2005 Record: 6-10
CJ’S Team Rank: 22

THE CHARLES JAY LINE
To win Super Bowl:75-1
To win NFC West: 8-1
Total Wins: Over 6.5 -155, Under 6.5 +145

For Scott Linehan, the new head coach for the St. Louis Rams, it was a matter of flushing out a lot of the old and bringing in a new attitude. Last season, the atmosphere became somewhat polluted as Mike Martz feuded with management, took ill, relinquished the coaching reins, then tried to exercise his influence on things anyway. Haggling within the organization had its effect on what happened on the field, as the Rams struggled to a 6-10 season.

If there was a “Marshall Faulk era,” it is over in St. Louis. On the ground, this team now firmly belongs to Steven Jackson, the third-year back who ran for 1046 yards in 2005, with a 4.1 average per carry. The wide receivers who established this team as “The Greatest Show on Turf” are still around, though. Torry Holt caught 102 passes for 1331 yards last year and is very much at the peak of his form. Isaac Bruce is going to try and bounce back from a season in which he caught only 36 passes for 525 yards. Linehan is hoping Joe Klopfenstein, the second-round pick out of Colorado, will provide a viable option at the tight end spot.

Throwing the ball once again is Marc Bulger, who has had recurring shoulder problems but managed to complete 67% of his passes for 2297 yards and 14 TD’s in the eight games where he was healthy. St. Louis lost Jamie Martin, Bulger’s backup, but replaced him with Gus Frerotte, who was Miami’s starter last season.

The Rams were 30th in the league in total defense last year, then went out and hired Jim Haslett, who was fired as head coach of the Saints, as their defensive coordinator. The team added La’Roi Glover to the defensive line, but may have experienced a net loss in that area because Damione Lewis and Ryan Pickett have departed. The acquisition of safety Corey Chavous, late of the Vikings, is a positive, but the loss of Adam Archuleta hurts, because he was the kind of physical playmaker Haslett would have liked to work with. With whoever they use in the secondary, the Rams need to improve on their 13 interceptions from a year ago.

Linehan knows that with a healthy Bulger at the helm and the continued development of Jackson, his team has the ability to put a potent offense on the field. The defense must improve by leaps and bounds under Haslett, however. And the noise must be made on the field, not off it.

 1. Peyton Manning, Colts.  (6)   This is a no-brainer.  The greatest fantasy QB of his time.

 2. Tom Brady, Patriots (6)   The greatest QB of his time.  Spreads the ball around, and always puts up numbers.

 3.  Trent Green, Chiefs (3)  Green has put up three straight 4,000 yards passing season together.  Under-rated.

 4. Carson Palmer, Bengals (5)  Knee is a huge question mark.  Has alot of weapons in the passing game.

 5. Eli Manning, Giants (4)  Manning started to emerge from brothers’ shadow.  Has a good supporting cast.

 6. Marc Bulger, Rams (7)  Only needs to stay healthy to lead the greatest show on turf.

 7. Duante Culpepper, Dolphins (8)  Huge risk/reward pick.  Has a huge arm, but can Chambers imitate Moss?

 8. Donovan McNabb, Eagles (9)  Probably would have ranked higher if he had at least one good receiver.

 9. Matt Hasselbeck, Seahawks (5)  Injury to Darrell Jackson hurts.  Plus Shaun Alexander will get his carries.

10. Drew Bledsoe, Cowboys (3)  If T.O. behaves, this is too low for Bledsoe.  T.O. always makes his QB better.

11. Brett Favre, Packers (6)  Running backs look healthy, which will put less pressure on him to win game himself.

12. Kurt Warner, Cardinals (9)  Warner would be higher on this list if he weren’t so brittle.  Risk/Reward pick.

13. Drew Brees, Saints (7)  Always scared of injured throwing shoulders, but he has a good supporting cast.

14. Aaron Brooks, Raiders (3)  Hard to hold last season against any Saint.  Will thrive throwing ball to Randy Moss.

15. Jake Delhomme, Panthers (9)  Better in real football than fantasy football.

16. Jake Plummer, Broncos (4)  Will he feel the heat with Jay Cutler around?  If not he’ll be ok.

17. David Carr, Texans (5)  Has shown improvement the last two seasons, and now he has Eric Moulds.

18. Billy Volek, Titans (7)  Volek has been a superb back-up, and now he gets the keys to the car for a season.

19. Steve McNair, Ravens (7)  McNair is only this far down the list because he’s brittle.  Reunited with Mason will help.

20. Philip Rivers, Chargers (3)  Risk/Reward pick.  Not much experience, but a very good supporting cast.

21. Mark Brunell, Redskins (8)  Nice supporting group, but injury prone and old.

22. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers (4)  Lots of questions.  Will he be ok or gun shy?  Steelers run alot and that hurts him.

23. Jon Kitna, Lions (8)  If he wins the job, he could put up huge numbers with Mike Martz calling the plays.

24. Chris Simms, Buccaneers (4)  For first time since high-school, he’s the best QB on his team.

25. Brad Johnson, Vikings (6)  38 year old QB that likes the short pass.  Will he last a whole season?

26. Michael Vick, Falcons (5)  Vick is the most electrifying QB in the league.  But his 150 yards passing won’t help you.

27. Byron Leftwich, Jaguars (6)  He has never played a complete season, and his receiving corps is downright awful.

28. Chad Pennington, Jets (9)  Pennington is a good QB when he plays….which isn’t very often.

29. Charlie Frye, Browns (6)  Looked ok in his brief trial at the end of the season.  Having Edwards and Winslow will help.

30. Kelly Holcomb, Bills (8)  He should win the job, but if you draft a Bills QB…you need your head examined.

31. Rex Grossman, Bears (7)  Look up the word “brittle” in the dictionary and you’ll see Rex Grossman’s face.

32. Alex Smith, 49ers (7)  He’s got a long way to go to be an average QB.

33. Brian Griese, Bears (7)  Sure to start some games, the only question is when.

34. Matt Leinhart, Cardinals (9)  Leinhart probably will get the keys to the explosive offense at some point.

35. Gus Frerotte, Rams (7)  Follows head-coach Scott Linehan around like a puppy.  Could see some time.

36. Josh McCown, Lions (8)  Back-up to Kitna to start the season.  Lions QB of near future.

37. Matt Schaub, Falcons (5)  Better throwing QB than starter Michael Vick.

38. David Garrard, Jaguars (6)  Plays well every season after Leftwich gets hurt.

39. Jeff Garcia, Eagles (9)  Still has a little left in the tank if McNabb goes down.

40. Patrick Ramsey, Jets (9)  QB in waiting behind Pennington.  Only a matter of time until he plays.

41. Trent Dilfer, 49ers (7)  Coach Nolan won’t let his team’s season go to waste if Smith is over-matched again.

42. Jim Sorgi, Colts (6)  Played well in limited action.  Has a super supporting cast if forced into action.

43. JP Losman, Bills (8)  Good athlete for a QB, but not a good passer.

44. Kyle Boller, Ravens (7)  Behind McNair, so he could get a chance.  Played well last December.

45. Joey Harrington, Dolphins (8)  Could get playing time in Miami, but that was never an issue in Detroit.

46. Anthony Wright, Bengals (5)  Wright is a good athlete and the Bengals have good receivers…but, Wright is not a good passer.

47. Vince Young, Titans (7)  If the Titans throw him to the wolves, he will get chewed up and spit out.

48. Jay Cutler, Broncos (4)  Cutler’s year will be next season.

49. Sage Rosenfels, Texans (5)  Not very productive in limited chances.

50. Charlie Batch, Steelers (4)  Running team, but if Big Ben’s head hurts he might get forced into action.

51.  Chris Weinke, Panthers (9)  Had his chance, and then the Panthers signed Delhomme.

52. Todd Collins, Redskins (8)  Playing behind Brunell with a loaded supporting cast.

53. Damon Huard, Chiefs (3)  Chiefs would probably run alot if he were forced into action.

54. Jamie Martin, Saints (7)  Good completion % usually.  A decent back-up.

55. Jay Fiedler, Buccaneers (4)  Still hasn’t thrown a pass in camp.  Game manager that wouldn’t put up big numbers.

56. Matt Cassel, Patriots (6)  Hasn’t started a real game since high school.

57. A.J. Feeley, Chargers (3)  If you have a penalty for pick-offs, don’t say this name.

58. Andrew Walter, Raiders (3)  Hasn’t played a down, but has good receivers.

59. Aaron Rodgers, Packers (6)  The fact that the Packers drafted a QB speaks volumes.

60. Tim Hasselbeck, Giants (4)  Giants have a good supporting cast, but Hasselbeck hasn’t proved he could take advantage of that.

61. Ken Dorsey, Browns (6)  Trying to hold off Derek Anderson for back-up job.

62. Seneca Wallace, Seahawks (5)  Not a good passer.

63.  Tony Romo, Cowboys (3)  No experience…..scary.

64. Mike McMahon, Vikings (6)  Good runner, but the worst throwing QB in the league.

Coach Scott Linehan came to town and blew up the roster at the TE position.  Linehan used a second and third round pick in the draft to fill the position.

Joe Klopfenstein was the second rounder out of Colorado.  He is fast (4.64 40) and has good size (6’5″, 255 pounds).  Klopfenstein is a good receiver, but has problems blocking.  He played in 44 games at Colorado (34 starts) and caught 86 passes for 1,076 yards (12.5 avg) and 13 TDs.

Dominique Byrd was the third rounder out of USC.  Byrd is a good receiver with soft hands and good ball skills.  He doesn’t block very well and doesn’t have great speed.  Byrd is an underachiever that needs  to realize that he has a great opportunity with the Rams if he puts in a good effort.  Byrd played in 29 games (15 starts) and caught 81 passes for 968 yards (12.0 avg) and 4 TDs.

The Rams start everything off with Torry Holt.  Holt is a dominator in every sense of the word.  Holt has a streak of six straight seasons of 1,300+ receiving yards.  Holt is truly the #1 receiver on this team.  Holt has played in 114 games for the Rams (100 starts) and has caught 619 passes for 9,487 yards (15.3 avg) and 54 TDs.  He also has rushed 11 times for 57 yards.

Isaac Bruce is now #2 on the totem pole.  He was injured part of last season but looks healthy heading into this one.  Bruce has caught passes for over 1,000 yards seven times in his career.  Bruce has played in 167 games (154 starts) and has caught 813 passes for 12,278 yards (15.1 avg) and 80 TDs.  He also has rushed the ball 21 times for 154 yards.

When Bruce went down Kevin Curtis stepped up and proved that he is here to stay.  Curtis is fearless and fast.  Curtis has played in 35 games (10 starts) and has caught 96 passes for 1,235 yards (12.9 avg) and 8 TDs.  He also has rushed the ball four times for 29 yards and a TD.

Shaun McDonald also benefitted from Bruce’s injury as he showed he belonged also.  He is another tough fast guy that fits well in this offense.  McDonald has played in 40 games (3 starts) and has caught 93 passes for 1,079 yards (11.6 avg) and 3 TDs.  He has also rushed 7 times for 14 yards.

Dane Looker is the possession type receiver of the bunch….which means he isn’t as fast as the other guys.  Looker has played in 49 games (2 starts) and has caught 83 passes for 915 yards (11.0 avg) and 3 TDs.

Marques Hagans is gonna try to make the team as a receiver.  He was a college QB at Virginia and has good athletic ability.

Brad Pyatt is over from the Colts where he only caught 3 passes for 14 yards in three years.  He is a good kick-returner.

Register at any blog in the Blog Locker network and post regulary with us (the more often and relevant the posts, the more chance you have to win) before SuperBowl Sunday 2007 and you will be automatically entered to win a new 50″ (or bigger) Plasma TV, courtesy of Bloglockers.com.

Spam and useless posts will disqualify you automatically (*).
Thanks and Good Luck!

(*) See terms and conditions

Jeff Wilkins is a big asset to the Rams offense.  He has a big leg and has nailed 12 of his last 14 attempts of 50 yards or longer. 

Wilkins has nailed 82.0% of his career FG attempts and has averaged 7.07 points in his career.

Doctors were performing surgery on Marshall Faulk today, but they had to sew his knee back up because the damage was more extensive then they thought.  Faulk will need reconstructive surgery on the knee, thus more than likely ending his career.  But what a career it was.

Faulk has finished as the #9 all-time rusher in the NFL with 12,279 yards rushing.  Faulk also is the #4 man on the all-time TD list with 136.  Marshall Faulk ran for over 1,000 yards seven times in his career and he had 12 years of at least 44 receptions!

Faulk played in 176 games (156 starts) and he rushed for 12,279 yards (4.3 ypc) and 100 TDs.  Faulk also caught 767 passes for 6,875 yards (9.0 avg) and 36 TDs.

Faulk will be in the Hall-of-Fame, five years after he announces his retirement.  Faulk was one of the best all-around backs in league history and he will be missed by the Rams organization and fans.

Without Marshall Faulk around this season, look for Jackson to carry the full load.  Jackson has been waiting patiently to get all the carries and catches to show what he can really do, and this season he’ll get that.  Jackson is a big, strong, pile-driver as a running back.  His power game meshes well with the pyrotechnics of the Rams passing game.  Jackson has played 29 games (18 starts) and has rushed for 1,719 yards (4.4 ypc) and 12 TDs.  He also has caught 62 passes for 509 yards and 2 TDs.

Moe Williams was signed today to challenge Tony Fisher for the back-up job for the Rams.  Williams only played in six games last season and only rushed for 20 yards when his season was cut short by knee surgery.  Williams is a tough inside runner that excels in short-yardage and goal-line situations.  Williams has played in 132 games (only 12 starts) and has rushed for 1,826 yards (4.2 ypc) and 21 TDs.  He also has caught 154 passes for 1,511 yards and 4 TDs.

Tony Fisher has been the #3 guy in Green Bay for awhile, but he’s always produced when given the chance to play.  Fisher is a good receiver but he lacks the bulk to play everydown.  Fisher has appeared in 60 games (5 starts) and has rushed for 880 yards (3.7 ypc) and 4 TDs.  He has caught 125 passes for 900 yards and 5 TDs.

The Rams have done very well against the Bears when playing in St. Louis.  The Rams have covered 5 of the last seven meetings between the teams.  With this game being on December 11th, who knows whether the QB will be Grossman, Griese or Orton by then.  I don’t think it will make a difference as the Rams will score on the Bears D and force them out of their gameplan, which is run, run, and run.

The Rams win and cover December 11th against the Bears.  Now you can afford to get the braces for the kid, courtesy of Marc Bulger.

Moe Williams was signed today after the Rams missed out on trying to acquire Michael Bennett from the Saints.  Moe Williams missed most of last season after having knee surgery after six games.  Williams will battle Tony Fisher for the back-up job to Stephen Jackson.