The stories that will make 2009 interesting

by Ryan Van Bibber on Dec 14, 2008 9:32 AM CST in 2008 St. Louis Rams season

It's a blackout! Strangely enough, people opted to pursue other distractions this afternoon outside of the Ed Jones Dome, forcing the league to black out the Rams telecast in the local market. Not that lots of TVs would be tuning in to a battle of a couple 2-11s.

It's all about 2009 now for the Rams, and these last three games aren't much more than auditions. Which stories are worth keeping an eye on in the waning weeks of another lost season?

Ron Bartell will want a new contract. He has three more games to add a zero or two.
What will the offensive line look like in 2009? Bar none, the most important question the Rams have to answer on the field. Will Alex Barron be back? Will Pace? Can John Greco earn a spot? Does Jacob Bell start making up for lost pounds and try to escape the "disappointing" tag? What about the "dirty" Richie Incognito?
Will mid-season pickups James Darby and Daniel Fells earn roster spots? Darby, though small, looks like he might be a fine third down back; he blocks well and can catch a pass. Fells is growing as a blocker and a sometime target, erasing the memory of Joe Klopfenstein.
Barring a disaster of epic proportions, someone not currently on the Rams roster will be playing middle linebacker next season. But what about the two seventh rounders they snagged this year? Mr. Irrelevant, David Vobora did a nice job starting in the middle two weeks ago, enough to earn a spot on the depth chart, and Chris Chamberlain impressed us with coverage skills in camp and got some playing time at strongside LB last week. He'll continue to get playing time there, can he be a fit for '09? And what about Quinton Culberson? The Rams had such faith in him that they let a starting quality LB in Brandon Chillar flee, but now he's losing playing time to Chamberlain.
Is Todd Johnson the answer at SS? Johnson's a crack special teamer and a fair bit better than the over-the-hill Corey Chavous, whom he'll replace this week, but is he starting material for a Rams defensive backfield that has to improve? I doubt it, but he'll get a chance to make the case otherwise.
And finally, we'd be criminally remiss if we didn't mention Jim Haslett. It's doubtful that he can get the two wins "strongly suggested" of him to earn a sure-fire bid at another year leading the Rams.

Am I missing anything? With a long list of turnover possible this year, there's no shortage of subplots to the season's end. Back with a game thread later.

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I would add two things to keep in mind as the season ends

1.) The Battle of the Bulger – If Marc puts together a pair (or even a trio) of bad performances, it will make the offseason push for a quarterback solution a priority. If he can manage to get through without making costly turnovers, we’ll probably address the above issues and wait until after next year to look into possibilities. Nevertheless, backup QB has to be a serious priority this offseason. Look at the Cowboys; a serious, qualified team had their season ruined because they lost their starting QB for a stretch and the backup couldn’t get it done. And that was their easiest stretch in the schedule. Backup QB is a depth position that has to be addressed for us going into next season.

2.) Wide Receiver believer – Torry Holt is aging. His season has showed us how quickly age can wear on a player. We need to look into bringing in a #1 WR. If that doesn’t happen this year, we could be looking at a 2010 situation where we’re trying to find a new #1 QB and WR. That is some serious pressure for a front office. I don’t see Donnie Avery being able to hold down that side. A healthy Avery and Burton would be a nice tandem to run out as 2nd and 3rd options (with Bennett, Looker, and Stanley as depth), but a top tier WR will be a necessity for this team if we’re trying to get back to the playoffs.

Jay Zygmunt, fire yourself.

by 3k on Dec 14, 2008 10:40 AM CST reply actions

I agree about the WR part of what you wrote

but I would put it differently about QB. I think we need to bring in a guy that can be groomed to be a number 1 someday a lot more than someone who will necessarily be a good #2 next season. I know teams can turn it around in a hurry in the NFL – remember the 1998/1999 Rams – but somehow I can’t see this bunch contending for anything other than the top pick in the draft anytime soon.

by WestCoastBuc on Dec 14, 2008 10:57 AM CST up reply actions

Fair enough, but

we’re in an interesting situation. We have no backup solution, but we have a (arguably temporary) primary QB solution. Bulger is still under contract for next season, and I don’t see us moving himl the way he’s played has decimated his trade value versus what we signed him for. If we can get a QB to groom deep in the draft, it’s a possibility. But going into next season, I would rather see us sign a decent backup than draft a QB project. I would leave that until the 2010 draft at which point we’d have a solid backup who could take the reigns while the young, new QB has time to learn.
In essence, we need both, but, IMO, a backup is the higher priority.

Jay Zygmunt, fire yourself.

by 3k on Dec 14, 2008 11:28 AM CST up reply actions