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Rams middle of the pack in Future Power Rankings
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...s-middle-of-the-pack-in-future-power-rankings
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Last week, our NFL Insider team unveiled its annual Future Power Rankings with an eye toward examining which NFL teams are best positioned for the next three seasons.
For fans of the St. Louis Rams hoping to see major improvement over the next three seasons, the team's spot on the list almost certainly came as a disappointment. In fact, the Rams' spot at No. 17 aligns pretty well with the mediocre performance the team has set forth in the past three seasons under coach Jeff Fisher.
The project asked the expert panel of John Clayton, Mike Sando and Louis Riddick to rate every team on a scale of 0-100 in five categories: roster (not counting quarterbacks), quarterback, draft, front office and coaching. Those categories are then weighted to put, for example, more emphasis on the roster, coaching and quarterback than the draft and front office.
Coming at No. 17 represents a five-spot fall for the Rams, a slip that comes mainly as a result of a drop in the rankings of front office and coaching and, to a lesser degree, drafting. But as Riddick points out, the biggest question facing the Rams moving forward is the same one that has faced them for a number of years: quarterback.
The Rams are hopeful that Nick Foles is their solution and have at least publicly expressed interest in re-signing Foles to a long-term deal before he's played in a regular-season game for them. That enthusiasm isn't shared by the panel, though, as the Rams received scores in the 70s in four other categories and just a 46.7 average at quarterback.
For the optimists, Foles' ranking might ultimately not be a deal breaker when it comes to future success. The Rams are hoping he sticks around for a while but that doesn't mean they view him as the key offensive piece that they have to build around. They have built a team based on running the ball on offense and dominating on defense. If they can do that, Foles will only be asked to take care of the ball, stay healthy and hit on opportunities when they arrive in the passing game.
The drop in rankings of the coaching and front office should be of more concern. Clayton points to the number of top picks the team has on the roste, but a strong argument can be made that the Rams didn't fully take advantage of that advantageous draft position. That could well be the reason for the rankings drop.
Defensive tackle Aaron Donald is the only recent top pick who currently looks like a true superstar in the making though it's too early to say that someone like tackle Greg Robinson can't reach that level. If running back Todd Gurley becomes the player the Rams believe he can be, it would not only give the Rams a much-needed offensive identity, but also make life much easier for Foles or whoever plays quarterback moving forward.
While rankings such as these are purely subjective, it would qualify as a big whiff if the Rams are unable to emerge from the years following the big trade with Washington without a foundation capable of taking them to the postseason.
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...s-middle-of-the-pack-in-future-power-rankings
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Last week, our NFL Insider team unveiled its annual Future Power Rankings with an eye toward examining which NFL teams are best positioned for the next three seasons.
For fans of the St. Louis Rams hoping to see major improvement over the next three seasons, the team's spot on the list almost certainly came as a disappointment. In fact, the Rams' spot at No. 17 aligns pretty well with the mediocre performance the team has set forth in the past three seasons under coach Jeff Fisher.
The project asked the expert panel of John Clayton, Mike Sando and Louis Riddick to rate every team on a scale of 0-100 in five categories: roster (not counting quarterbacks), quarterback, draft, front office and coaching. Those categories are then weighted to put, for example, more emphasis on the roster, coaching and quarterback than the draft and front office.
Coming at No. 17 represents a five-spot fall for the Rams, a slip that comes mainly as a result of a drop in the rankings of front office and coaching and, to a lesser degree, drafting. But as Riddick points out, the biggest question facing the Rams moving forward is the same one that has faced them for a number of years: quarterback.
The Rams are hopeful that Nick Foles is their solution and have at least publicly expressed interest in re-signing Foles to a long-term deal before he's played in a regular-season game for them. That enthusiasm isn't shared by the panel, though, as the Rams received scores in the 70s in four other categories and just a 46.7 average at quarterback.
For the optimists, Foles' ranking might ultimately not be a deal breaker when it comes to future success. The Rams are hoping he sticks around for a while but that doesn't mean they view him as the key offensive piece that they have to build around. They have built a team based on running the ball on offense and dominating on defense. If they can do that, Foles will only be asked to take care of the ball, stay healthy and hit on opportunities when they arrive in the passing game.
The drop in rankings of the coaching and front office should be of more concern. Clayton points to the number of top picks the team has on the roste, but a strong argument can be made that the Rams didn't fully take advantage of that advantageous draft position. That could well be the reason for the rankings drop.
Defensive tackle Aaron Donald is the only recent top pick who currently looks like a true superstar in the making though it's too early to say that someone like tackle Greg Robinson can't reach that level. If running back Todd Gurley becomes the player the Rams believe he can be, it would not only give the Rams a much-needed offensive identity, but also make life much easier for Foles or whoever plays quarterback moving forward.
While rankings such as these are purely subjective, it would qualify as a big whiff if the Rams are unable to emerge from the years following the big trade with Washington without a foundation capable of taking them to the postseason.
