RamsDominate
01-12-2007, 05:06 PM
Some of you may be interested in my assessment of the Ram's 2006 season. So here it is:
Overall, I am pretty disappointed with how this season went for the Rams. The team was 5-8 going into the last 3 games and had not yet had a double-digit win all season long. Couple that with getting manhandled by the only 3 good teams they played (Bears, Chargers, Chiefs), and by 2 bad teams (Panthers, Cards), and you have the makings of a disastrous season. Only a strong three game win streak at the end salvaged the season to the"disappointment" level. It was very encouraging to see the team iron out some of their weaknesses -- on offense, the O-Line finished very strong and on defense, the secondary showed considerable improvement.
Anyway, here's my breakdown, by position, of the 2006 season:
Offense
========
QBs: Bulger defied the odds and stayed healthy for the entire season. He again performed at a very high level and remains one of the top 5 QBs in the NFL. He weaknesses are still present (i.e. holds on to the ball too long sometimes, is largely immobile), but he improved quite a few areas: Redzone efficiency, dumping off to the RB when no WR is available, and sensing pocket pressure. Overall, a very good year for Marc, but still with some room for improvement.
WRs: Holt and Bruce continued to show they are one of the NFL's top starting tandem. Both stayed relatively healthy and productive all season long. Kevin Curtis, Shaun McDonald, and Dane Looker performed well again in their backup duties (albeit in reduced roles with the Linehan offense).
RBs: Steven Jackson had a breakout year and finished with the most total yards in the NFL. He established himself as a bonafide dual-threat RB with his huge rushing and receiving totals and ability to find the end zone consistently. The season started off a bit slowly for him with his tendency to dance around in the backfield instead of hitting the hole quickly and using his power to get extra yards. Alas, he figured this out midway through the season (probably a product of 2nd string RB Stephen Davis' tutelage) and improvement was steady and peaked at the end of the season. Davis also proved to be a valuable addition to the team, showing flashes of his former brilliance in his backup role.
TEs: I was surprised and disappointed with the two rookie TEs that the Rams drafted in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. Klopfenstein proved to be pretty raw and didn't really see many passes thrown his way. It looked to me like his head is not quite all there at times, missing a few blitz pickups and failing to hustle when there was a fumble or interception. I don't like him and I think he will end up a bust. Byrd didn't see the field very much, but he did make a couple good plays in the last game of the season against the Vikes, including a very nice catch and run for a TD. Aaron Walker looked good at times catching the ball, but he isn't a complete TE in my opinion, as he does not seem to be a very good blocker. I'm sure you Niner fans were disappointed with him when he was with your team, and the same is true of him in a Ram uniform.
O-Line: The O-Line went from being mediocre, to horrible, to surprisingly good during the season. C McCollum went down in the first game of the season, causing the Rams severe problems with the position until Jacksonville practice squad pickup Brett Romberg was given a chance in the last 3 games of the season. He looked very impressive in those 3 games and won over the entire coaching staff. His insertion into the lineup allowed Richie Incognito to move from C to RG. This proved to be a great move being as that is his more natural position allowed him to really use his natural aggression (the guy is an animal). 7th round draft pick Rookie Mark Setterstrom was also introduced into the lineup at LG during this time, which moved Todd Steussie back to his normal Left Tackle position. These moves proved to be a huge surprise for the coaching staff, as the run blocking suddenly became a strength of the offense. Steven Jackson had one of his best games against the Vikes, rushing for 142 yards against a tough front seven that had been averaging giving up only 57 yards per game for the entire season. The pass blocking still left something to be desired, but with Pace back next season, this should be an improvement over Steussie, who did a fine job this season, but is clearly past his prime.
Defense
========
DTs: I had high hopes for Jimmy Kennedy finally breaking out to reach his potential, but alas, this was not to be. This guy can finally be called a first round bust. He just doesn't have what it takes to be a dominant DE. If he was a 3rd round pick, I'd say he was OK, but alot more was expected from him and he has failed to deliver. LaRoi Glover had his moments this season, but it's clear he's at the end of his career. He just cannot get off blocks like he used to and dominate good linemen like he has in the past. Solid backup guy at best. Rams need to improve here with at least one top-flight DT next season, perhaps in free agency.
DEs: Leonard Little had another great season rushing the passer with his 12.5 sacks and frequent presence in the backfield. He still is a bit of a liability against the run, but that's a tradeoff alot of teams have to make. The rest of the group has been average at best since the untimely departure of Anthony Hargrove, who was kicked off the team for disciplinary reasons. A solid complement to Little is needed next season for the Rams to have a decent front four.
LBs: Will Witherspoon performed very well this season as MLB, even if he is a bit undersized for the position. If the Rams can get a big NT up front to allow him to make plays, then he can be a great MLB, otherwise he really is more suited to play on the weakside. However, this is where Pisa Tinoisamoa plays and he's not going anywhere after signing a 5 year extension. "Hawaii 5-0" had his playing time curtailed because of injuries this season and that exposed a weakness in this group. Even with Pisa in there, the LB corps really was not a very strong group. Add to that a weakness on the strong side, with Brandon Chillar starting, and this is actually a very weak group of LBs. I doubt Chillar would even make the roster of most teams, let alone be the starter. Overall, a weakness of the Ram defense and I don't see it improving anytime in the next couple of years.
Safeties: The Rams picked up Cory Chavous in the offseason to help this unit which he did to a certain extent. He's a decent, but limited player. Besides him, however, the Rams decided to go with youth, throwing raw second year player A. Otogwe in as the starting Free Safety. He struggled for most of the season, but showed better run play and good playmaking ability in the last few games of the season. If he continues to improve, he'll help shore up this position for the Rams for the next few years.
CBs: Travis Fisher and Jerametrius Butler were supposed to anchor this position for the team at the start of the season. However, Fisher did not look good (before getting hurt) and Butler just looked horrible in coverage and in run support (he was so bad that he was inactive for many games this season). Fakhir Brown was also brought in as a free agent and he generally performed OK -- probably about NFL average in my estimation. Ron Bartell was given opportunities as a Nickel back and looked pretty bad for most of the season. However, he made some great plays toward the end of the season and is showing signs that he'll be the large and fast CB that the Rams were envisioning when he was taken in the second round of the 2005 draft. The 2007 season is actually looking pretty bright for this unit and I expect this to be a strength of the Ram defense.
Overall, I am pretty disappointed with how this season went for the Rams. The team was 5-8 going into the last 3 games and had not yet had a double-digit win all season long. Couple that with getting manhandled by the only 3 good teams they played (Bears, Chargers, Chiefs), and by 2 bad teams (Panthers, Cards), and you have the makings of a disastrous season. Only a strong three game win streak at the end salvaged the season to the"disappointment" level. It was very encouraging to see the team iron out some of their weaknesses -- on offense, the O-Line finished very strong and on defense, the secondary showed considerable improvement.
Anyway, here's my breakdown, by position, of the 2006 season:
Offense
========
QBs: Bulger defied the odds and stayed healthy for the entire season. He again performed at a very high level and remains one of the top 5 QBs in the NFL. He weaknesses are still present (i.e. holds on to the ball too long sometimes, is largely immobile), but he improved quite a few areas: Redzone efficiency, dumping off to the RB when no WR is available, and sensing pocket pressure. Overall, a very good year for Marc, but still with some room for improvement.
WRs: Holt and Bruce continued to show they are one of the NFL's top starting tandem. Both stayed relatively healthy and productive all season long. Kevin Curtis, Shaun McDonald, and Dane Looker performed well again in their backup duties (albeit in reduced roles with the Linehan offense).
RBs: Steven Jackson had a breakout year and finished with the most total yards in the NFL. He established himself as a bonafide dual-threat RB with his huge rushing and receiving totals and ability to find the end zone consistently. The season started off a bit slowly for him with his tendency to dance around in the backfield instead of hitting the hole quickly and using his power to get extra yards. Alas, he figured this out midway through the season (probably a product of 2nd string RB Stephen Davis' tutelage) and improvement was steady and peaked at the end of the season. Davis also proved to be a valuable addition to the team, showing flashes of his former brilliance in his backup role.
TEs: I was surprised and disappointed with the two rookie TEs that the Rams drafted in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. Klopfenstein proved to be pretty raw and didn't really see many passes thrown his way. It looked to me like his head is not quite all there at times, missing a few blitz pickups and failing to hustle when there was a fumble or interception. I don't like him and I think he will end up a bust. Byrd didn't see the field very much, but he did make a couple good plays in the last game of the season against the Vikes, including a very nice catch and run for a TD. Aaron Walker looked good at times catching the ball, but he isn't a complete TE in my opinion, as he does not seem to be a very good blocker. I'm sure you Niner fans were disappointed with him when he was with your team, and the same is true of him in a Ram uniform.
O-Line: The O-Line went from being mediocre, to horrible, to surprisingly good during the season. C McCollum went down in the first game of the season, causing the Rams severe problems with the position until Jacksonville practice squad pickup Brett Romberg was given a chance in the last 3 games of the season. He looked very impressive in those 3 games and won over the entire coaching staff. His insertion into the lineup allowed Richie Incognito to move from C to RG. This proved to be a great move being as that is his more natural position allowed him to really use his natural aggression (the guy is an animal). 7th round draft pick Rookie Mark Setterstrom was also introduced into the lineup at LG during this time, which moved Todd Steussie back to his normal Left Tackle position. These moves proved to be a huge surprise for the coaching staff, as the run blocking suddenly became a strength of the offense. Steven Jackson had one of his best games against the Vikes, rushing for 142 yards against a tough front seven that had been averaging giving up only 57 yards per game for the entire season. The pass blocking still left something to be desired, but with Pace back next season, this should be an improvement over Steussie, who did a fine job this season, but is clearly past his prime.
Defense
========
DTs: I had high hopes for Jimmy Kennedy finally breaking out to reach his potential, but alas, this was not to be. This guy can finally be called a first round bust. He just doesn't have what it takes to be a dominant DE. If he was a 3rd round pick, I'd say he was OK, but alot more was expected from him and he has failed to deliver. LaRoi Glover had his moments this season, but it's clear he's at the end of his career. He just cannot get off blocks like he used to and dominate good linemen like he has in the past. Solid backup guy at best. Rams need to improve here with at least one top-flight DT next season, perhaps in free agency.
DEs: Leonard Little had another great season rushing the passer with his 12.5 sacks and frequent presence in the backfield. He still is a bit of a liability against the run, but that's a tradeoff alot of teams have to make. The rest of the group has been average at best since the untimely departure of Anthony Hargrove, who was kicked off the team for disciplinary reasons. A solid complement to Little is needed next season for the Rams to have a decent front four.
LBs: Will Witherspoon performed very well this season as MLB, even if he is a bit undersized for the position. If the Rams can get a big NT up front to allow him to make plays, then he can be a great MLB, otherwise he really is more suited to play on the weakside. However, this is where Pisa Tinoisamoa plays and he's not going anywhere after signing a 5 year extension. "Hawaii 5-0" had his playing time curtailed because of injuries this season and that exposed a weakness in this group. Even with Pisa in there, the LB corps really was not a very strong group. Add to that a weakness on the strong side, with Brandon Chillar starting, and this is actually a very weak group of LBs. I doubt Chillar would even make the roster of most teams, let alone be the starter. Overall, a weakness of the Ram defense and I don't see it improving anytime in the next couple of years.
Safeties: The Rams picked up Cory Chavous in the offseason to help this unit which he did to a certain extent. He's a decent, but limited player. Besides him, however, the Rams decided to go with youth, throwing raw second year player A. Otogwe in as the starting Free Safety. He struggled for most of the season, but showed better run play and good playmaking ability in the last few games of the season. If he continues to improve, he'll help shore up this position for the Rams for the next few years.
CBs: Travis Fisher and Jerametrius Butler were supposed to anchor this position for the team at the start of the season. However, Fisher did not look good (before getting hurt) and Butler just looked horrible in coverage and in run support (he was so bad that he was inactive for many games this season). Fakhir Brown was also brought in as a free agent and he generally performed OK -- probably about NFL average in my estimation. Ron Bartell was given opportunities as a Nickel back and looked pretty bad for most of the season. However, he made some great plays toward the end of the season and is showing signs that he'll be the large and fast CB that the Rams were envisioning when he was taken in the second round of the 2005 draft. The 2007 season is actually looking pretty bright for this unit and I expect this to be a strength of the Ram defense.