24-year old WR Danny Amendola came out of nowhere last season for the Rams.  He played in 14 games for the Rams last season and he returned 66 kickoffs for 1,618 yards (24.5 avg).  Amendola is a very dependable return man but rookie Mardy Gilyard will compete with him for his job.  Gilyard was a 4th round pick out of Cincinnati last April has speed to burn.  Amendola is more dependable but Gilyard’s has the speed to go all the way at any time.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RAMS KICKOFF RETURNERS in 2010:  B

It appears that the Rams are going to go with rookie 2nd round pick Rodger Saffold as the starting LT in 2010.  He was a solid run and pass blocker in college so the Rams hope that he will be able to handle the blind side in the NFL.  LG Jacob Bell excels as a pass blocker but he will need to get better with his run blocking.  Center Jason Brown is the leader of this unit as he’s smart and hates to lose.  He is a leader both vocally and by example as he’s a good run and pass blocker.  It looks like Hank Fraley will be the starting RG for the Rams in 2010.  He is a veteran who knows all of the tricks.  Jason Brown will be the right tackle for the Rams in 2010.  Brown is a really solid run blocker but he will need to improve his pass blocking soon.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RAMS O-LINE in 2010:  C+

50-year old head coach got a baptism by fire in his first year as a NFL coach.  He was outmanned almost every week as the Rams finished 1-15 (6.3%) in 2009.  The Rams did not bring in a lot of veterans this off-season so it will be up to Spagnuolo to coach up the players that he does have.  In my own eyes, 4-12 would be a huge achievement in 2010 but I have a feeling that Rams’ ownership won’t agree with me on that.  I think it’s going to be another rough season for both Spagnuolo and the Rams.

31-year old kicker Josh Brown didn’t get much action last season for the Rams because of their terrible offense.  He played in all 16 games for the Rams and he connected on 19 of 24 field goals (79.2%).  He also made all 16 of his extra points to finish with 73 points on the year.  Brown has now played in 112 games in his NFL career and he has made 166 of 205 field goals (81%).  He has also made 258 of 259 extra points as he now has 756 career points.  The Rams can’t afford to leave ANY points on the field this year so they need Brown to be on top of his game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RAMS KICKERS in 2010:  B

The Rams really hope that 25-year old Laurent Robinson can stay healthy in 2010.  He played in 3 games (all starts) for the Rams last season and he caught 13 passes for 167 yards (12.8 avg) with 1 TD grab before his season ended due to injury.  Robinson has now played in 24 games (9 starts) in his three years in the NFL and he has caught 55 passes for 656 yards (11.9 avg) with 2 TD grabs in his career.  He seems to have a nice upside as long as he can stay in one piece.

26-year old Donnie Avery is a solid WR.  He played in 16 games (all starts) for the Rams last season and he caught 47 passes for 589 yards (12.5 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 30 yards (7.5 ypc) last season.  Avery has now played in 31 games (28 starts) in his two years in the NFL and he has caught 100 passes for 1,263 yards (12.6 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 14 times for 99 yards (7.1 ypc) with 1 TD run in his career. 

24-year old Danny Amendola was a solid possession receiver last season for the Rams as a rookie.  He played in 14 games (2 starts) for the Rams last season and he caught 43 passes for 326 yards (7.6 avg) with 1 TD grab.  I look for him to be a little less involved in the offense next season because of how important he is to the special teams.

22-year old Brandon Gibson played in 1 game with the Eagles last season before getting traded to the Rams but he didn’t catch any passes.  Gibson played in 9 games (4 starts) for the Rams after the trade and he caught 34 passes for 348 yards (10.2 avg) with 1 TD grab.  I look for him to build on his solid rookie season for the Rams in 2010.

Rookie 4th round pick Mardy Gilyard brings more speed to the Rams’ WR corps.  He’s on the thin side at 6′0″, 187 pounds but he’s tough enough to take a beating.  He could be a fast riser on the depth chart with a good training camp.

25-year old Keenan Burton played in 9 games (6 starts) for the Rams last season and he caught 25 passes for 253 yards (10.1 avg).  Burton has now played in 22 games (7 starts) in his two years in the NFL and he has caught 38 passes for 425 yards (11.2 avg) with 1 TD grab.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RAMS WRs in 2010:  C-