2009 St. Louis Rams Team Preview/Predictions
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2008 Record: 2-14
ATS: 6-10
The St. Louis Rams were a disaster in 2008 but the good news is that it’s history. A fresh new wave of optimism is blowing through town as former New York Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo takes over.
The smartest thing the Rams did this offseason was rebuild their offensive line. When the Rams were The Greatest Show On Turf, one thing that many people looked past was their steady offensive line. Since the golden days, those lines had crumbled to the point where the Rams offense was completely dysfunctional.
The Rams spent a first-round pick on Baylor tackle Jason Smith and also spent some money (albeit, overpaid) for center Jason Brown. Smith has fired up right guard Richie Incognito to the point that he’s looked the best of his career and when you combine that with holdovers Jacob Bell and Alex Barron, the Rams could truly go from having one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL to one of the best.
Expect a big bounce back year from Steven Jackson who won’t have to dodge four of five guys in the backfield just to get back to the line of scrimmage and also look for Marc Bulger to look better than he has in the past couple of seasons. The receiving corps is a work in progress but Laurent Robinson and Donnie Avery are up-and-comers.
On defense, the Rams are in good hands with Spagnuolo. Don’t be surprised if he gets them playing like a credible unit very early in the season.
The secondary is solid with Tye Hill, Ronald Bartell, free agent pickup James Butler and Pro Bowler O.J. Atogwe. This isn’t the best unit in the league but they’ll be respectable.
At linebacker, the addition of James Laurinits could turn out to be a steal from the draft. He’ll take over the middle linebacking duties and allow Will Witherspoon to go back to his more natural position on the outside.
The key will be up front where the Rams have a couple of first-round picks that have underachieved. Spagnuolo will have to light a fire under Adam Carriker and Chris Long as the Rams need more production out of them. But if we learned one thing from Spagnuolo in New York, he’ll find a way to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Believe it or not, but the Rams could be a playoff team in 2010. This year will be about laying the foundation but with a good offensive line, a Pro Bowl running back and a growing defense, that’s all it really takes to win the NFC West. We’ll see how it plays out but the Rams are finally heading in the right direction.
Super Bowl Odds: +15000
Conference Odds: +6600
NFC South Odds: +1150
2009 Rams Predictions
Place they’ll finish in NFC West: 3rd
Place they’ll finish in NFC Conference: 13th
Over/Under Season Wins Prediction: Over 5.5
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Dave Golokhov has written for BETUS Sportsbook, Sportsfanmagazine.com, FOX, Askmen.com, Sports-central.org, and the FOXSports.com Funhouse.
3 replies on “2009 St. Louis Rams Odds | Preview | Picks”
I agree that the Rams are headed in the right direction, but I wouldn’t expect a dramatic turn around this season. Spagnuolo was a great choice for head coach, but it will take him a few seasons to get back on top in the NFC West.
The Rams have the good fortune of playing in the worst division in the NFL which will help but not enough. They have a great back in Jackson but I am mytified why they let Holt go. If they can improve their defense only slightly they should be able to grab a couple more wins. I am not sold on their decision to go with Spagnuolo over Haslett but time will tell. Last in the NFC West.
Hmmm. Too bad Optimism isn’t a 4 letter word, because it doesn’t mean sh*t this year. Bulger has already returned to his brittle self and to think that teams won’t stack the line against Jackson is ridiculous. They scare NOBODY on offense and the D won’t do enough to keep the Rams competitive. Sorry Rams, you are gonna be in the bottom third of every imaginable team category this year!!