2009 St. Louis Rams Football Preview

2008 Record: 2-14, Fourth NFC West

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Head Coach: Steve Spagnuolo; First Year

Key Additions: SS James Butler, C Jason Brown, FB Mike Karney

Key Losses: WR Torry Holt, OT Orlando Pace, QB Trent Green, S Corey Chavous

1st Round Draft Picks: Jason Smith – Offensive Tackle

2nd Round Draft Picks: James Laurinaitis - Linebacker

2009 St. Louis Rams Schedule

St. Louis Rams 2008 NFL Season in Review

There wasn't much good news coming from the St. Louis Rams in 2008. They finished a dismal 2-14 and were under the direction of an interim coach for most of the year. Big name players were disgruntled and other established starters struggled. Steven Jackson had a slow start to the year and missed four games, but still proved himself to be one of the best running backs in the league when healthy. The offense ranked 30 th in points scored and the defense ranked 31 st in points allowed, meaning there's a ton of improvement that needs to be made on both sides of the ball. Of course, the 2-14 record reveals as much as well.

St. Louis Rams 2009 NFL Season Preview

With the release of several players, the last remnants of the Greatest Show on Turf, it's officially a new beginning for the St. Louis Rams. Torry Holt and Orlando Pace are gone, and new coach Steve Spgnuolo promises to provide more of a focus on creative and aggressive defensive scheming than on an all out offensive attack.

2009 St. Louis Rams Offense:

Quarterback Marc Bulger remains the starter for the club after going through many ups and downs over the last season. He struggled for much of 2008 but didn't have much help either. With the release of Torry Holt, the Rams are placing a lot of faith and responsibility on a largely young and unproven wide receiving corps, led by Donnie Avery.

Steven Jackson needs to find a way to stay healthy, and it would surely help if he didn't face the entire team in the box for every play. That might not change, but the Rams spent their high draft pick on stud offensive tackle Jason Smith and brought in center James Brown to clear some running room for him and to keep Bulger on his feet a bit more.

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2009 St. Louis Rams Defense:

Spagnuolo has brought in several players from the Giants, where he was the defensive coordinator. This includes strong safety James Butler, a versatile player who should help strengthen the backfield. The Rams also picked up linebacker James Laurinaitis in the second round, a player with strong fundamentals and a high football I.Q. Spagnuolo's schemes should help Chris Long continue to develop, and the Rams will need Long and Laurinaitis to both perform at a high level if the defense is going to be respectable.

2009 St. Louis Rams Prediction: Fourth NFC West

By Jake Emen
ProFootball-fans.com Staff Writer

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