Teams on the Rise Trilogy - Part 1: St. Louis Rams (NFL)

Seahawks’ fans can spend the offseason smiling, just as supporters of the Red Sox and Heat have been for months now. With that, though, leaves just about everyone else wondering if their team’s time is near. For many teams in the MLB, NBA, or NFL, it’s obvious that they will be in the heat of things down the stretch in their respective leagues.

For others, recent memories of failure may have them questioning if a trend is being set or if they can turn it around soon. Taking into account the present state of every team in the three aforementioned leagues, and the positions they have put themselves in moving forward, I’ve concluded which organizations in each league have the brightest futures ahead. This is Part 1 of a trilogy of blogs on this topic, and considering the heightened interest in the NFL, following the Super Bowl, let’s start there.

NFL: St. Louis Rams (Last Winning Season: 2003)

The “Greatest Show on Turf” turned from a thriller into a comedy not long after their dramatic Super Bowl XXXIV win over the Titans in 2000. Six head coaches, an overthrow of players, and 129 losses later, they’ve climbed their way back to the middle-tier in the NFL, but this stop is merely a temporary one.

The Rams are on their way to becoming one of those teams you don’t want to see on your schedule. Already, they’ve established a defensive core with MLB James Laurinaitis, LOLB Alec Ogletree, DE Chris Long, and the young stud DE Robert Quinn--who finished half a sack away from leading the NFL in that category.

Offensively, Zac Stacy went from being a back-up to a top-notch running back as a rookie, so you could only expect this Maurice Jones Drew-type back to continue to improve. WR Tavon Austin also broke out later in the season as a rookie offensive star, who contributed in the running game as well through end-arounds and other unique plays drawn up by the improved coaching staff led by Jeff Fisher. If they can succeed as a run-first team, which it looks like they can, Sam Bradford will be more comfortable in his return from a season-ending ACL injury.

To put things into perspective, this team went 7-9 with a back-up quarterback, a young defense that proved its tenacity, and two offensive rookies who are on their way to becoming stars. In case that isn’t enough to get the attention of the high-standard fans of their NFC West rival Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers, however, wait until May. Can you can guess who’s sitting pretty with two early first-round draft picks this year, including the 2nd pick in the entire draft?

 Hopefully you can, because this entire article is about them. If you need help, though, it’s those ____ Rams. I didn’t leave their location blank so you can finish it off for me. I did it because their owner Stan Kroenke bought 60 acres of land in Los Angeles, right as talks of moving an NFL team to LA are rising to the surface. The franchise has a fan base there already, as they played in the Greater Los Angeles Area for just under a century up until 1994. That, though, is a topic for another day. I only mentioned it because it adds a little bit more excitement to this franchise, does it not? Nevertheless, back to the draft.

Their offense still certainly needs help, and they can find what they need on draft day. They can do a lot at number two. My advice would be to go for Jake Matthews, an O-lineman out of Texas A&M, as their O-Line went from bad to dreadful with Jake Long’s season ending ACL injury this past season. They’ll get him back, but he can’t stop 11 guys on his own. Next they should probably look for either another OL or a WR. Tavon Austin is great, but he’s a slot receiver, and they need a true number one WR with some size.

If they can get Sammy Watkins out of Clemson, I will become a Rams fan, as I’d expect that to push them over the top, but they’re more likely to catch guys like Mike Evans--also from Texas A&M--or Marqise Lee out of USC with the 13th pick.

The NFC West is already scary, but I guarantee that it will become scarier in the upcoming seasons. This team can get away with being good without strong play out of Sam Bradford. If Bradford can live up to his potential, though, with the help of the offensive weapons currently developing in their system and the one’s they will acquire in this year’s draft, this team is going to find themselves back where they were in the turn of the millennium with Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk’s “Greatest Show on Turf.”

That concludes part one of the trilogy. Thank you for reading, comment on whether or not you agree or what other teams you think will rise up in the upcoming seasons, and expect part two to come out in two weeks.