your biggest fear this upcoming season is?

[Mojo Ram]

So if we are 2-2 the defense will start to implode and give up 25-30 points/game?

Implode? No. I don't see anyone saying that.
I'm saying that .500 ball or less through the first 4 games takes us down the road to 4th place in this division. Look at the schedule. This isn't the NFC East.
Teams do sometimes get hot as the season progresses i get that angle...but why would anyone want to count on that? It's also a different animal in our division.
Look at AZ last year.
They went 2-2 thru a fairly soft schedule early:
L @ St Louis
W vs Detroit
L @ New Orleans
W @ Tampa Bay

They followed that up going 2-2 when it got tougher
W vs Carolina
L @ SF
L vs Seattle
W vs Atlanta

So they were sitting at 4-4 at the midway point. Not too good but not the end of the world right? They suddenly got HOT and finished 6-2 the rest of the way, losing only to SF and Philly by a combined six points.
10-6! Wow. Good team? I guess. Cheers and applause? No. >>> 3rd place and no playoffs. Why? Because they didn't take care of business early. The difference between starting 3-1 vs 2-2 was a killer for that team.
~
This is a very favorable first four games for our Rams.
Sep 7 Minnesota
Sep 14 @Tampa Bay
Sep 21 Dallas
Week 4 BYE
Oct 5 @Philadelphia

A ten, eleven or twelve win season would be amazing and a helluva ride, but me personally...asking(or preparing, or expecting) ANY team(especially this team) to start slow and reel off eight, nine, ten straight wins is just being unrealistic IMO. Even if it does happen it guarantees nothing in our division(ask Arizona).

Start fast and set the tone early. It's important. Thats all i'm saying.

 

[-X-]

My biggest fear is that we're going to shoot ourselves in the foot with penalties (again).
The whole "one step forward, two steps back" drive thing happening.

 

[RamBall]

4 and a half hr games. I go to work at midnight on sunday nights, I want all the games to be over before I go to work. All though a sunday night flag fest may help me fall asleep and get a nap before work.

 

[LesBaker]

It's the OL. If there is poor OL play then it won't matter how good the defense is because we won't score enough to win more than 7-9 games.

Everything hinges on the OL.

I liked some posts in this thread talking about the penalties because last year I was ranting about them. That hidden yardage given up from penalties and poor ST play can lose a couple of games for a team, and the Rams cannot keep doing that and cannot afford that because of the division. This isn't the AFC South, you can't afford to make many mistakes and expect to come out with the 10 wins needed to make the playoffs.

That said........it's the OL that'll make or break the season.

 

[Jorgeh0605]

Losing

 

[LesBaker]

My biggest fear is the fans all jumping ship if this team doesn't get off to a 3-1 start. They need to stay the course, and let a Jeff Fisher team improve as the year goes on. As most of his teams have shown they will. A fast start would be very helpful,, ,but if they can be around .500 at the halfway point, they could very easily win 6 of the last 8 to make their playoff push.

The back half of the schedule is rough, getting six wins won't be something that'll happen very easily. That's gonna be a fight for sure.

Nov 9 @Arizona
Nov 16 Denver
Nov 23 @San Diego
Nov 30 Oakland
Dec 7 @Washington
Dec 11 Arizona
Dec 21 N.Y. Giants
Dec 28 @Seattle

Oakland will be a sure win, but I cannot point to any other lock. Maybe the Giants at home, but there won't be 6 wins easily.

 

[CoachO]

The back half of the schedule is rough, getting six wins won't be something that'll happen very easily. That's gonna be a fight for sure.

Nov 9 @Arizona
Nov 16 Denver
Nov 23 @San Diego
Nov 30 Oakland
Dec 7 @Washington
Dec 11 Arizona
Dec 21 N.Y. Giants
Dec 28 @Seattle

Oakland will be a sure win, but I cannot point to any other lock. Maybe the Giants at home, but there won't be 6 wins easily.

I guess I shouldn't have said easy wins, but my fear still remains. If this team doesn't get off to a 3-1start, there will be WAY TOO MANY fans who just give up on them all over again. Which I would hate to see happen. This is NOT the "same ole sorry Rams" and I look forward to watching them compete for ALL 16 games.

Too many people are putting a "playoff or bust" label on this season, and I fear they will be disappointed. But for me.... after what this organization and its fans have endured over the past decade, if for some reason they have a similar season to what Arizona put together last year, and DON'T make the Playoffs, I for one, won't look at it as a failed season.

 

[AZRamsFan93]

Offensive ineptitude is my biggest fear. I am worried if we will score enough to win consistently.

 

[SierraRam]

The back half of the schedule is rough, getting six wins won't be something that'll happen very easily. That's gonna be a fight for sure.

Nov 9 @Arizona
Nov 16 Denver
Nov 23 @San Diego
Nov 30 Oakland
Dec 7 @Washington
Dec 11 Arizona
Dec 21 N.Y. Giants
Dec 28 @Seattle

Oakland will be a sure win, but I cannot point to any other lock. Maybe the Giants at home, but there won't be 6 wins easily.

6 Wins: Oakland, Washington, Arizona, N.Y., uh..... (5) San Diego is flaky, (6) Denver - Manning sacked 7 times!

 

[LACHAMP46]

A serious injury to Sam Bradford.

^Edit: Read the whole post, not just the title, and think before posting. Unlike me.^

I read the whole post and still agree with Mojo, JRobinson & Rammer...Injuries...

 

[Rams and Gators]

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself"...that and sucking

 

[bomebadeeda]

Injuries. And remembering we are a young team and must take no....repeat no games for granted........

 

[Stranger]

another goodell superbow fix

 

[Ram_Rally]

Lets try to keep this team related and leave out individuals, injuries, play calling, coaching etc and just stick with team related problems. What is your biggest "fear" going in to the season.

Mine is the defense. Yes I said the defense. The front four are getting so much hype here and there that I am afraid they will tank. Easiest way to beat the so called stellar pass rush that we have now (and please keep in mind I am NOT an X's and O's type of guy) , would be quick screens, draw plays and play action passes. With the "average" LB corp and the questionable secondary, I feel we may be very vulnerable to these types of plays, and I am sure that OC's league wide are already game planning how to beat out pass rush.



What say ye?

Definitely the defense. I've always been cautiously optimistic about our d. They just don't seem to dominate game in and game out to me. Spurts of dominance and spurts if vulnerability. I'll just be in wait and see mode

 

[rickrawk]

My biggest fear is that we're going to shoot ourselves in the foot with penalties (again).
The whole "one step forward, two steps back" drive thing happening.

My thoughts exactly. Especially false starts and ST penalties. Those are big momentum killers. No fears otherwise.

GO RAMS!!!!

 

[LesBaker]

I guess I shouldn't have said easy wins, but my fear still remains. If this team doesn't get off to a 3-1start, there will be WAY TOO MANY fans who just give up on them all over again. Which I would hate to see happen. This is NOT the "same ole sorry Rams" and I look forward to watching them compete for ALL 16 games.

Too many people are putting a "playoff or bust" label on this season, and I fear they will be disappointed. But for me.... after what this organization and its fans have endured over the past decade, if for some reason they have a similar season to what Arizona put together last year, and DON'T make the Playoffs, I for one, won't look at it as a failed season.

10 wins is the ceiling in other words? I think I'd agree with that for the most part. If this team was playing in a different division with a different schedule I'd expect the playoffs, but in the NFC West that's just a tall order right now. I agree that too many people think playoffs or bust, it isn't an easy thing with the landscape in the NFC, particularly the West, right now.

 

[Mojo Ram]

I'm not afraid nor ashamed to post my expectations for this season.

9-7 (winning record) and finish ANYWHERE but last in the division. I would challenge anyone to claim that those expectations are too high.

 

[AZRamsFan93]

I guess I shouldn't have said easy wins, but my fear still remains. If this team doesn't get off to a 3-1start, there will be WAY TOO MANY fans who just give up on them all over again. Which I would hate to see happen. This is NOT the "same ole sorry Rams" and I look forward to watching them compete for ALL 16 games.

Too many people are putting a "playoff or bust" label on this season, and I fear they will be disappointed. But for me.... after what this organization and its fans have endured over the past decade, if for some reason they have a similar season to what Arizona put together last year, and DON'T make the Playoffs, I for one, won't look at it as a failed season.

There is more to the season than just the numbers. If we go 8-8 as a really tough "out" during a brutal schedule I will be encouraged about next year.

If we have a train wreck early I would be concerned about our future and might get on the bandwagon for change.

 

[Faceplant]

This team, playing like this. Fuck...

 

[MTRamsFan]

Over-hyped defense.