an adjustment period as he moves away from the spread offense
- A.J. Feely will also be the primary back up if he doesn’t not start week 1
RB
- Steven Jackson will serve as the teams workhorse again as long as he comes back strong off his back injury
- Last season Jackson rushed for 1,416 yards on 324 carries while scoring 4 TDs. He also caught 51 passes for 322 yards
- Steven Jackson carried the ball 324 out of a total of 411 rushes for the Rams. This equates for 78.8% of the teams total carries
- Darby carried the ball 27 times for 152 yards. Also caught 18 passes for 96 yards
WR
- The WRs for the Rams are a young and up and coming group who will have a chance to build chemistry with a young QB in Bradford
- Donnie Avery was the teams leading receiver catching 47 passes for 589 yards and 5 touchdowns.
- Mardy Gilyard was drafted to add youth and depth to the WR corps
- Keenan Burton caught 25 passes for 253 yard
TE
- The TE McMichael was the teams third leading receiver catching 34 passes for 332 yards and 1 TD
- Billy Bajema is the teams second tight end and caught 8 passes for 94 yards
Kicker
- Josh Brown will serve as the team’s kicker. Making 19 field goals on 79.2% kicking. He also made all 16 of his extra points tried
Rams Defense
- James Laurinaitis led the team with 120 tackles, Oshiomogho Atogwe had 74
- The Rams had 25 sacks last season
- Leading sacker was Leonard Little with 6.5
- How can the Rams continue to increase their defensive prowess and get better pass rush and also create more turnovers
- James Butler led the team with 3 INTs
- Team forced 15 fumbles
- Team forced a total of 23 turnovers
Offensive Line
Analysis: They replaced the loss of Orlando Pace with #2 overall Jason Smith. Pace was in need dire need of a change of scenery. Jason Brown is another new face in the newly re-vamped Greatest Show on Turf.
Offensive Scheme
Analysis: With a new HC and OC, this St. Louis team will be a bit unpredictable. Pat Shurmur comes over from Philadelphia where he was the QB coach for McNabb.
Pat Shurmur is saying he will run a version of the Philadelphia West Coast Offense - short passes relying on WR’s and RB’s to make plays and keep Bulger healthy. He says his version will feature more running than the Philly version.
Major Off-Season Moves
June 28, 2010
Signed WR Mardy Gilyard, LB Josh Hull, CB Jerome Murphy, CB Marquis Johnson, DE Hall Davis, DE Eugene Sims, DE George Selvie and TE Michael Hoomanawanui.
June 23, 2010
Signed S Oshiomogho Atogwe to a multi-year contract.
June 10, 2010
Signed DT Chris Hovan.
June 9, 2010
Announced the retirement of WR Isaac Bruce.
June 3, 2010
Named La'Roi Glover director of player programs. Declined to sign S Oshiomogho Atogwe, making him an unrestricted free agent.
May 10, 2010
Traded OT Alex Barron to Dallas for LB Bobby Carpenter.
April 27, 2010
Agreed to terms with DT Jermelle Cudjo, LB Freddie Harris, LB Cardia Jackson, S Jeromy Jones, LB Simoni Lawrence, QB Thaddeus Lewis, FB Jamie McCoy, WR Brandon McRae, WR Roderick Owens, S Darian Stewart, FB Kennedy Tinsley, RB Keith Toston and RB DeMaundray Woolridge.
April 20, 2010
Traded DT Adam Carriker to Washington for an undisclosed draft pick.
April 7, 2010
Signed LB Na'il Diggs.
April 5, 2010
Released QB Marc Bulger.
March 22, 2010
Re-signed DE James Hall.
March 18, 2010
Signed LS Chris Massey and RB Kenneth Darby.
March 11, 2010
Re-signed TE Daniel Fells.
March 8, 2010
Signed DT Fred Robbins.
March 6, 2010
Signed QB A.J. Feeley.
February 10, 2010
Named Nolan Cromwell wide receivers coach.
January 23, 2010
Fired trainer Jim Anderson.
Strength of Schedule
We are firm believers that strength-of-schedule analysis is essential when ranking players at every position. We applied this system (without the 5% NFL draft impact) in hindsight to last year's schedule as we were curious how well it could work. The notable results were that Michael Turner and the Falcons had a #32 ranked (easiest) rush schedule last season and DeAngelo Williams and the Panthers were #30.
Our SoS considers three factors when determining rankings for schedules for the upcoming year:
80% weight is applied to the quality of defense from the previous year. We determine quality of defense based on fantasy points given up (run and pass). However, before we get to that number, we factor in the quality of teams that these defenses faced (basically a strength-of-schedule for the previous year). This was all done by hand. Let's just say our boy, Stitchface, has a bit of the carpal tunnel-syndrome going on.
15% weight is applied to Free-Agent movement. We ranked each free agent's impact to their former team (2008), and then ranked each team according to whether they added or lost talent overall.
5% weight is applied to the NFL draft impact. It's tough to gauge a rookie's effectiveness which is why we valued it so low. Certain teams not only drafted defensemen well in '09, but also will be sliding those guys into highly deficient positions from '08, and usually, anything is an upgrade when you are starting a rookie.
If you trust Stitchface's formula (and you will eventually), all you need to realize is the following... The higher the SoS number, the easier the fantasy schedule.
Ranking: 1=easiest 32=toughest
Breaking News
Pro Bowl: SJax replaced by Frank Gore expand +
Rams running back Steven Jackson will be sitting out this year's Pro Bowl due to a herniated disc in his back. 49ers RB Frank Gore will be taking his place on the NFC roster.
Pyro's Take:
Jackson dealt with his back problem for the most of the season, so missing this game comes as no surprise. Even though Gore missed a couple of games this year, he still put up a career high in touchdowns this year (10 rushing, 3 receiving).
Steven Jackson active and ready to go expand +
The Rams decided to keep running back Steven Jackson active for the game against the 49ers today. He will of course make his normal start.
Pyro's Take:
Great news for those of you who play in your fantasy Super Bowl this week. You got lucky, though, as the Rams have nothing to play for and would likely rather lose this game to secure the No. 1 overall draft pick next year.
Isaac Bruce may have played his last down expand +
According to 49ers coach Mike Singletary, wide receiver Isaac Bruce will not be active for either of the team's final two games, which means he will not get to play his final game against his former team, the Rams, in Week 17.
Pyro's Take:
Just for fans of the NFL, it would have been nice to see Bruce suit up one last time, but that's not going to happen. If Bruce has indeed played his final snap, he will end his career with 1,024 receptions, 15,208 yards, and 91 TDs.
Steven Jackson active and starting expand +
Rams running back Steven Jackson (back, illness) has been declared active and will start against the Texans today.
Pyro's Take:
The flu bug that hit the team seems to have come and gone as most of the regular players are active today. As usual, SJax is a must-start on your fantasy football team.
Steven Jackson very questionable for Sunday expand +
Not only is Rams running back Steven Jackson dealing with back spasms, but he also sat out practice today with flu-like symptoms and is highly questionable to play against the Texans this Sunday.
Pyro's Take:
The Rams had to cancel practice on Thursday because members of the team, including QB Kyle Boller and possibly WR Brandon Gibson, had caught the swine flu, but it's unclear if that is what SJax came down with as well. Check back Sunday to see what the story is and whether you can play him on your fantasy team this weekend or not.
Steven Jackson takes Wednesday off expand +
Rams running back Steven Jackson (back spasms) took the day off on Wednesday in the hopes he can get in some practice time later in the week.
Pyro's Take:
Jackson doesn't seem to be missing games due to the injury, so it's safe to use the big RB on your fantasy football team this weekend.
Avery probable for Sunday matchup expand +
Rams wide receiver Donnie Avery (shoulder) is being listed as probable for the Week 14 game against the Titans.
Pyro's Take:
Avery will be out there on Sunday, but stay away from playing him on your fantasy football team as CB Cortland Finnegan is likely to be shadowing him all day long.
Steven Jackson listed as questionable expand +
Rams running back Steven Jackson (back spasms) went through a few plays in practice for the first time in weeks and is being listed as questionable on the team's Week 14 injury report.
Pyro's Take:
Jackson should play as usual on Sunday, but he might have a tough time finding holes against a strong Titans rush D. He's still a must-start on your fantasy football team this weekend.
Rookie Brandon Gibson limited today expand +
Rams rookie wide receiver Brandon Gibson was limited in practice today by an ankle injury.
Pyro's Take:
Gibson received 9 and 17 targets respectively in his first two games of significant action, but has gone down to 7 and 5 over the last two games. He's not playable on your fantasy football team for the rest of this year.
Avery limited again expand +
Rams wide receiver Donnie Avery (shoulder) was limited in practice again on Thursday.
Pyro's Take:
Avery will likely play, but with the Boiler under center for the Rams, he can't be used on your fantasy football team unless you're desperate.
Steven Jackson still sitting out practice expand +
Rams running back Steven Jackson (back spasms) was still on the sidelines at practice today.
Pyro's Take:
This is the same routine he's been going through for a couple of weeks now, and since he hasn't missed a game yet, we don't expect him to this week either. Check back just to be sure, but we're guessing it's safe to keep him in your fantasy football lineup for now.
Avery limited at practice expand +
Rams wide receiver Donnie Avery (shoulder) was limited in practice on Wednesday.
Pyro's Take:
He should be able to play on Sunday, but with Kyle Boller still at QB, you'll want to find another option for your WR3 this week.
Steven Jackson takes Wednesday off expand +
Rams running back Steven Jackson (back spasms) sat out practice Wednesday as he continues to try and rest up his back for the game against the Titans this weekend.
Pyro's Take:
SJax will almost certainly play on Sunday, as he has fought through his injury the past two weeks to suit up on game day. As usual, he is a must-start on your fantasy team regardless of the matchup.
Avery suffers subluxation of his shoulder expand +
Rams wide receiver Donnie Avery went in for an MRI today after suffering a subluxation of his shoulder against the Bears on Sunday. The results of the tests are not yet known.
Pyro's Take:
He was able to finish the game with the help of a brace, while coach Steve Spagnuolo remains hopeful Donnie will be able to play next week against the Titans. However, he's barely worth playing as a flex on your fantasy football team with Kyle Boller under center.
Steven Jackson active and ready to go expand +
Rams running back Steven Jackson (back spasms) is active for the game against the Bears today and will start as usual.
Pyro's Take:
Get him in your fantasy football lineup if you took him out for any reason. He should have a lot of fun going up against a Lance Briggs-less Bears D today.
