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2007 Team Report: St. Louis Rams

Quarterbacks

Starter: Marc Bulger
Backup(s): Gus Frerotte

Starting QB: Marc Bulger enjoyed a career-best season last year, finishing third among fantasy quarterbacks with 24 touchdown passes against just eight interceptions. The 30-year-old quarterback is in his prime, has many great targets to throw to, and should continue to put up very good numbers. Bulger is cool in the pocket, has great accuracy and reads defenses very well. The only real negative has been his inability to stay healthy throughout his career. However, he played in all 16 games last season and perhaps is ready to leave the 'injury-prone' label behind. Bulger was rewarded with a monster contract extension in early August, signaling the team's commitment to him as its franchise passer.

Backup QB: Gus Frerotte is a great backup quarterback. He is experienced having played 12 years, has good size and a decent arm, and as recently as 2005, tossed 494 passes in a season. He doesn't have great ability but in a pinch, can come in and do a good job for a club. He has a relatively poor completion percentage of 54% throughout his career but has thrown more touchdowns than interceptions.

Running Backs

Starter: Steven Jackson
Backup(s): Brian Leonard [R], Travis Minor, Antonio Pittman [R]
Fullback(s): Madison Hedgecock

Starting RB: Steven Jackson had some good moments in 2005 but became a great running back last season as he finished first in yards from scrimmage and third among fantasy RBs. Jackson has a workhorse frame at 6'2" and 233 chiseled pounds. He has the ability to run through a defender or make him miss with a quick move. He has been extremely durable throughout his first three seasons and is one of the few clear-cut elite fantasy RBs to target this year.

Backup RBs: Brian Leonard, a hybrid back at Rutgers University, has done everything the Rams could've asked this preseason and is in line for a heavy workload both as a fullback and as Jackson's backup RB2. Leonard is a throwback, who is as willing to lay a punishing block as he is to line up wide and make a great reception on 3rd down. Travis Minor, brought in from the Dolphins, hasn't carried the ball more than 109 times in a season but seems set to play the RB3 role.

Fullback: Madison Hedgecock is a great blocking fullback but has no fantasy upside.

Wide Receivers

Starters: Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce
Backups: Drew Bennett, Dane Looker, Dante Hall, Marques Hagans

Starting WRs: The St. Louis Rams are blessed with a tremendous set of receivers. Torry Holt leads the way with his four straight top-twenty fantasy seasons. Holt is a great athlete with soft hands, great feet and excellent intelligence. Although he has missed time only once in his eight seasons, Holt underwent surgery this offseason on a torn meniscus. As of mid-August, Holt declared his knee "70%", which is a concern for a guy that's going in the 2nd/3rd round of most fantasy leagues. Obviously if he's healthy, he's among the very best at his position. Isaac Bruce isn't showing any signs of slowing down after 13 great NFL seasons. He finished with 1,098 receiving yards a year ago and had his best yards per catch in five season. He's got at least another one or two solid seasons in him.

Backup WRs: Drew Bennett was added to the mix this season to replace Kevin Curtis as the Rams 3rd receiver; as well as provide insurance against Bruce or Holt getting hurt. Bennett has been a decidedly average starter in Tennessee save for an anomalous 3-game stretch late in 2004. He has exceptional size at 6'5", runs well and knows how to find the holes in the secondary; but probably couldn't approximate the production of either starter if forced into the lineup. Dane Looker and Dante Hall probably won't add much to the passing game. The lone youngster worth watching is converted QB Marques Hagans.

Tight Ends

Starters: Randy McMichael
Backups: Joe Klopfenstein, Dominique Byrd

The Rams haven't had a tight end catch 40 passes in a season since the 1995 campaign, but Randy McMichael, a free agent acquisition from the Dolphins, has a real chance to do so this year. In fact, he has averaged 61 receptions over the past four seasons and is basically a receiver playing the tight end position. With defenses keying on the outstanding WRs, McMichael should have room to operate. Joe Klopfenstein is a young prospect with great size and athleticism.

Place Kicker

Jeff Wilkins : In his 13th NFL season last year, Wilkins produced very good numbers once again. He connected on 32 of 37 FGs (86.5%), including 3 of 3 from 50+ yards. Last year was only the second time in his career that he had more field goal attempts than PAT attempts. His 131 points last year placed the Rams at third in kicker scoring, for a second straight top ten finish, and the fifth in eight years. Wilkins has made 345 consecutive PATs, dating back to 1998. That puts him within striking distance this year of Jason Elam's all-time record of 371. Still one of the better kickers on kickoffs, he averaged 63.2 yards with 11 touchbacks last year. CAMP UPDATE: Jeff Wilkins continued to rest during the preseason game against San Diego. Camp leg Kevin "Sparky" Lovell made field goals of 42 and 44 yards, and added a PAT.

Kick and Punt Returners

Kick Returners: Dante Hall; Marques Hagans

The Rams have gone through numerous returners in recent years, and none did particularly well. In hopes of fixing that problem, they traded for WR Dante Hall, one of the top return specialists in the history of the NFL. His youth, better years, and higher averages are likely behind him, although he continued to pile up strong totals on ample opportunities in Kansas City (53 returns, 22.8 avg. last year). WR Marques Hagans, another in the trend of converted QBs, practiced on kickoff returns for the Rams last year, but was not used in games.

Punt Returners: Dante Hall; Marques Hagans; Derek Stanley

Dante Hall's 5th place finish last year means he has now been a top five fantasy returner for five consecutive years. Last year he averaged 8.9 yards on 27 returns and scored once. He now has eleven career return TDs, trailing only Brian Mitchell (13) and Eric Metcalf (12). WR Dane Looker served as the primary backup on punt returns last year (7 returns, 6.7 avg.). Marques Hagans averaged 9.2 yards on punt returns and scored once during his college career at Virginia.

Offensive Line

Projected Starters: LT Orlando Pace, LG Mark Setterstrom, C Andy McCollum, RG Richie Incognito, RT Alex Barron
Key Backups: Claude Terrell, Adam Goldberg, Todd Steussie [IR]

Left tackle Orlando Pace had a forgettable 2006 season after missing eight games due to injury. He is now entering his 11th season and will be turning 32 years old. Alex Barron is a young player who has 27 starts in the last two years. As a first-year starter last year, Richie Incognito surprised with a very good performance. He is tenacious and loves to get after defenders. Andy McCollum is 37 years old but is back for another season as the starting center. This unit is kind of in transition between the old and the new, but it appeared to work last season and should again this year.

Team Defense

The Rams were one of three NFC West units to finish among the bottom five in scoring defense. Their 28th place ranking was actually an improvement over an '05 season in which they finished tied for 30th. In fact, the Rams have not finished better than 20th in scoring defense since the '01 Super Bowl campaign. It doesn't take a genius to see where the Rams struggles come from. In '06 they were 31st in run defense at 145 yards per game. This has been a recurring problem. In '05 they ranked 28th at 136 YPG and in '04 they were 29th at 136 YPG. The Rams cracked the top 10 in pass defense last season when their 190 yards per game ranked 8th. This could be deceptive however as they were such easy marks against the run that no one had to rely on the pass. Getting pressure on the QB was also an issue for the Rams in '06 when their 34 sacks ranked in the bottom third of the league. Both of these deficiencies have been strongly addressed with the addition of James Hall who will immediately start at DE, and first round pick Adam Carriker who is expected to start at tackle and make a considerable contribution against both run and pass. A second season in Jim Haslett's scheme will be a positive factor as will the maturity of FS Oshiomogho Atogwe and corner Tye Hill who will both be entering their second year as starters. The Rams have improved the talent level and should begin climbing the statistical rankings in '07, but in the short term, the team's best defense may ultimately be a potentially elite offense.

Defensive Line

Starters: DL Leonard Little, DE James Hall, DT La'Roi Glover, DT Adam Carriker [R]
Backups: DE Victor Adeyanju, DT Claude Wroten, Clifton Ryan

Starting DL: Leonard Little was arguably the best player on the defense in '06. His timing was excellent in a contract year, putting together a monster season that included top 5 finishes in tackles and sacks for his position, as well as finishing second overall with 7 FFs. Despite being 32, Little is still one of the fastest DEs in the game. Former Lions starter James Hall is a 30 year old former undrafted free agent who emerged as an excellent player for Detroit before being slowed by injuries over his final two seasons there. His career best of 11.5 sacks came in '04. Nagging injuries limited him to just 5 in '05 but he was on pace for a huge '06 when he had 5.5 sacks in just 7 games before landing on IR with a shoulder injury. He is believed to be healthy and ready to pick up right where he left off. Hall is an excellent every down player who is solid versus the run as well. Adam Carriker is the prized '07 first round pick and is expected to provide the defense with a much needed shot of youth, talent, size, power, energy and toughness. Carriker's skill set and versatility may prompt the coaching staff to go with a RT/LT scheme at times, without a hard division of responsibilities into prototypical NT/UT roles. He also gives them lineup flexibility with his ability to play end. Jimmy Kennedy failed to live up to expectations of being the 12th overall pick of the '03 draft and was dealt to the Broncos in exchange for a sixth-round pick. With 77 career sacks, La'Roi Glover was once among the most feared pass rushing DTs of his generation. He can still be a contributor but at age 33, is near the end of his career.

Backup DL: Victor Adeyanju may be the future of the DE position. In the short term he will work at the #3 DE and will see some snaps, but will take a back seat to the far more experienced Hall. Adeyanju doesn't seem to have have the physical traits to evolve into an elite sack artist and will most likely earn his keep in run support. Claude Wroten reportedly carried a top 20 grade with some scouts before off-field trouble pushed him down to the third round of the '06 draft. Like most rookies he didn't set the league on fire. During his time at LSU, Wroten flashed rare athleticism and pass rushing ability from the interior line positions. He's been making a stronger impression in the off-season and could be counted on more heavily.

Linebackers

Starters: WLB Pisa Tinoisamoa, MLB Will Witherspoon, SLB Brandon Chillar
Backups: MLB/OLB Chris Draft, OLB Raonall Smith, MLB Tim McGarigle

Starting LBs: Will Witherspoon was the Rams free agent gem in '06. He proved his worth while playing both WLB and MLB in Carolina. He made a very successful move to St. Louis where he became the starting MLB and recorded by far the best statistical season of his career. At 231 pounds, Witherspoon is not big for a MLB but has excellent speed, plays very smart and has the ability to be very physical. He has been installed as the centerpiece of the Rams defense. Pisa Tinoisamoa entered last season in a contract year and was rewarded with a significant extension. He is a good athlete with DB speed and strong cover skills. Tinoisamoa is a versatile player who has started games at all three LB positions. He led the team in tackles over his first three seasons while adding a big play threat as well. The problem is, his medical file is thicker than a large metropolitan phone book. Tinoisamoa played in only 11 games last season. Brandon Chillar made strides last season and could be a functional starter. He's not an elite talent but plays hard and is very smart. If he stumbles, free agent Chris Draft is waiting in the wings.

Backup LBs: Draft is with his fourth team in nine years but figures to be a big upgrade in LB depth. His versatility will be a big plus as Draft has made starts at all three LB positions over his career. His longest stint came with the Falcons, with his best season in '03 when he totaled 104 solo tackles. The 31 year old is coming off a solid '06 campaign in which he started 16 games at WLB and MLB for the Panthers, producing 109 combined tackles and a career high 6 sacks. Draft could push Chillar for the starting SLB job and is a valuable insurance policy. Smith is a former MIN second rounder that never lived up to his pedigree much due to an injury riddled career. He is a better athlete than football player and lacks great instincts. McGarigle was a tackle machine in college but has limitations and is considered a project.

Defensive Backs

Starters: SS Corey Chavous, FS Oshiomogho Atogwe, CB Fakhir Brown, CB Tye Hill
Backups: CB Ron Bartell, CB Jonathan Wade [R], CB Lenny Walls, CB Jerametrius Butler, S Todd Johnson, SS Jerome Carter

Starting DBs: Corey Chavous tied for 5th in tackles among safeties in '06, in large part due to the Rams horrific run defense up front. He may have lost half a step since his career began as a Viking CB but is one of the brightest and best prepared football players in the NFL at any position. He's played several positions in several different systems over the course of his career and provides both experience and invaluable leadership. Oshiomogho Atogwe moved into the starting lineup in his second season and made a very strong showing. The youngster forced 5 fumbles, recovered 1 and recorded 3 interceptions while gaining valuable experience. He is a talented player who could establish himself as one of the leagues elite free safeties over the next couple of seasons. One part of Atogwe's game that needs improvement is his play in the open field where suspect tackling led to some big plays for the offense last season. Fakhir Brown came with DC Haslett from New Orleans. He was the team's steadiest and most physical CB, but is limited in coverage and could be a better fit at nickel CB. Brown will miss the first 4 games of the season due to a suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Last year's first rounder Ty Hill is a speedster. He was among the rookie leaders in INTs and has big upside, but needs work on his tackling form.

Backup DBs: Ron Bartell is a physical specimen whose size and speed led to his selection in the second round in '05. Bartell didn't distinguish himself initially, but the light appeared to come on late last season with 3 INTs in the final three games. He is favored to emerge as the nickel back but will likely begin the year as a starter while Brown serves his suspension. Jonathan Wade is a rookie third rounder with resume and skill set similar to that of Hill. With 4.4 speed, the former track star was among the fastest prospects in the draft at any position. He's been converted from wide receiver thus is very raw in coverage. He is willing to be coached up and has interesting upside. He could be in the mix for the nickel CB role and may have the talent to eventually supplant Brown. Lenny Walls will hold down the dime role. Todd Johnson is a veteran safety who can play either position but is neither. The Bears passed him over for a starting role for a reason. He will play on special teams and possibly in some dime packages. Jerome Carter lacks the speed to play FS but is a big physical presence much in the mold of former Rams star Adam Archuleta. He is suspect in coverage but can be successful as an in the box safety.

Last modified: 2007-09-03 21:10:29