2008 St. Louis Rams prospects
The St. Louis Rams finished 2007 with a 3-13 record that had fans depressed. Even more depressing news followed in early 2008 when St. Louis Rams owner Georgia Frontiere passed away after a bout with breast cancer. Since her death, Frontiere’s son, Chip Rosenbloom, has become the new owner of the Rams, though he shares responsibility with Lucia Rodriguez and Stan Kroenke. Rosenbloom wanted the team to return to their old blue and yellow uniforms worn in 1999, but the NFL turned down his request. The league stated that there should be at least a year’s notice before making any such change. So the Rams’ uniforms are likely to change next season, so get ready for a memorable final season in the familiar millennial blue and new century gold.
What does the Rams’ 71st season look like so far? So far, the team has signed three free agents, including punter Josh Brown from the Seattle Seahawks, offensive lineman Jacob Bell from the Tennessee Titans and tight end Anthony Becht from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They also expanded their roster of talent by making some key selections in the 2008 NFL Draft.
The first pick was defensive end Chris Long from Virginia, wide receiver Donnie Avery from Houston, offensive tackle John Greco from Toledo, cornerback Justin King from Penn State, wide receiver Keenan Burton from Kentucky, offensive guard Roy Schuening from Oregon State linebacker Chris Chamberlain. from Tulsa and linebacker David Vobora from Idaho. To get these promising draft picks, the team had to trade with other teams. They lost Ryan Fitzpatrick for the seventh-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals. On the other hand, they traded their sixth-round pick to the Denver Broncos for defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy, and their seventh-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings for offensive tackle Adam Goldberg. They also received an additional seventh round pick as a compensatory pick.
Things look promising, but that’s what people were saying in 2007, and yet the Rams played one of their worst seasons to date. What happened? They experienced some injury issues on the offensive line, as well as leading running backs and quarterbacks, all in the first quarter of the season. What will the Rams need to improve their scoring and make the playoffs? First of all, they need to be healthy and fast. Steven Jackson was injured for much of last year, although in the 12 games he played he performed very well. Having players like him, Marc Bulger and Orlando Pace back at full speed will put the Rams back in contention. The Rams also have to address their defensive issues, though recent signings may help in this regard.
The draft reaction was good from both fans and pick-holding pundits like Long and Avery. Most agree that the team did a good job addressing their needs. Thus, the success of the Rams in 2008 may be determined by the health of the players, hoping to give a little more than 100%.