The Rams are really set up well at quarterback for the 2007 season.  Marc Bulger has really been an outstanding QB for the Rams over his career and he could even be better this season as he’ll have new weapons in TE Randy McMichael and WR Drew Bennett.  Bulger has a lightning quick release which makes up for his average arm strength.  Bulger started all 16 games last season for the Rams and he completed 370 of 588 (62.9%) passes for 4,301 yards with 24 TD passes and 8 INTs (92.9 QB Rating).  He also has carried the football 18 times for 44 yards (2.4 ypc).  Bulger has made most around St. Louis forget about Kurt Warner and look for that to continue this year.  Bulger has now played in 60 games (all starts) and he’s completed 1,357 of 2,106 passes (64.4%) for 16,233 yards with 95 TD passes and 59 INTs (91.3 QB Rating).  He also has carried the football 87 times for 224 yards (2.6 ypc) with 8 TD runs.

Gus Frerotte is the backup and he would do a good job if pressed into duty.  He has a little better arm than Bulger and he has a lot of experience in head coach Scott Linehan’s offense as he played for him in both Miami and Minnesota.  Frerotte only played in 1 game for the Rams last season and he completed 1 of 3 (33.3%) passes for 27 yards with 0 TDs and 0 INTs (67.4 QB Rating).  Frerotte has a lot of NFL experience though, so he gives the Rams brass confidence.  He has played in 128 games (79 starts) and he’s completed 1,427 of 2,638 passes (54.1%) for 18,120 yards with 95 TD passes and 79 INTs (75.3 QB Rating).  He also has carried the football 172 times for 305 yards (1.8 ypc) with 5 TD runs.

The Rams 3rd stringer is Ryan Fitzpatrick out of Harvard.  He doesn’t have much of a throwing arm but he’s smart and knows where to go with the football.  He played in 1 game last season for the Rams and he didn’t throw a pass but ran the ball 3 times for 0 yards (0.0 ypc).  He has played in 5 games (3 starts) in his NFL career and he’s completed 76 of 135 passes (56.3%) for 777 yards with 4 TD passes and 8 interceptions (58.2 QB Rating).  He also has carried the football 17 times for 64 yards (3.8 ypc) with 2 TD runs.

The Rams have scoured the United States to find them another weapon for their special teams and offense and they found him at Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater.  Derek Stanley is small (5′10″, 175 pounds) but he plays bigger than that.  He also runs a 4.34 40 which is amazing.  Stanley played in 50 games (30 starts on offense) at Wisconsin-Whitewater and he made 130 catches for 2,648 yards (20.4 avg) with 35 TD grabs.  He also carried the football 9 times for 81 yards (9.0 ypc).  Stanley also returned 41 kickoffs for 929 yards (22.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Stanley also started 11 games at cornerback in college.  Look for Stanley to be a special teams dynamo as a rookie.

The Rams might have got a steal here with the selection of Jackson.  Jackson has one weakness and if the Rams can fix it they will have themselves a good tackle.  The problem is that Jackson has long legs and sometimes he plays high and when that happens he gets pushed around and taken out of plays.  Jackson is a good athlete as he’s 6′0″, 305 pounds and he can run a 4.85 40 so he can get in the backfield and make plays down the line of scrimmage.  At Arkansas, Jackson played in 44 games (28 starts) and he made 191 tackles, 18.5 tackles for a loss, had 7 sacks, forced 4 fumbles, recovered 4 fumbles, batted down 4 passes and had two interceptions (one he returned for a TD).

The Rams wanted a young offensive tackle to groom for the future and Shackleford definately has a nice upside.  Shackleford is 6′5″, 325 pounds and he’s very nimble for his size.  He can get out and hit moving targets in the running game which is impressive for a player his size.  The Rams need him to develop a mean streak because he plays a little soft for a man his size.  Shackleford played in 46 games but he only started 14 in college so he’s a little bit raw.  Look for the Rams to coach him up as he has the potential to be a starter in the NFL in the future.

The Rams have needed a tough guy for the middle of their defensive line for a long time and they might have found one with Clifton Ryan.  Ryan is 6′3″, 310 pounds and he’s super strong as he often pushed linemen straight back into the backfield in college.  It might be hard to do that in the pros but if he can demand a double team the linebackers will be clean to make plays.  Ryan played in 50 games (35 starts) at Michigan State and he made 118 tackles, 19.5 tackles for a loss, had 10.5 sacks, forced 4 fumbles, recovered 2 fumble and broke up 2 passes.  Look for Ryan to work his way into the Rams rotation at tackle as a rookie, but he could be a starter for them in the near future.