Why the Rams are getting better but still not close.

St. Louis Rams

Predicted: 4^th

2008 Record: 2-14 (4^th NFC West)

Head Coach: Steve Spagnuolo (1^st year)

Roster Quick View (*new veteran, **rookie)

Offense (coordinator: Pat Shurmur)

QB: Marc Bulger

Improved offensive line and new quarterback-friendly system leaves the ninth-year veteran with no excuses for not reclaiming Pro Bowl status.

RB: Steven Jackson

Excellent combination of power, speed and agility. This offense won’t succeed if he doesn’t finish the season with at least 1,800 total yards.

RB: Antonio Pittman

Similar to New England’s Sammy Morris. Has fluid hips and good quickness for his build.

FB: Mike Karney*

Not a vicious lead-blocker, but solid enough. Has built a nice rapport with Jackson early on.

WR: Donnie Avery

If he can grasp the fundamentals of running NFL routes, he’ll have a chance to play with speed and quickness. Monitor his development closely.

WR: Keenan Burton

Flashed no particularly dazzling traits as a fourth-round rookie last season, though a bum knee might have been a factor.

WR: Laurent Robinson*

Potentially electrifying downfield threat. Atlanta traded the former third-round pick because he couldn’t stay healthy.

TE: Randy McMichael

Athletic, but it hasn’t shown the last few seasons. Excited about a fresh start in this new West Coast offense after an ankle injury cost him 12 games in ’08.

TE: Joe Klopfenstein

Underachiever, but that doesn’t mean his blocking isn’t solid. He’s certainly better than Billy Bajema or Daniel Fells.

LT: Alex Barron

Turns 27 in September which means his development is done. The end product is a superb athlete hampered by shoddy technique.

LG: Jacob Bell

Trying to keep his weight up around 300 after a lack of size hindered his performance in 2008.

C: Jason Brown*

Rams made him the highest-paid center in football after deciding they couldn’t allow their interior line to keep killing the offense.

RG: Richie Incognito

Plays with a rabid mean streak. Attitude has been an issue, and his fundamentals are just plain sloppy. Still, he’s probably a better option than John Greco.

RT: Jason Smith**

Might be the most under-hyped No. 2 overall pick in NFL history. Why, exactly, are the Rams starting him off out of position?

6 OL: Adam Goldberg

Utility backup who substitutes polished technique for sheer size. In this case, 6’7”, 318-pound size.

Defense (coordinator: Ken Flajole)

LDE: Victor Adeyanju

Can start if you’re looking for a decent run-defender to fill a spot. Doesn’t have the quickness or furor to dominate.

DT: Adam Carriker

Hard to believe that he’s been completely healthy thus far. He certainly hasn’t been comfortable. Wouldn’t be starting if he weren’t a recent first-round pick.

DT: Clifton Ryan

Makes good use of his 316-pound size, but lacks the quickness and motor to thrive in Steve Spagnuolo’s new system.

RDE: Chris Long

High-energy, smart, fundamentally-sound player. Might not be a top-shelf star, but he’s the type of guy you win Super Bowls with.

3 DE: Leonard Little

At 34 and injury-prone, may have more career DUI’s (2) and manslaughter victims (1) than sacks on the ’09 season.

3 DT: Dorell Scott**

Drafted in the fourth round because scouts believe he has enough quickness to penetrate and enough strength to congest.

SLB: Chris Draft

Smart player who has sound fundamentals, but he’s not great at disengaging from blocks. Would probably be a utility backup for most clubs.

MLB: James Laurinaitis**

Compensates for mediocre speed with excellent instincts. Coaches hope he can bring the aggression that has been missing at this position.

WLB: Will Witherspoon

Light-footed finesse player who makes much more sense in space than inside.

4 LB: David Vobora

Doesn’t have NFL tools, but the only other option here is Quinton Culberson, who gets absolutely devoured by blockers.

CB: Tye Hill

One of the brightest young talents in football a few years ago, but injuries (most recently a knee) have hounded him the past two seasons.

CB: Ronald Bartell

Dependability in run support and continued improvements as a pure cover artists earned him a four-year contract with $13.6 million in guarantees.

NB: Jonathan Wade

Will compete with second-year pro Justin King for nickel duties.

SS: James Butler*

Followed Spagnuolo here from St. Louis. Not a stud, but his experience in the system will be invaluable early on.

FS: Oshiomogho Atogwe

A knack for interceptions earned him a franchise tag. Fine player, but doesn’t have the speed or run-stopping prowess of a first-tier safety.

6 DB: Todd Johnson

Slow feet aren’t as big a problem when he’s confined to the box. Smart veteran.

Special Teams

K: Josh Brown

Quite possibly the best kicker in football. Range is tremendous and so are his nerves under pressure.

P: Donnie Jones

Led the NFL with a 50.0 yards per punt average last season.

RS: Derek Stanley

Hoping to bounce back from ’08 ACL injury. Rams lack options here.

Draft

RD PK (OVR) NAME POS SCHOOL

1 2 (2) Jason Smith OT Baylor

2 3 (35) James Laurinaitis ILB Ohio St

3 2 (66) Bradley Fletcher CB Iowa

4 3 (103) Darell Scott DT Clemson

5 24 (160) Brooks Foster WR UNC

6 23 (196) Keith Null QB W Texas A&M

7 2 (211) Chris Ogbonnaya RB Texas

KEY PLAYERS ACQUIRED

TE Billy Bajema: UFA 49ers; terms unknown.

QB Kyle Boller: UFA Ravens; $1.5M/1 yr.

C Jason Brown: UFA Ravens; $37.5M/5 yrs, $11M SB/$9M base guarantees; 2009 cap: $6.2M.

SS James Butler: UFA Giants; $12M/4 yrs, $1.075M SB; 2009 cap: $2.194M.

WR Ronald Curry (trade Lions)

FB Mike Karney: FA Saints; $3.5M/3 yrs, $275,000 SB/$225,000 RB; 2009 cap: $1.017M.

WR Laurent Robinson (trade Falcons).

KEY PLAYERS LOST

TE Anthony Becht (released).

WR Drew Bennett (released).

S Corey Chavous (released).

DT La’Roi Glover (retired)

OT Brandon Gorin: UFA Broncos; terms unknown.

QB Trent Green (released/failed physical).

WR Torry Holt (released).

C Nick Leckey: UFA Saints; 1 yr, terms unknown.

RB Brian Leonard (traded Bengals).

OT Orlando Pace (released).

C Brett Romberg: UFA Falcons; terms unknown.

LB Pisa Tinoisamoa (released)

Analysis

The good thing about winning only two games is that it allows you to immediately draft an adequate replacement for a Hall of Fame LT. The hope is that Jason Smith can be the next Orlando Pace. It doesn’t make sense to start Smith at RT and let Alex Barron bring his inconsistency to his more natural left side spot––especially given that Barron, in the final year of his contract, could be gone in 2010.

Smith will be lining up with new center Jason Brown. The Rams paid Brown about 120 percent of his value, but the 26-year-old at least gives them strength, intelligence and leadership. The absence of such characteristics inside has destroyed this line the past several seasons.

Ex-Giant James Butler provides the secondary with valuable experience and knowledge in Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme. And, thanks to the franchise tag, Butler will get to play alongside free safety O.J. Atogwe (who has 13 picks over the last two seasons). Because of this, St. Louis won’t miss Corey Chavous.

Torry Holt’s impressive Rams career ended at the right moment. Former Falcon Laurent Robinson is nowhere near Holt’s caliber, but if healthy, he can be a supreme deep threat.

Second-round pick James Laurinaitis was a Godsend. His arrival allows Chris Draft and Will Witherspoon to play their natural outside positions. Pisa Tinoisamoa was St. Louis’s best LB last season, but the Rams didn’t want to pay some $3 million against the cap just to have him back up Witherspoon on the weak side.

There are plenty of improvements still to be made, but credit St. Louis for a good start to the Spagnuolo era.