MANUFACTURED JOY - ST. LOUIS RAMS

by Zac, Throwing Into Traffic

Manufactured Joy is a new series in which we'll be going through the NFL team by team, from the bottom to the top, and giving fans five good reasons why they should be excited to watch their team in action this season. Today, the St. Louis Rams.

1. Chris Long probably grew up watching football!

First, the good news: Chris Long is not going to be an embarrassment at DE, particularly when he’s on a line that has enough talent to force offensive lines to be honest with their assignments. In his time at Virginia, Long showed that in addition to being a physical talent, (the fact that he’s not being talked about as a physical freak with his combine numbers is the NFL’s version of reverse racism), he plays with excellent technique, often beating offensive linemen by making the right move instead of just the fast one.

The bad news is that you could have said the same things about DT Glenn Dorsey, except Dorsey is without a doubt a superior physical specimen and plays a position that Albert Haynesworth proved is one that changes games. Long may be good, but if Dorsey does what everyone things he’s capable of doing in the next few years, the Rams will have paid a hefty price to get discounts at Radio Shack.

2. They’re using EXTRA duct tape to hold the players together!

Every NFL team has to deal with injuries, so generally they make poor excuses when performance falters, but come on. Marc Bulger, Steven Jackson, AND Orlando Pace? Throw in nagging knee problems for Torry Holt, and you can honestly say that this team didn’t give a fair showing of Gus Frerotte’s talents (there might not be a more damning critique than that in the history of the written word). I mentioned this in a discussion of the NFC west, but the same offense that was 24th in the league last season was 6th the year before with everybody healthy. The question, of course, is just how many of the injury problems that plagued the Rams last season were attributable to bad luck, and how many are the result of a team that was already older than dirt becoming older than whatever gave birth to dirt. Still, barring similarly horrendous luck, there’s almost no way this team can struggle offensively like it did last year.

3. Opponents can’t possibly score as much as they did last year!

The other problem with the injury excuse, of course, is that no amount of injuries short of a team bus crash resulting in a “fans play!” stadium promotion should result in a team going 3-13; there has to be a bigger problem. The bigger problem for the Rams is pretty simple: There’s a revolving door to their end zone. Only perennial defensive powerhouse the Detroit Lions (whose best hope of outscoring opponents is to time it so they get the last touchdown in a shootout) allowed more points per game. Considering that there wasn’t a grave imbalance in their 21st overall ranked defense, the issue looks like one that needs to be solved in the red zone, and thankfully the Rams are one of the teams with a head start on the Giants-inspired defensive line model for creating contenders. With Leonard Little, Adam Carriker, and rookie Chris Long all harassing backfields, you have to assume that teams will have a harder time executing plays within scoring range, which should help in what could be a rapid turnaround for the Rams.

4. DONNIE AVERY = THE NEW STEVE SMITH!

I’m feeling a bit prophetic this week, so here’s my big one for this season that you will all remember I fit into a little bullet point on the Rams: Donnie Avery is going to be a stud. I get that he’s not as big as the WR prospects that were expected to go before him, and believe me, I’m a fan of big receivers. The difference with Avery is that he has the kind of acceleration that turns his top end speed into the kind of legitimate weapon that makes Steve Smith, who is shorter, more dangerous than almost any other receiver. Look at the clips; Avery is consistently behind his man or WELL ahead of him in a cut. Is some of that due to the level of competition? Probably, but you have to like the chances of anyone who can go from zero to full speed that fast.



5. ANYBODY can win the NFC West!

I discussed this in a much-maligned post over at TiT, but the one thing that stands out about the NFC west is that for the last three years, it’s been hard to pick a “favorite” out of the bunch, and this year the playing field seems to have gotten even more level. Will the Seahawks bring a tougher defense than every other team? Probably, but that offense is going to slow down, and it’s hard not to like the Rams in a shootout with most opponents. Considering that most of the division gets beat up by outsiders, it’s going to come down to who can edge out the best record in divisional games, and the Rams have the kind of offense that provides matchup nightmares and a defense that may have improved quite a bit from last year…meaning that when the dust settles, this team could limp out on top.