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Analyzing the St. Louis Rams by the numbers
by Akhil Ganesh
http://isportsweb.com/2015/05/22/analyzing-the-st-louis-rams-by-the-numbers/
In today’s sports world, numbers seem to dictate everything. The emergence of sabermetrics and analytics has morphed every decision into an amalgamation of probabilities and statistics. Without the tools of high-powered computers at my disposal, it still seemed important to analyze the St. Louis Rams by the numbers. While all of these numbers may not be important from the sense of analyzing the performance the Rams have had on the field, each of these numbers holds significant value for St. Louis heading into the 2015 season.
40
St. Louis sacked opposing quarterbacks 40 times last year, good enough to tie for 13th in the league. While for most defenses, that would be acceptable, the Rams billed themselves as “Sack City” entering the 2014 campaign, after bolstering their defensive line with first round draft pick Aaron Donald. Donald’s talent, combined with three other first round draft picks on the line (Chris Long, Robert Quinn, Michael Brockers, and defensive genius Gregg Williams had St. Louis Rams fans salivating about their defense last season. However, the team got off to a lackluster start, recording only a single sack in their first five games. They finally got on track in their home wing against the Seattle Seahawks, but for a group heralded as one of the best and deepest positional groups in the NFL, it was slightly embarrassing.
Now, the Rams clearly recovered from that early season slump, as they would go on to sack quarterbacks 34 times throughout November and December. But St. Louis need that kind of production right out of the gate next season if they want to compete early on in the season. The Rams open the season at home against the Seahawks, and their performance in that game will set the tone for the entire season. In order to get the best possible start to their season, the St. Louis Rams defense needs to come out and hit Russell Wilson early and often.
102.2
The Rams averaged 102.2 yards per game last year on the ground, which would be good numbers for any other team in the league. But St. Louis did not, and still do not, have the luxury of a tremendous passing game. That means that averaging just above 100 yards a game will not do for the St. Louis offense. The Rams recognized this deficiency on their squad, and addressed it heavily in this year’s NFL Draft. Head coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead opted to select running back Todd Gurley with the tenth overall selection, then followed it up with selecting four offensive linemen throughout the rest of the draft. With every passing selection, it was evident that the Rams’ brain trust was attempting to build a physical and mauling offense, centered around Gurley.
Last year’s rushing attack had spots of brilliance, especially with rookie running back Tre Mason. Now, Mason’s second year will require him to provide less of a jolt than he had to last year. While Gurley may not be available at the beginning of the season, Mason has proved capable of shouldering the load if necessary. He can run away from defenders with blazing speed, but he doesn’t shy away from contact. Gurley is a potential game changing running back, the types of which the league hasn’t seen since Adrian Peterson entered the league. With the two of them, plus Benny Cunningham as a reliable passing down threat, the Rams offer one of the more intriguing backfields in the league.
-2
St. Louis’ turnover differential last year was in the negative, as they had 25 takeaways compared to 27 giveaways. For any team trying to win football games, turnovers are all it takes to take away wins. St. Louis is no stranger to this, as they fell victim to the turnover bug multiple times last season. On more than one occasion, the St. Louis Rams offense was in a position to win football games but then gave the ball away. Most heartbreakingly, fans will remember Shaun Hill’s interception at the goal line against the San Diego Chargers last season. That game against the Chargers was the Rams’ last real chance to stay in playoff contention, and Hill’s pass found it’s way into San Diego safety Marcus Gilchrist’s hands.
This was not the only occasion of the Rams throwing away a game by giving the ball away, as Austin Davis had his share of costly interceptions and fumbles during his time as the starter. If St. Louis wants to win football games on a consistent basis, they must limit costly turnovers. New starting quarterback Nick Foles famously threw only two interceptions in 2013, but calmed down in 2014 prior to his injury to throw ten picks. The St. Louis Rams need Foles to be a risk taker, but it can’t come at the expense of costly giveaways.
2016
Of course, any discussion about the St. Louis Rams will not be complete without considering the “St. Louis” part of their name. Come 2016, the Rams may not even be in the Gateway to the West, and may instead be in Los Angeles. Rams owner Stan Kroenke has made his intentions very clear about leaving the city, and moving to Inglewood, California, but don’t expect St. Louis to go down without a fight. The St. Louis stadium task force has worked briskly on coming up with a solution to keep the Rams in the city, and the league is stuck embroiled between the two groups.
The other aspect of the Los Angeles conversation is the other group attempting to move to the City of Angels. The San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders have coordinated efforts trying to get their teams to Carson, California, making the race out west much more heated. The added benefit of that proposal is the placement of two teams in Los Angeles, a long-term goal of the league, but would also require a certain amount of realignment in order for the proposal to pass through. The public sentiment is that the Rams will still be the team to move, but don’t expect this to matter to be handled quickly.
The Rams, by the numbers, are full of potential, but are also a work in progress. Whether that work is towards the team getting to the playoffs, or for the team to move out west, it is clear that there is still a lot left in the air. The St. Louis Rams have a lot of work left to do for this season, as the Edward Jones Dome is still the home of the team. Whether or not that remains the case in the future remains to be seen.
by Akhil Ganesh
http://isportsweb.com/2015/05/22/analyzing-the-st-louis-rams-by-the-numbers/
In today’s sports world, numbers seem to dictate everything. The emergence of sabermetrics and analytics has morphed every decision into an amalgamation of probabilities and statistics. Without the tools of high-powered computers at my disposal, it still seemed important to analyze the St. Louis Rams by the numbers. While all of these numbers may not be important from the sense of analyzing the performance the Rams have had on the field, each of these numbers holds significant value for St. Louis heading into the 2015 season.
40
St. Louis sacked opposing quarterbacks 40 times last year, good enough to tie for 13th in the league. While for most defenses, that would be acceptable, the Rams billed themselves as “Sack City” entering the 2014 campaign, after bolstering their defensive line with first round draft pick Aaron Donald. Donald’s talent, combined with three other first round draft picks on the line (Chris Long, Robert Quinn, Michael Brockers, and defensive genius Gregg Williams had St. Louis Rams fans salivating about their defense last season. However, the team got off to a lackluster start, recording only a single sack in their first five games. They finally got on track in their home wing against the Seattle Seahawks, but for a group heralded as one of the best and deepest positional groups in the NFL, it was slightly embarrassing.
Now, the Rams clearly recovered from that early season slump, as they would go on to sack quarterbacks 34 times throughout November and December. But St. Louis need that kind of production right out of the gate next season if they want to compete early on in the season. The Rams open the season at home against the Seahawks, and their performance in that game will set the tone for the entire season. In order to get the best possible start to their season, the St. Louis Rams defense needs to come out and hit Russell Wilson early and often.
102.2
The Rams averaged 102.2 yards per game last year on the ground, which would be good numbers for any other team in the league. But St. Louis did not, and still do not, have the luxury of a tremendous passing game. That means that averaging just above 100 yards a game will not do for the St. Louis offense. The Rams recognized this deficiency on their squad, and addressed it heavily in this year’s NFL Draft. Head coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead opted to select running back Todd Gurley with the tenth overall selection, then followed it up with selecting four offensive linemen throughout the rest of the draft. With every passing selection, it was evident that the Rams’ brain trust was attempting to build a physical and mauling offense, centered around Gurley.
Last year’s rushing attack had spots of brilliance, especially with rookie running back Tre Mason. Now, Mason’s second year will require him to provide less of a jolt than he had to last year. While Gurley may not be available at the beginning of the season, Mason has proved capable of shouldering the load if necessary. He can run away from defenders with blazing speed, but he doesn’t shy away from contact. Gurley is a potential game changing running back, the types of which the league hasn’t seen since Adrian Peterson entered the league. With the two of them, plus Benny Cunningham as a reliable passing down threat, the Rams offer one of the more intriguing backfields in the league.
-2
St. Louis’ turnover differential last year was in the negative, as they had 25 takeaways compared to 27 giveaways. For any team trying to win football games, turnovers are all it takes to take away wins. St. Louis is no stranger to this, as they fell victim to the turnover bug multiple times last season. On more than one occasion, the St. Louis Rams offense was in a position to win football games but then gave the ball away. Most heartbreakingly, fans will remember Shaun Hill’s interception at the goal line against the San Diego Chargers last season. That game against the Chargers was the Rams’ last real chance to stay in playoff contention, and Hill’s pass found it’s way into San Diego safety Marcus Gilchrist’s hands.
This was not the only occasion of the Rams throwing away a game by giving the ball away, as Austin Davis had his share of costly interceptions and fumbles during his time as the starter. If St. Louis wants to win football games on a consistent basis, they must limit costly turnovers. New starting quarterback Nick Foles famously threw only two interceptions in 2013, but calmed down in 2014 prior to his injury to throw ten picks. The St. Louis Rams need Foles to be a risk taker, but it can’t come at the expense of costly giveaways.
2016
Of course, any discussion about the St. Louis Rams will not be complete without considering the “St. Louis” part of their name. Come 2016, the Rams may not even be in the Gateway to the West, and may instead be in Los Angeles. Rams owner Stan Kroenke has made his intentions very clear about leaving the city, and moving to Inglewood, California, but don’t expect St. Louis to go down without a fight. The St. Louis stadium task force has worked briskly on coming up with a solution to keep the Rams in the city, and the league is stuck embroiled between the two groups.
The other aspect of the Los Angeles conversation is the other group attempting to move to the City of Angels. The San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders have coordinated efforts trying to get their teams to Carson, California, making the race out west much more heated. The added benefit of that proposal is the placement of two teams in Los Angeles, a long-term goal of the league, but would also require a certain amount of realignment in order for the proposal to pass through. The public sentiment is that the Rams will still be the team to move, but don’t expect this to matter to be handled quickly.
The Rams, by the numbers, are full of potential, but are also a work in progress. Whether that work is towards the team getting to the playoffs, or for the team to move out west, it is clear that there is still a lot left in the air. The St. Louis Rams have a lot of work left to do for this season, as the Edward Jones Dome is still the home of the team. Whether or not that remains the case in the future remains to be seen.
