MVN - Most Valuable Network

Shopping for a Super Bowl

With only 386 shopping days left until Super Bowl XLII, the Rams front office has some work to do before they can book their trip to Glendale or even hope to be back in the playoff chase. After spending all season looking at what can be done on the field, let’s take a look at what Georgia Frontiere and company can do off the field for a more successful 2007.

DEFENSE:

This should be first on the list for upper management. I know tradition says to draft offensive weapons to return to the “Greatest Show on Turf,� but (Indianapolis Colts aside) no team can expect to consistently out-gain opponents while allowing them to control the clock with an average of 145 rushing yards per game. Their inability to stop the run also led to twenty-one touchdowns on the ground. St. Louis should use their first-round pick (thirteenth overall) to grab a defensive lineman who can help to stuff the run but primarily pressure the quarterback. 2006 Rotary Lombardi Award winner LaMarr Woodley (DE, Michigan) could be a good complement to Leonard Little and augment their number of sacks (34 last season). Woodley finished his senior season with 11 sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss, and 4 forced fumbles.

On paper, the defense put up mildly impressive numbers, including a +14 turnover margin and fewer total average yards than the offense managed to provide (Opp: 335.1; StL: 360.4). But really this just amounts to holding the opponent defensively in about half the games, hence the 8-8 season. MLB Witherspoon assaulted the ball carrier with 112 tackles, and rookie cornerback Tye Hill had an impressive freshman season, pulling down three INTs and grabbing 42 tackles.

OFFENSE:

Many people would see this as the Rams’ best asset, which it is inasmuch as it includes their three best players (Jackson, Bulger, and Holt) all of whom made the 2006 Pro Bowl. Outside of Holt, Jackson, and Bruce, Bulger threw few passes to other Rams. Curtis isn’t a bad third receiver, but it’s doubtful he could step up to be #2 should an aging Bruce fall victim to injury.

Bolstering the receiving corps would help The Bulge in the backfield, but he really needs a stronger offensive line to give him more time to find his weapons. Quarterbacks can’t throw on their back, as Bulger was forty-nine times this season. Orlando Pace getting injured hurt the squad, but they were giving up passes to the quarterback even with him in the lineup. They did look like a more cohesive unit in their last three wins. On the other hand, they were against Washington, Oakland, and Minnesota.

SPECIAL TEAMS:

Allowing three special teams touchdowns can be a gamebreaker no matter how well your defense or offense is playing. Reinforcements on defense will help prevent this momentum swing. Bringing in a solid return man for St. Louis would also be proactive in swinging the momentum back to a team with no return TDs in 2006. Willie Ponder returned most of the kicks for the Boys in Blue and averaged just over a touchback (23.3 yards, no touchdowns). Shaun McDonald was Ponder’s counterpart on punts and averaged 7.5 return yards.

 

The shopping list is fairly long and potentially expensive, but the good news is that the NFC has been so mediocre of late that even a few pick-ups could push them into the playoffs. Putting another Lombardi Trophy in Georgia’s hands will take a few more dollars out of her pocket.

 

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 13th, 2007 at 3:15 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.