Our schedule isn't tough, our talent has improved, no excuses this year

[FRO]

Looking over the schedule and barring injuries at minimum this should be a 9 win team.

First 4 games:
Seattle
@Washington
Pittsburgh
@Arizona
None of the first 4 games screams can't win. Seattle is depleted a bit, Washington sucks, I don't know much about Pittsburgh but we should be able to hang with them, and Arizona is an older team so I'm not sure what they have left. At minimum we should start 2-2, but 3-1 should be the mark. Anything less than 2-2 and I'm worried.

Next 4 games:
@Green Bay
Cleveland
San Francisco
@ Minnesota
Again at minimum this should be a 2-2 stretch. Cleveland and San Francisco should be competing for the first pick while the Packers and Vikings will be very tough road games. I expect both those teams to compete for the North.

Next 4:
Chicago
@Baltimore
@Cincinnati
Arizona
This is the toughest 4 game stretch of the season. Chicago is the only easy game of the 4. We need to go 2-2 at minimum in this stretch. Win your home games.

Last 4:
Detroit
Tampa Bay
@Seattle
@San Francisco
To me this is the easiest stretch. I expect Detroit's defense to take a step back due to losing key players. Tampa sucks and so do the 49ers. I think this is a 3-1 stretch.

This should be a 9 or 10 win team just by looking at the schedule. We got a pretty good roster. If we are going to make the jump, this is the year to do it.

 

[shaunpinney]

good post @FRO - if we want to be a playoff team and a contender then we have to win all of our home games, and that starts at week one, the games I see us losing are @Green Bay and @Seattle, at this stage the games I'm worried about are @Minnesota, @Baltimore and @Cincinnati, I'd like to see us win at least 2 of these and we'll hopefully have Gurley at full speed by these games - the others I believe we have to win to get out of our division.

To me the key is the first 4 games, our D needs to be awake, no, they need to be on-fire from the get go...

 

[CGI_Ram]

Arizona is an older team so I'm not sure what they have left

I think we think this because of Palmer, but they actually have a lot of young talent on that team.

I'm only picking them to miss the playoffs because they are in our division. If I were being totally neutral, I like the Cardinals a little.

 

[PhillyRam]

Winning home games would be easier if the fans come out and the place is rocking behind that defense. However, I fear a dead dome from the opening kickoff on that will make home games a neutral field event at best.

 

[RAGRam]

But Gurley wasn't healthy game 1, if he was we would have run all over the Seahawks and at least finished with an 8-8 record, it's not Fisher's fault that Gurley took longer than we expected, he deserves another year.

Just getting ready for January.

 

[CGI_Ram]

Winning home games would be easier if the fans come out and the place is rocking behind that defense. However, I fear a dead dome from the opening kickoff on that will make home games a neutral field event at best.

Another reason to win week 1. Get the talk back on football.

 

[JUMAVA68]

Winning home games would be easier if the fans come out and the place is rocking behind that defense. However, I fear a dead dome from the opening kickoff on that will make home games a neutral field event at best.

Yeah it doesn't help that the Stl Cardinals are tearing it up and look primed to go all the way.That has to have some effect on the home games in Stl.[

 

[tonyl711]

if theres not 45000 or more there it wont be because the StL cardinals are winning, they wont be playing here that week, it will be because Stan has alienated the fan base IMO. which is pretty sad because this team finally has a chance to give us something to cheer about, i just hope the reluctant fans return once they see this team is for real.

 

[FRO]

if theres not 45000 or more there it wont be because the StL cardinals are winning, they wont be playing here that week, it will be because Stan has alienated the fan base IMO. which is pretty sad because this team finally has a chance to give us something to cheer about, i just hope the reluctant fans return once they see this team is for real.

You really can't blame fans for feeling jaded or for not wanting to give a dime to the owner. The product for the last 10 years has been as bad as it gets in sports. The owner has done almost everything imaginable to alienate fans. I fear the only Rams fans you will have are the diehards because the casual fan is probably put off.

 

[Athos]

The Stealers game scares me more than the Hags. We always play the Hags tough.

But even with this D, playing against Big Ben, Bell, and Brown is scary.

Brown could really torch our secondary.

I think Donald has a field day with no Unger. It'll only take one game for the Hags to regret trading him, cuz Wussell may need a body bag.

 

[-X-]

If I were being totally neutral, I like the Cardinals a little.

 

[blue4]

I agree. The window opened last year, and with the QB and OL issues we blew it. That window is wide open now with the weakness of the 9ers and the Cardinals looking really no better than last year. Seattle hasn't improved or weakened significantly and we were more than a match for then. We have Foles, and Keenum has looked good if he gets hurt. Really, we are out of excuses. That window will start to shut before we know it, as it does for all teams in the parity driven NFL. There needs to be that intensity to win from week 1.

 

[Angry Ram]

I'm not gonna go game by game predictions this year. They have to play consistently, that's all I ask. No more ugly Minnesota games followed by domination of Denver, Oakland, Washington, then mistake filled games like New York, Arizona, etc.

 

[den-the-coach]

Great Thread @FRO and I concur (so glad I concurred) the regime has their Quarterback and the offensive line they selected. So far only suffered one major injury, which is far better than many and there should be no more excuses.

Fisher does not put much stock into preseason and that's fine as long as you start winning in the regular season. I believe that preseason games don't count, but they matter, however, this coaching staff feels otherwise and that's fine as long as you start winning more games than you lose.

Many things loom on the horizon for this franchise, but they owe to their fan base and the beautiful city of St. Louis to go out and win the game on the 13th of September and leave it all out on the field and offer no more excuses as to why they came up short.

 

[Fatbot]

I think you are underrating the schedule toughness, but in the end I agree with your 9 or 10 win prediction...

First 4 games:
Seattle
@Washington
Pittsburgh
@Arizona

This opening set is 3 of 4 playoff-caliber teams. The Rams have not earned the right to consider any games as gimmes -- not even Washington, especially not on the road. We can say yes, they must win that game if they are going to be a playoff team, but that's arguably the easiest game of this first set. 2-2 would be great but 1-3 is a very real possibility. So I'm not going to throw in the towel if they have a rough start.

Next 4 games:
@Green Bay
Cleveland
San Francisco
@ Minnesota

Agree this should be a 2-2 with the hope of stealing one of the tough road games. If they go 1-3 here after a 1-3 start, then I will join in the depression. But I have the Rams 3-5 here and still in the hunt.

Next 4:
Chicago
@Baltimore
@Cincinnati
Arizona

This is another tough set, but this is where the Rams either make a move to become a playoff contender or not. By this time all the unknowns going into the season are settled, the OL has jelled (or they hopefully signed a new C by now), and I think the Rams style matches up well with the Ravens and Bengals enough to finally steal a road win against a good team. 2-2 is mandatory with 3-1 the hope. So I have the Rams at 6-6 here, but a lot better than their record and peaking at the right time.

Last 4:
Detroit
Tampa Bay
@Seattle
@San Francisco

Agreed this is the easiest stretch, but again can't count road division rival games as gimmes, and Detroit could be a beast or pushover at this point (with Megatron always scary). Still it hopefully is two home wins then going into Seattle at 8-6, momentum carrying the team to 10-6 finish.

So let's hope for those double-digit victoies, no matter what path it takes to get there!

 

[Ky Ram]

For all the talk of the 9ers being down this year they haven't looked down on the field.
We aren't in a position to look down on any team - we're 0-0 like everyone else. One game at a time should be our motto.

 

[Corbin]

While I agree with you @FRO our schedule is finally not in the top 3 of toughest schedules! lol What are we 7 this year?

 

[Force16X]

Winning home games would be easier if the fans come out and the place is rocking behind that defense. However, I fear a dead dome from the opening kickoff on that will make home games a neutral field event at best.

i agree with your sentiment. however, as noted, the fans need to see something from the team. fans cant block, run the correct routes, find the holes in the line, not commit bad penalties.
i live in columbus ohio. if you want futility, look no further than (no not the big 16, i mean 10) the columbus bluejackets. for like the 4th year in a row, they should make the playoffs, blah blah blah. the lack of fan support gets brought up. it can be quiet in nationwide arena, especially if the play is quiet. i was there when they beat the penguins in the OT playoff win with 2 goals in like 3 minutes. the place was deafening (i actually hurt my vocal cords, but thats another story) BECAUSE the players achieved what they were capable of. they came back for one, down 3-0 in the first period.
NOW, in your defense, columbus took a timeout at that point and since the fans believed in the team, they started chanting CBJ, over and over and over. after the game nick foligno admitted that when the team heard the fans cheering they were actually surprised and then agreed that they couldnt quit since the fans hadnt quit on them. it works both ways, right now, rams fans need to see a little more though.

 

[ReddingRam]

As Ky Ram says ... we have no room or reason as of yet to be "overly" confident. Our entire offense is pretty new a s a whole. New OC, QB's, OL, and others. Yes we EXPECT our defense to be pretty damn good but .... we HAVE to score points. I feel good about where we are heading .. .but I can't say for sure how it is going to look, especially early on.

 

[Warner4Prez]

But Gurley wasn't healthy game 1, if he was we would have run all over the Seahawks and at least finished with an 8-8 record, it's not Fisher's fault that Gurley took longer than we expected, he deserves another year.

Just getting ready for January.

Nah man. Outta here with that nonsense. We've by in large written off the past 3 years of Rams football due to injuries and scheme. No more. I get Gurley is important, but there are at least two backs plenty capable of toting the rock 15-20 times a game.

Fish receives no free passes from me this year, even if Gurley were to miss the entire season. You have your defense cemented in place, a healthy starting QB and your franchise left tackle to boot. If they're sub .500 come January, fire up the coaching carousel.