The Rise and Fall of a Promising Rams Season

   The Rams started this season with promise and seemed to many to be the favorites of the NFC West. They had a promising young QB, an amazing running back, an O-line that looked like it could be in the top ten of the league, and a defense with emerging stars. Not to mention a new offensive system that looked to make a bland offense to a great one. What happened? Why have things gone so wrong? Let's go down the list.

INJURY

  This team has been hit with more injuries than just about any other I have seen it quite a while. Good teams need to adjust to these, but when your a team "on the rise" and are not established as a good team yet, injuries can play a bit of a bigger part. Bartell, Fletcher, Bradford, Smith, Harris - you could write a novel with how many of our players have gotten injured. When things like this happen and you have depth players like Justin King on the roster, things are going to be very bad.

THE SYSTEM

  The change of offensive coordinators has not been a smooth transition to say the least. The offense has been even worse than last years. This is with Josh McDainels who has coordinated record breaking offenses. The team's offense has also factored into the "poor" performances. The D has had bad performances *Dallas* but the offense going 3 and out every drive doesn't help the situation. When the D is out on the field most of the time they are going to get worn out. The lockout didn't help the situation either.

THE PLAYERS 

Regression and poor play from certain players at certain players has hurt us a lot. Examples you may ask? Bradford seems to have lost a couple of steps but that is mostly due to his own injuries caused by the poor O-line. Smith was decent last season but has shown the world this season he is a total bust of a player who is not worthy of starting. Saffold has regressed as well causing too many penalties. Jason Brown's performance at center has been pitiful. Not to mention the WR's can't separate (I'm not talking about Lloyd). Wounded Knee and the amazing Gibson showed promise last year but are incapable of anything but at least they aren't Gilyard so there's a plus.

DRAFT AND FA.

The Draft has been the same as most of the past Rams drafts. I liked the first and hope the second pans out but the rest has shown very little or have been cut. Salas is the only guy past round 2 that seems to have done OK. Free Agency has given us Mikell and Dahl who have done quite well but what about the rest? Leber has done poorly Poppinga is nothing special and Sims Walker who isn't with us anymore was a total waste of time. 

These are just some of the reasons I think this season has gone to hell but feel free to voice your opinion on your reasons of why the season has gone the way it has.