Expert Football Picks: 2009 St. Louis Rams

2009 St. Louis Rams Season Preview

The 2008 season is definitely one that the Rams would like to forget. Much like the year before, they drafted in the top three in the draft. Injuries decimated them again and a terrible offensive line made Marc Bulger and Steven Jackson largely ineffective. Winning only two games, the Rams were better than only the lowly Detroit Lions. So with so far to climb, did the Rams do enough to get out of the cellar this year? If you're looking for free football picks, don't plan on the Rams finishing anywhere above 4th place in the division again.

The Good News: The Rams did manage to add a few solid players in the offseason. The biggest hole on their team was definitely the offensive line going into this year. They went out and addressed the loss of Pro Bowl left tackle Orlando Pace immediately. With the number two pick in the draft, the Rams picked up Jason Smith out of Baylor. Many people thought he was the best lineman in the draft and his upside is huge. With him protecting Bulger's blind side, he should have a much improved season. He is also known as one of the best run blockers in the draft, which will help Steven Jackson a lot as well.

With their second round pick (which was a lot like a low first rounder) they managed to get a very good player as well. They nabbed James Laurinaitis, who many thought would be a first round linebacker prospect. He was one of the most productive linebackers in Penn State history and he will bring a tenacity to the defense that is sorely needed. To get both him and Jason Smith in the draft was a major victory for their team.

They also got a new coach in Steve Spagnuolo. He was the man behind the defense for the New York Giants and he knows a thing about stopping the other team. This is some knowledge that the Rams have lacked for the last few years. If he can make his defense anywhere near as good as the Giants defenses have been it will be a major accomplishment.

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The Bad News: The bad news is that the Rams had a lot of holes to fill before the offseason and they just didn't get enough people to fill the holes yet. They got off to a good start, but overall, they were just too bad.

One of the problem areas is at wide receiver. It's great that they're fixing the offensive line, but even if Bulger has more time to throw, he has to have someone on the other end of the pass to catch the ball. The best wide receiver in the group is second year man Donnie Avery. While he's a decent player, he's not a #1 wide receiver on very many teams in the league. He's probably better as a secondary or change-of-pace type guy.

Outlook: As far as free NFL football picks go, expect the Rams to win two or three more games than last year. Just don't expect them to beat out anyone in their own division this year.