1st round pick (DE) Chris Long was a disappointment as a rookie last season.  He played in 16 games (all starts) for the Rams last season and he made 40 tackles, had 4 sacks and he forced 1 fumble.  The Rams need more from Long in the near future starting in 2009.  WR Donnie Avery was a nice surprise for the Rams last season.  He played in 15 games (12 starts) for the Rams last season and he caught 53 passes for 674 yards (12.7 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 10 times for 69 yards (6.9 ypc) with a TD run and he returned 1 kickoff for 21 yards.  OT John Greco played in 9 games (1 start) as a rookie last season for the Rams.  4th rounder (CB) Justin King was going to be the #4 corner for the Rams last season before injuring himself and missing last season.  WR Keenan Burton (4th rounder) played in 13 games (1 start) for the Rams last season and he caught 13 passes for 172 yards (13.2 avg) with a TD grab.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 8 yards (2.7 ypc) and made 6 tackles.  He could develop into a starter for the Rams down the road.  Guard Roy Schuening was inactive his whole rookie season for the Rams.  OLB Chris Chamberlain (7th rounder) played in all 16 games (0 starts) for the Rams last season and he made 16 tackles.  Fellow 7th round OLB David Vobora played in 8 games (1 start) for the Rams last season and he finished up with 15 tackles.

GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  B

The Rams have signed 23-year old safety Craig Dahl and 27-year old WR Chad Lucas to 1-year contracts.  Dahl didn’t play last season for the Giants.  He was a rookie in 2007 and he played in 9 games for the Giants making 19 tackles.  He will serve as a backup safety and special teams player for the Rams in 2009 if he makes the team.  WR Chad Lucas also didn’t play last season (for the Buccaneers).  He has played in 3 games (1 start) in his NFL career and he has caught 5 passes for 82 yards (16.4 avg).  Lucas will be a long shot to make the Rams in 2009.

The St. Louis Rams have signed 26-year old QB Jeff Otis to battle Brock Berlin for the #2 QB job in 2009 unless the Rams sign or draft someone better which is definately a possibility.  Otis spent last season with the Raiders but the Columbia grad didn’t make it to the field during the regular season.

The Rams have released the best WR in team history jettisoning 32-year old Torry Holt.  Holt played in all 16 games for the Rams last season and he caught 64 passes for 796 yards (12.3 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Holt played in 10 seasons with the Rams in which he played in 158 games and caught 869 passes for 12,660 yards (14.6 avg) with 74 TD grabs.  This is a disappointing way for the Rams to treat one of the best players in the history of the franchise.

The Rams have signed 27-year old fullback Mike Karney to a 3-year, $3.6 million dollar contract.  He played in 12 games for the Saints last season and he carried the ball 8 times for 10 yards (1.3 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 9 passes for 18 yards (2.0 avg) last season.  Karney has now played in 75 games in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 39 times for 79 yards (2.0 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He has also caught 53 passes for 295 yards (5.6 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Karney is a legit fullback who should help the running game for the Rams in 2009 and beyond.