Thoughts on the St. Louis Rams at the Quarter Pole

The 2012 NFL season is a quarter of the way through, plenty of time to get a real feel for the St. Louis Rams and what kind of team they are.

I could not ask for more than 2-2, satisfied with the overall record.

As for the talent, they went from no positions having above average talent last year to three spots where they are above average to excellent:

• Excellent - Kicking and Cornerbacks
• Above Average - Coaching Staff

All other positions are average, below average, and awful.

• QB - Average Sam has improved. Better on deep ball and scanning the field, but the Rams need much better red zone production and overall TD passes. An even TD-int ratio will not cut it long term.
• RB - Below Average Some of this is on the offensive line, but unless Jax has a wide open hole, he is not making it out of there. His performance inside the 5 is still not good. Richardson is a nice spark but has issues between tackles. Pead is invisible and has awful decision making when returning kicks.
• TE - Awful The blocking is bad. The receiving is not there, and they need a real #1 especially in this offense.
• WR - Below Average This is only due to DA who has been a rock. Gibby has fallen off and zero impact from all others, but hopefully by end of year Quick, Pettis, and Givens can build on something.
• OL - Below Average The run blocking is spotty. Sometimes, big holes -- sometimes, nothing. Pass blocking the same. Need major talent upgrades across the board.
• DL - Below Average Quinn continues to ignore the run. They need more big plays from Long, and the interior plays like no one is there most plays. I'm not sure Brockers will fix that but we can hope.
• LB - Below Average The Rams continue to get gashed by the run. JL never makes plays for losses, gets trucked 2-3 times a game. Dunbar has been very active but not holding up to the run.
• CB - Excellent The rock of the team. Great coverage that may get better if the DL can up their pressure. Finnegan is the best FA pickup since Timmerman.
• S - Below Average They have been better the past 2 weeks but continue to take bad angles. Need to get a play maker.
• K - Excellent The MVP of your 2012. Kudos goes to Fassel for finding him.
• P - Average He hits some good and some bad punts. He needs more consistency.
• Returns - Below Average DA gets what he can get, but the Rams need to find a guy capable bringing it all the way once in a while.
• Coaching Staff - Fisher put together a heck of a staff, highlighted by Boudreau and Fassel. He himself has managed the young team well. He had an awful game in the win versus Washington, but maybe he is a tad rusty in game day managing. Most weeks, this should be an advantage for the Rams.

I am still not sure about the RG3 trade. He is working miracles and scoring a ton of touchdowns in a QB/points-driven league. It's not like he is surrounded by better skill talent than the Rams, but he is a difference maker.

I still think anything over six wins is gravy but overall I am satisfied with the Snisher era.