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Ten questions as Rams open training camp
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_751cd515-9e4d-5e52-91ea-e352e481d279.html
The Rams open training camp Friday with a new quarterback, a new offensive coordinator, and lots of new offensive linemen. By the end of the 2015 season, they may have a new address.
The defense, which returns intact, could be dominant. Both the head coach, Jeff Fisher, and general manager Les Snead feel this not only is the best Rams team they’ve had to work with but also a team that can legitimately compete for a playoff berth.
There are always questions surrounding every NFL team this time of year, and the Rams have their share. We pose 10 questions facing the 2015 Rams as they enter their 21st — and possibly last — season in St. Louis.
1. IS FOLES THE ANSWER?
In the midst of a contract dispute the Rams finally gave up on oft-injured Sam Bradford, shipping him to Philadelphia in March for Nick Foles in a trade that also included an exchange of draft picks. Which Foles are the Rams getting? The guy who threw 27 TD passes and a mere two interceptions en route to a Pro Bowl season in 2013? Or the so-so performer of a year ago who missed half the 2014 season with a broken collarbone? With only 24 starts, or the equivalent of 1 ½ seasons, it’s a small sample size. Learning the playbook and getting to know his teammates is the first order of business.
2. WILL YOUTH BE SERVED ON THE OFFENSIVE LINE?The Rams opened the 2014 season with a combined 366 career regular-season starts among their five O-line starters. Or an average of 73 starts per man. This year the Rams could easily open with just 72 career starts on their entire starting line. There could be an all-rookie right side of Rob Havenstein at right tackle and Jamon Brown at right guard. At center, Barrett Jones, Tim Barnes, and Demetrius Rhaney are all in the mix for the starting spot. Only Barnes has any starting experience among that trio, and we’re talking about only four starts in his case. This unit must grow up quickly.
3. WHEN IS IT TODD’S TIME?
The good news earlier in the week was that rookie RB Todd Gurley passed his conditioning test and begins training camp on the active roster. Just how much Gurley will contribute early in the season remains to be seen as he finishes off his rehab from knee surgery as a Georgia Bulldog. Look for the Rams to ease Gurley back into action, and it’s still questionable if he’ll play in the opener. There could be setbacks along the way, and players coming off ACL repairs frequently are better in their second season back. So don’t expect early-season miracles from the No. 10 overall pick.
4. WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM CIGNETTI?After three seasons of Brian Schottenheimer running the offense for Jeff Fisher, former quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti has been bumped up to the coordinator’s position. Known as Cig or Cigs to the players and coaches, Cignetti has extensive coordinator’s experience at the college level but this is his first bite of the apple in the NFL. The Rams are emphasizing simplified terminology in play-calling, and in general a streamlined playbook. No doubt, Cignetti will have tweaks and wrinkles of his own, but the overall run-oriented philosophy comes straight from the Book of Fisher.
5. IS THERE ENOUGH AT WIDE RECEIVER?
The Rams finally have some seasoning in their WR corps, and this is a key year career-wise for several members of the unit. Tavon Austin has had some dazzling moments in his first two seasons but hasn’t lived up to his draft status (No. 8 overall) at this point. Is this the year he becomes fully integrated into the offense and enjoys a breakout campaign? And what about late-bloomer Brian Quick? He looked to be finally reaching his potential last season and was on pace to become the franchise’s first 1,000-yard receiver since Torry Holt in 2007. Then came a season-ending shoulder injury in Game 7.
6. CAN THE DEFENSE DOMINATE?This could be the year. In a league where personnel turnover is a way of life, all 11 starters are back on defense. That’s all but unheard of in the age of free agency. Not only that, but most of the key backups return as well. Free agent pickups Nick Fairley at defensive tackle and Akeem Ayers at outside linebacker bring even more talent to the mix. Over the final eight games of the 2014 season, the Rams were fifth in scoring defense, fourth in rushing defense, tied for fourth in sacks, and tied for sixth in takeaways. There’s no reason to think they can’t pick up where they left off.
7. HOW ABOUT WINNING IN SEPTEMBER FOR A CHANGE?
Slow starts have doomed the Rams in their first three seasons under Jeff Fisher. To a large degree, they’ve been out of the playoff hunt by the first frost. In all three seasons they’ve been 3-5 at midseason, and started 1-3 in 2014 and ‘13. The Rams need to reverse those numbers to win back at least some of the fans and give themselves a legitimate chance for a postseason berth. Fisher and his staff should have a better feel for what they have entering the season. And most of the young players have some seasoning. But 4 of the first 5 contests are against 2014 playoff teams, and three are on the road.
8. FISHER’S FUTURE IN DOUBT?Another slow start could mean a fourth consecutive losing season for Jeff Fisher, and not many coaches survive such a track record. The Rams have pulled off some memorable upsets under Fisher, and after the worst five-year stretch in NFL history from 2007-2011 under Scott Linehan, Jim Haslett, and Steve Spagnuolo (15-65), Fisher has gotten the franchise back to at least the neighborhood of respectability. Does Stan Kroenke want Fisher around to lead the team’s potential transfer to Los Angeles in 2016 no matter what? Or does Fisher, whose three-year mark here is 20-27-1, need to win in 2015?
9. WHO STAYS? WHO GOES?
Interwoven with what happens on the field in 2015 will be the business of football. The Rams have more than a dozen players scheduled for free agency after this season, including several starters. The volume of prospective free agents is something the team hasn’t had to face during the Les Snead-Jeff Fisher regime; it’s a byproduct of all the draft picks that came via the Robert Griffin III trade and assorted spinoff deals. Obviously, it takes more than a few minutes on the phone to work out new contracts. So the more players the Rams can re-sign before the end of ‘15, the better off they are.
10. CALIFORNIA DREAMING?No matter how much the coaches or players try to downplay it, the team’s potential relocation to Los Angeles will be the elephant in the room all season. In the big picture for the St. Louis area, it overshadows anything that will happen on the field this season. There will be key league meetings in August and October to discuss the topic, and by the end of the regular season we should have a pretty good idea of whether the Rams are staying or going. Who knows what developments will crop up before, after, and in between those league meetings? It’s difficult to imagine it not being a distraction.
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_751cd515-9e4d-5e52-91ea-e352e481d279.html
The Rams open training camp Friday with a new quarterback, a new offensive coordinator, and lots of new offensive linemen. By the end of the 2015 season, they may have a new address.
The defense, which returns intact, could be dominant. Both the head coach, Jeff Fisher, and general manager Les Snead feel this not only is the best Rams team they’ve had to work with but also a team that can legitimately compete for a playoff berth.
There are always questions surrounding every NFL team this time of year, and the Rams have their share. We pose 10 questions facing the 2015 Rams as they enter their 21st — and possibly last — season in St. Louis.
1. IS FOLES THE ANSWER?
In the midst of a contract dispute the Rams finally gave up on oft-injured Sam Bradford, shipping him to Philadelphia in March for Nick Foles in a trade that also included an exchange of draft picks. Which Foles are the Rams getting? The guy who threw 27 TD passes and a mere two interceptions en route to a Pro Bowl season in 2013? Or the so-so performer of a year ago who missed half the 2014 season with a broken collarbone? With only 24 starts, or the equivalent of 1 ½ seasons, it’s a small sample size. Learning the playbook and getting to know his teammates is the first order of business.
2. WILL YOUTH BE SERVED ON THE OFFENSIVE LINE?The Rams opened the 2014 season with a combined 366 career regular-season starts among their five O-line starters. Or an average of 73 starts per man. This year the Rams could easily open with just 72 career starts on their entire starting line. There could be an all-rookie right side of Rob Havenstein at right tackle and Jamon Brown at right guard. At center, Barrett Jones, Tim Barnes, and Demetrius Rhaney are all in the mix for the starting spot. Only Barnes has any starting experience among that trio, and we’re talking about only four starts in his case. This unit must grow up quickly.
3. WHEN IS IT TODD’S TIME?
The good news earlier in the week was that rookie RB Todd Gurley passed his conditioning test and begins training camp on the active roster. Just how much Gurley will contribute early in the season remains to be seen as he finishes off his rehab from knee surgery as a Georgia Bulldog. Look for the Rams to ease Gurley back into action, and it’s still questionable if he’ll play in the opener. There could be setbacks along the way, and players coming off ACL repairs frequently are better in their second season back. So don’t expect early-season miracles from the No. 10 overall pick.
4. WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM CIGNETTI?After three seasons of Brian Schottenheimer running the offense for Jeff Fisher, former quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti has been bumped up to the coordinator’s position. Known as Cig or Cigs to the players and coaches, Cignetti has extensive coordinator’s experience at the college level but this is his first bite of the apple in the NFL. The Rams are emphasizing simplified terminology in play-calling, and in general a streamlined playbook. No doubt, Cignetti will have tweaks and wrinkles of his own, but the overall run-oriented philosophy comes straight from the Book of Fisher.
5. IS THERE ENOUGH AT WIDE RECEIVER?
The Rams finally have some seasoning in their WR corps, and this is a key year career-wise for several members of the unit. Tavon Austin has had some dazzling moments in his first two seasons but hasn’t lived up to his draft status (No. 8 overall) at this point. Is this the year he becomes fully integrated into the offense and enjoys a breakout campaign? And what about late-bloomer Brian Quick? He looked to be finally reaching his potential last season and was on pace to become the franchise’s first 1,000-yard receiver since Torry Holt in 2007. Then came a season-ending shoulder injury in Game 7.
6. CAN THE DEFENSE DOMINATE?This could be the year. In a league where personnel turnover is a way of life, all 11 starters are back on defense. That’s all but unheard of in the age of free agency. Not only that, but most of the key backups return as well. Free agent pickups Nick Fairley at defensive tackle and Akeem Ayers at outside linebacker bring even more talent to the mix. Over the final eight games of the 2014 season, the Rams were fifth in scoring defense, fourth in rushing defense, tied for fourth in sacks, and tied for sixth in takeaways. There’s no reason to think they can’t pick up where they left off.
7. HOW ABOUT WINNING IN SEPTEMBER FOR A CHANGE?
Slow starts have doomed the Rams in their first three seasons under Jeff Fisher. To a large degree, they’ve been out of the playoff hunt by the first frost. In all three seasons they’ve been 3-5 at midseason, and started 1-3 in 2014 and ‘13. The Rams need to reverse those numbers to win back at least some of the fans and give themselves a legitimate chance for a postseason berth. Fisher and his staff should have a better feel for what they have entering the season. And most of the young players have some seasoning. But 4 of the first 5 contests are against 2014 playoff teams, and three are on the road.
8. FISHER’S FUTURE IN DOUBT?Another slow start could mean a fourth consecutive losing season for Jeff Fisher, and not many coaches survive such a track record. The Rams have pulled off some memorable upsets under Fisher, and after the worst five-year stretch in NFL history from 2007-2011 under Scott Linehan, Jim Haslett, and Steve Spagnuolo (15-65), Fisher has gotten the franchise back to at least the neighborhood of respectability. Does Stan Kroenke want Fisher around to lead the team’s potential transfer to Los Angeles in 2016 no matter what? Or does Fisher, whose three-year mark here is 20-27-1, need to win in 2015?
9. WHO STAYS? WHO GOES?
Interwoven with what happens on the field in 2015 will be the business of football. The Rams have more than a dozen players scheduled for free agency after this season, including several starters. The volume of prospective free agents is something the team hasn’t had to face during the Les Snead-Jeff Fisher regime; it’s a byproduct of all the draft picks that came via the Robert Griffin III trade and assorted spinoff deals. Obviously, it takes more than a few minutes on the phone to work out new contracts. So the more players the Rams can re-sign before the end of ‘15, the better off they are.
10. CALIFORNIA DREAMING?No matter how much the coaches or players try to downplay it, the team’s potential relocation to Los Angeles will be the elephant in the room all season. In the big picture for the St. Louis area, it overshadows anything that will happen on the field this season. There will be key league meetings in August and October to discuss the topic, and by the end of the regular season we should have a pretty good idea of whether the Rams are staying or going. Who knows what developments will crop up before, after, and in between those league meetings? It’s difficult to imagine it not being a distraction.