St. Louis Rams 2008 NFL Projection:
Last season the Rams gave up the 2nd most points in the league
on their way to a (3-13) mark going (0-5) versus teams that made the playoffs and just (3-8) against non-playoff squads.
Of course it was an injury plagued season. And one of the keys in 2008
will be keeping QB Marc Bulger on the field for the full season, as well as
RB Steven Jackson (who according to sources will have a new deal soon).
The Rams hope WR Torry Holt can continue playing through aching and aged knees.
Isaac Bruce has departed and
TE Randy McMichael and WR Drew Bennett were not spectacular in the passing game
last season. They need to redeem themselves in 2008.
In order to do so the Rams will need their offensive line to hold together in 2008.
It starts with Orlando Pace who hasn’t been able to stay on the field as of late.
Already, the Rams offensive line depth has taken a hit as Mark Setterstrom is out for the season
with a broken knee cap and Brandon Gorin is out for the year with a shoulder injury.
On the plus side the Rams signed left guard Jacob Bell from Tennessee.
Considering the Rams will rely so much on the o-line with a pocket passer
like Bulger, it was odd to see the Rams select two wide receivers in their top five
draft selections.
While almost anything will be better than last season’s injury marred disaster on their offensive line,
one has to realize this isn’t a top flight group to begin with.
On the defensive side of the ball the Rams will be relying on rookie DE
Chris Long to make an impact. And St. Louis needs Little to regain his past
form.
St. Louis’ linebacking group is average at best with Witherspoon providing the spark.
The secondary may be slightly better with Atogwe and Chavous.
In the kicking game Seattle’s Josh Brown replaces the retired Jeff Wilkins…
A solid pick-up.
Schedule Analysis:
St. Louis will play 6 games versus teams that made the playoffs in 07.
As you can see, five of these six contests come in the first seven games of the season (bye week 5).
If St. Louis doesn’t start hot, they’re likely to be in another early season hole.
Furthermore, the Rams play week 1
@Philadelphia
(a very solid team with a good defense in a rough division).
There is also a match up in week 10
@NY Jets,
projected to be a playoff caliber team with Favre at the helm behind a recharged offensive line.
Record Projection:
The question in 2008 is how healthy can the Rams stay while matching up against so many top opponents
in the early going while fielding a mediocre offensive line?
We see the Rams stumbling out of the gate due to their difficult schedule.
When their schedule lightens up in the second half of the season, the Rams
will need to be healthy to capitalize.
Overall we now predict a (4-12) season for the Rams– a slight upgrade before the season begins… St. Louis needs to get stronger on the offensive line
and prove they can protect / keep their quarterback healthy. If the Rams get improved o-line play, then
Bulger can once again put up solid numbers and perhaps the Rams can make a push for second place
or better in the NFC West.
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Free 2008 NFL Predictions Note:
Remember
these now archived 2008 NFL forecasts were made
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