The Rams have improved, but not enough

By Connor Byrne  |   Thursday, June 01, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

St. Louis Rams
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This offseason, the St. Louis Rams have not only overhauled their coaching staff, but much of their roster, too. Former Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Scott Linehan is the team's new head coach, replacing Joe Vitt, who succeeded Mike Martz midway through last season. Surprisingly, Linehan, an offensive mastermind, has had to focus mainly on the defensive side of the ball in free agency and the draft.

During the free agency season, the Rams made a few difference-making moves, signing defensive tackle La'Roi Glover, linebacker Will Witherspoon and safety Corey Chavous to contracts. All three are veterans who have been well-respected throughout the league for the duration of their careers.

In last April's draft the Rams focused mostly on their formerly flailing defense, by selecting cornerback Tye Hill in the first round, defensive tackle Claude Wroten and linebacker Jon Alston in round three, defense end Victor Adeyanju in the fourth round and linebacker Tim McGarigle in the seventh. All have the possibility to be big-time players for the Rams' remodeled defense down the line.

Offensively, the Rams chose tight ends Joe Klopfenstein and Dominique Byrd in the second and third rounds, respectively. Meanwhile, they also grabbed wide receiver Marques Hagans in the fifth and a tandem of guards (Mark Setterstrom and Tony Palmer) in the seventh round. Clearly, the Rams improved their future offense substantially during the draft.

Despite the Rams' obvious improvements this offseason, they also took a couple steps back. On the defensive line, they didn't re-sign their starting tackles from last season, Ryan Pickett and Damione Lewis. Glover will fill a big need at the tackle spot in coordinator Jim Haslett's defense, but he can't replace two players. The onus will be on former first-rounder Jimmy Kennedy to make a solid tandem next to Glover. Unfortunately for the Rams, Kennedy has never been more than a bust in his three-year career.

Also, although the Rams nabbed Chavous, it's a lateral move at best, since former starting strong safety Adam Archuleta departed via free agency.

Linehan seems like a terrific head-coaching prospect for St. Louis, but it's also important to remember that it's his first year on the job. Rarely do novice head coaches lead non-playoff teams to the promised land immediately. The St. Louis Rams went just 6-10 last season, so don't expect vast amounts of improvement just because Linehan's in town. Much like rookie players, first-year head coaches need time to develop and learn how the game works from a new, unfamiliar perspective. Switching from coordinator to head coach is like going from relatively unnoticed to constantly being under the media and fan microscope. Linehan will adjust, but it'll take a good part of next season to do so.

The fact that the Rams are in a division with two teams currently better than them doesn't help matters, either. The Seattle Seahawks, who were NFC champs last season, seem primed to continue their onslaught of the NFC West division.

Other than the 'Hawks, the Rams have a new team to contend with for second place, the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals are arguably the most improved team in the NFL heading into 2006, as they added star runner Edgerrin James and defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy in free agency, and offensive guard Deuce Lutui and tight end Leonard Pope in the draft. They drafted some ex-USC quarterback named Matt Leinart, too, but he won't come into play next season, since ex-Rams QB Kurt Warner is currently at the helm of the Cardinals' offense.

Clearly, the Rams have improved quite a bit this offseason, but inconsistency from their offensive line and defense will keep them from returning to the postseason for the first time since 2004. As mentioned earlier, Linehan has much to learn, and if he does gain knowledge of his new job next season, the Rams will be contending for a playoff spot in 2007.

--Connor J. Byrne can be reached at cbyrne@realfootball365.com

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