Written By: Anthony Bafaro
Quarterback: 2-3 Roster Spots
The Lock: Sam Bradford
In this case, the lock is singular: Sam Bradford. After living up to the hype in his stellar
rookie-of-the-year season, Bradford suffered from the proverbial sophomore
slump. In many, oh so many ways, he was
the victim of circumstance in his second season. He suffered a high-ankle sprain in week six
that left him hobbled for the rest of the season, and a string of injuries
dropped the offensive talent around him from bad to downright
embarrassing. Additionally, and perhaps
most egregiously, he was stuck working under the torturous tutelage of
offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. I
must admit, like many (but not all), I was excited when the Rams hired
McDaniels. Although he flopped as a head
coach, his ability to facilitate a high-octane offense was undeniable.
Unfortunately, that success catalyzed a very
stubborn sort of pretentiousness.
Despite the difficulties that come with installing such a
complicated offensive system in a shortened offseason, McDaniels refused to
admit the need for a quarterbacks coach.
He also refused to simplify, or in any way adapt, his offense to fit the
talent level of his players. It was
clear early on that the offensive line play would be sub-par. It was also clear that the team lacked
receivers capable of beating one-on-one coverage downfield. Instead of shortening the passing attack,
McDaniels insisted on calling seven-step-drops without so much as a single
check-down option. When McDaniels and
Bradford achieved some success early in the season utilizing the no-huddle
offense—methodically marching up and down the field against the eventual
Superbowl Champion Giants—the strategy was inexplicably abandoned.
The aforementioned plights would prove detrimental to most
quarterbacks, but this franchise needs Bradford to be better than most
quarterbacks; this franchise needs him to be a great quarterback. Great quarterbacks find a way to fight
through injuries. Great quarterbacks elevate
the players around them, making those players look better than they actually
are. Great quarterbacks, in many ways,
take over the offensive game plan and make it their own.
With new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer,
Bradford returns to a system similar to the one he was successful in as a
rookie. The onus is on Sam to take his
game to a higher level.
The Likely: Kellen Clemens
All signs seem to point to Kellen Clemens as Bradford’s
backup. Clemens was the starter for the
final three games of the 2011 season, and although his play wasn’t great, it wasn’t
awful either. Against Cincinnati in week
fifteen, Clemens completed 25 of 36 passes (69%) for 229 yards with 1 TD and 0
INTs. He followed up that solid start
with an anemic shutout loss playing on the road against the Steelers. In his final game of the season, against the
dominant defense of the 49ers, Clemens completed 14 of 31 passes (45%) for 226
yards with 1 TD and 1INT, plus he added an additional rushing TD. His numbers against the 49ers do not stand
out as solid, but ProFootballFocus (PFF) actually graded his final start the
highest of the three because he was victimized by two sacks, two hits, eighteen
hurries, and four dropped passes.
More important than his moderate late season success is the
fact that prior to joining the Rams in 2011, Clemens spent the first five years
of his career playing in Schottenheimer’s system as a member of the Jets. His experience in the system means that from
day one he’ll be prepared to step in and competently manage the offense in the
absence of Bradford. His knowledge of
the system also makes him the ideal mentor to Sam Bradford, as the young
starter attempts to absorb his third offense in as many years.
The Long-Shots:
Austin Davis, Tom Brandstater
If the Rams keep three QBs, it will be because Austin Davis
had a terrific camp. The scouting report
on the undrafted rookie out of Southern Mississippi is that he’s smart and
accurate, but lacks the arm strength to start at the next level. However, that lack of arm strength did not
stop Davis from overtaking fifteen of his school’s single-game and
single-season records, including most passing yards in a season (3,128), which
had been held by some guy named Brett Favre.
It’s difficult to justify using a roster spot on a
third-string, project quarterback, especially when your starter is only
24-years old. Unless Davis is so good
that the Rams fear losing him to the active roster of another team, they’ll
likely send him to the practice squad.
Tom Brandstater is
not a long-shot; he’s a lost cause. His
most notable moment as a Ram is losing a ball in the rafters while trying to
test Brian Quick’s deep-ball ability during pre-draft workouts.
K: 1 Roster Spot
The Lock: Greg Zuerlein
There can be only one lock at kicker, and if a team spends a
draft pick of any kind on the position, that player is the lock for the entire
season. Zuerlein broke an NCAA DII
record with 21 consecutive FG’s made, including nine over 50 yards and two from
58.
The Long-Shot: Garrett Londholm
Again, this long-shot has no chance at all. Lindholm was signed to a futures contract
back in January, when the only thing certain about the kicker position was that
Josh Brown would not be getting his $2.7 million. For all practical purposes, Londholm was cut
the minute Zuerlein was drafted.
Next week we’ll be looking at the running back and full back
positions, where the Rams have finally shown some interest in players under the
age of 25—a truly revolutionary idea.
photo credit:
Jeffrey Beall via
photo pin cc
photo credit:
Ed Yourdon via
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