Three-and-out: St. Louis Rams' camp questions

  • To unlock all of features of Rams On Demand please take a brief moment to register. Registering is not only quick and easy, it also allows you access to additional features such as live chat, private messaging, and a host of other apps exclusive to Rams On Demand.

-X-

Medium-sized Lebowski
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Messages
35,576
Name
The Dude
By Nate Davis
USA TODAY

http://content.usatoday.com/communities ... ByAKaPNnJo


The calendar has flipped to August, meaning all 32 NFL training camps are in full swing.

The Huddle will explore the major issues facing each team, so keep nfl.usatoday.com bookmarked.

Now it's time to tee up the St. Louis Rams' issues:

The Green Bay Packers went 15-1 in 2011. The Rams? They've won 15 games, t00 ... it's just taken them the past five seasons to reach that total. New Head Coach Jeff Fisher is among the league's most respected figures at his craft. The players seem to be quickly buying in as he tries to alter the culture of a franchise that last reached the playoffs in 2004 but hasn't had a winning season since 2003. If you're keeping track, Fisher didn't get the Oilers/Titans over the .500 mark and into the playoffs until his fifth full season, though they reached the Super Bowl after that 1999 campaign, naturally against the Rams. Fisher may not have the luxury of a five-year plan this time around but has the benefit of a franchise quarterback and other nice cornerstone players upon which to build.

It hasn't been easy for third-year QB Sam Bradford. Brian Schottenheimer is his third offensive coordinator in three seasons. He's seen WRs Laurent Robinson, Mark Clayton and Brandon Lloyd come and go. St. Louis has invested a lot of picks in wideouts over the past two drafts and could end up starting rookies Brian Quick and Chris Givens. The return of slot stalwart Danny Amendola, who had 85 catches in 2010 but missed most of last year with an elbow injury, should help. It's a lot of turnover for Bradford to again deal with, but he'll have to make this young arsenal work to give RB Steven Jackson breathing room.

Can a promising defense keep St. Louis competitive? Fisher has a reputation for building some nasty ones and, with coordinator Gregg Williams suspended, should be quite hands-on with a group of young studs. First-round DT Michael Brockers joins a line with DEs Chris Long and Robert Quinn on the edges -- scary. James Laurinaitis is the heartbeat and one of the best middle linebackers in the league. And free agent Cortland Finnegan and rookie Janoris Jenkins are a promising corner duo if Jenkins' past problems stay in the past. But stopping the run is vital. The Rams ranked 31st against the rush in 2011 and play in a division that may be the most smashmouth in the league with Marshawn Lynch and Frank Gore as formidable as Jackson.

.