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http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_5b35dce8-0d86-56fd-9ff6-c785e9ae9bad.html
A quick hit on the Rams:
Looking ahead to next season: This year isn't over, but that's beside the point. I'm always looking at the current roster for weak areas that must be addressed when the Rams get into the offseason.
The team's most obvious need is cornerback. The Rams have simply been awful in the secondary in 2013. They've allowed a 67.2 percent completion rate, which ranks 31st among the 32 teams. They rank 30th in giving up 8.35 average yards per passing attempt. They are 25th in allowing an opponent passer rating of 95.5.
Cortland Finnegan was having a brutal season (in coverage) before his season-ending eye injury. Janoris Jenkins has regressed in his second season. The other second-year corner, Trumaine Johnson, has actually played pretty well overall. Rookie Brandon McGee is raw and ineffective. (Too soon to know if he can be a player.)
And don't even get us going on the safeties; there simply isn't much there, though rookie T.J. McDonald has a chance to develop into a good one.
The scary thing: this group has been shredded despite the presence of a rollicking pass rush generated by Robert Quinn, Chris Long and others. A great pass rush usually provides an immense boost to a defensive back, but the Rams' corners and safeties have been exploited anyway. To stop the bleeding, the Rams have to add at least two corners, maybe more, in time for 2014.
Related note: The Rams will have two first-round picks in the 2014 NFL Draft. The good news is that Washington continues to lose. Of course the Rams own Washington's first-rounder for 2014, as part of the Robert Griffin III deal. As of now, the Redskins' place among the 32 NFL teams translates into the fifth overall pick for St. Louis. (The Rams' own first-round pick is right around the middle, at No. 15.)
The Rams need the Redskins to keep losing. Here is Washington's remaining schedule:
Kansas City, home
Atlanta, road
Dallas, home
New York Giants, road
Thanks for reading …
— Bernie