ST. LOUIS RAMS

2012 Odds:
(For the latest Odds, connect to Sportsbook.com)
Odds to Win NFC West: 12/1
Odds to Win NFC Championship: 100/1
Odds to Win Super Bowl XLVII: 150/1
Regular Season Wins Over/Under: 6

2012 Preview:
Offense:
New offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer comes from the Jets, where he often abandoned the run and prefers to get cute with a lot of play-action trickery. New offensive line coach Paul Boudreau figures to keep transitioning to more man blocking, a transition they started in 2011 with little success. Steven Jackson will still be relied on heavily as long as he remains healthy; rookie Isaiah Pead will be more of a return specialist and straight backup as Jackson’s heir. Jackson will continue to take third down reps, and he figures to stay on the field to handle red zone carries.

There’s a lot of crossing and dragging in Schottenheimer’s complicated offense, which is one that could be tough for the Rams’ young WRs to pick up. Rookie Brian Quick and slot guys Danny Amendola and TE Lance Kendricks are likely the biggest beneficiaries from a targets standpoint, while outside guys like Chris Givens and Austin Pettis figure to see fewer balls. Quick is the guy St. Louis is counting on to be quarterback Sam Bradford’s go-to receiver. While Quick’s skills are certainly impressive, he’s got a big adjustment to make coming from Appalachian State’s spread offense. Schottenheimer always got pass-happy in the red zone, frequently using play-action even before he had a goal line weapon in Plaxico Burress in 2011.

Defense:
Only three teams forced fewer turnovers than the Rams did in 2011, and their horrible offense helped contribute to the rise in points and yards allowed. St. Louis did improve in the offseason with the signings of CB Cortland Finnegan and LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar, but those two guys aren’t enough to make this an above-average unit. Chris Long’s switch to left end after Leonard Little retired paid immediate dividends in 2010, and he then had a career-high 13 sacks last season with then-rookie RDE Robert Quinn drawing attention to the opposite side. James Laurinaitis has more tackles than any NFL player over the past three seasons, and he has yet to miss a game in his career. The question is whether he’ll be as productive in what’s expected to be a more aggressive scheme under new head coach Jeff Fisher. Meanwhile, the team seems ready to go into the season without a defensive coordinator—the coordinator work has been handled at various times over the past few months by assistant head coach Dave McGinnis, secondary coach Chuck Cecil and linebackers coach Blake Williams, the son of suspended Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who was exiled indefinitely for his role in the Saints bounty scandal.

Key Offseason Moves:
ADDITIONS
FB Ovie Mughelli (from Falcons)
WR Steve Smith (from Eagles)
C Scott Wells (from Packers)
OT Barry Richardson (from Chiefs)
OT Quinn Ojinnaka (from Colts)
G Robert Turner (from Jets)
DE William Hayes (from Titans)
DE Kendall Langford (from Dolphins)
DE Vernon Gholston (DNP in 2011)
DT Trevor Laws (from Eagles)
LB Mario Haggan (from Broncos)
LB Rocky McIntosh (from Redskins)
LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar (from Saints)
CB Cortland Finnegan (from Titans)

SUBTRACTIONS
WR Brandon Lloyd (Patriots)
TE Billy Bajema (Ravens)
C Jason Brown (released)
G Jacob Bell (retired)
DE James Hall (released)
DT Gary Gibson (Buccaneers)
DT Justin Bannan (Broncos)
DT Fred Robbins (released)
LB Chris Chamberlain (Saints)
LB Bryan Kehl (Redskins)
CB Justin King (Colts)
CB Ron Bartell (Raiders)
CB Josh Gordy (Colts)
PK Josh Brown (Jets)
P Donnie Jones (Texans)

2012 Schedule:
2012 Schedule Strength: 20.19 (18th toughest in NFL)
Week 1 - at Detroit
Week 2 - Washington
Week 3 - at Chicago
Week 4 - Seattle
Week 5 - Arizona
Week 6 - at Miami
Week 7 - Green Bay
Week 8 - New England
Week 9 - BYE WEEK
Week 10 - at San Francisco
Week 11 - New York Jets
Week 12 - at Arizona
Week 13 - San Francisco
Week 14 - at Buffalo
Week 15 - Minnesota
Week 16 - at Tampa Bay
Week 17 - at Seattle

StatFox Take: No matter how good of a head coach Jeff Fisher is, there is no reason to expect the Rams to improve by five wins in 2012. Their league-worst 3-12-1 ATS mark shows that they didn’t lose many close games, caused by an offense that averaged an NFL-low 12.1 PPG. This is a team at least two years away from being respectable. Enjoy the gift plus-money here with a team that will be happy to win four games.
Prediction: UNDER 6 wins (+120)

All NFL Previews

AFC North
Baltimore Ravens
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC South
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee Titans

AFC West
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
Oakland Raiders
San Diego Chargers

NFC East
Dallas Cowboys
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins

NFC North
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings

NFC South
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFC West
Arizona Cardinals
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
St. Louis Rams