Today, I will discuss what the loss of Sam Bradford means to the Rams this year and next.  Bradford was injured finishing up a run play yesterday towards the sidelines.  There was nothing malicious about the hit the Carolina Panthers player put on him.  Bradford’s feet got trapped under him as he fell down and his knee got twisted.  In the process, his anterior collateral ligament(ACL) was torn and this will be put him out for the remaining 9 games of the 2013 season.

A huge blow to a team with a 3-4 record and definitely not dead in the NFC wildcard race.  It’s an unfortunate part of the game.  The Patriots lost Tom Brady to a knee injury years ago and rode Matt Cassel to the playoffs.   Remember when a former grocery store shelf stocker named Kurt Warner took over for Trent Green.   These are broad and slightly ridiculous examples but some Rams fans are acting like this has never happened to another team.  Last night, the Indianapolis Colts lost star wide receiver Reggie Wayne to a torn ACL as well.   It’s a common knee injury that happens on grass or turf and is a product of the environment and speed of play.  Bradford was busy skipping himself out of bounds and just got tripped up.  In trying to brace himself, he lost his footing and his leg got trapped and injured.  He will need 6-9 months of recovery time and be ready for the 2014 season.

I don’t think this makes the Rams quarterback searchers in the offseason.  Jeff Fisher came to this team because Sam Bradford was the quarterback.   He isn’t letting that go after 2 seasons and especially one that started so promising this past month.   Inside of nearly 7 games, Bradford was among the top QB’s in the NFL with 15 touchdowns and 4 interceptions(all tipped).   He was playing better in the fourth quarter and on the road.   For all the doubters who thought he couldn’t have a great season, he was putting one together until yesterday.   The reason his team is under .500 is due to horrible special teams play, very bad penalties, a defense that proved breakable the first 4 weeks and a couple tough spots on the schedule.  If the receivers didn’t drop a couple balls yesterday we are talking about 3 touchdown passes for Bradford instead of 1 and maybe he is still working on two good knees.

That being said, the Rams will draft a QB and try to keep a bigger safety belt than Kellen Clemens, who will be the starter at home on Monday Night Football next week unless the Rams find someone to replace him.   I don’t care whether or not Clemens knows the offense or not he can’t be the guy to take on the division rival giant Seattle Seahawks.   He isn’t the answer.  Nobody with a career QB rating of 62.2 is the answer.  Arms will be flown in this week to try out and someone will take over the spot.   It won’t be Tim Tebow but as I stated in my dose yesterday, he deserves a shot elswhere(Jacksonville).  Guys like Matt Leinart(ouch that hurt to say), Tyler Thigpen and John Skelton.    In particular, Skelton will be a nice low risk pickup.  He has a cannon for an arm and lost a close race in the Cincinnati Bengals training camp for the backup spot to Josh Johnson.   He is a pocket passer type who is the kind of arm Fisher wants.  He can sling it, learn a playbook that included a lot of short 5-10 yard passes with occasional launches and be ready.   I also think the team will bring in early training camp contender Austin Davis because he is younger and quicker than Clemens and also knows the playbook.  We will see what happens.

The Rams were only carrying 2 quarterbacks on the main roster and didn’t even have a good option in their practice squad and got bit in the ass here with this injury.   Now they will scramble and find someone.  It’s too bad Josh Freeman signed with the Minnesota Vikings when he was released 4 weeks ago.   He could have slipped right in here and been a threat.   Vince Young is about as unlikely as Tebow.  Fisher has had enough with him.

I wouldn’t expect the Rams to finish with too great of a record after the loss of their quarterback but don’t be surprised if they played differently and shocked a few people.   Everybody expects this team to resort to 2009 form and really suck.  Find the right quarterback and that may not happen.  Their running game has awoke in the past 3 weeks and their defense is getting stronger(at least against the run).   Their schedule has some rough spots in it but we can make something happen.   Just don’t rule out the Rams from being competitive this season.   A playoff spot is probably out of reach but a few thrills are possible.

The Bradford haters will get what they want.  A Bradford less offense for at least 9 games.   I was never completely on board with the way he played until last year in the second half.  He adjusted after a puzzling first half and nearly pushed this team into the playoffs.   He looked like a different player under Fisher.  This year, he looked great and deserved better.  We will have to wait for that story to be continued next year.   For now, the Rams QB search begins.

Here’s what they have to do no matter who takes snaps under center.  Play like a group of professionals.  Save me your apologies Chris Long and act like a leader.   Don’t lose yourself on the football field.  Receivers, catch the ball please.  That is your job.   Stop with the ridiculous BIG PLAY cancelling penalties and special teams nightmares.  It’s embarrassing.  We can attack the coaches all we want but the players need to do a better job.   And,  corners and safeties, it’s okay to stop a few big plays from happening.  Just letting you know.

The Rams are 3-4 and host the red hot Seahawks next week on Monday Night Football.  They have 7 days to keep it from looking like a massacre.

Thanks for staying to the end,

Dan L. Buffa

PHOTO CREDIT-SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

When the Oklahoma product showed up at Rams Park in 2010, the sky seemed like the limit for the face of the Rams future.   If there was going to be change in The Rams organization and winning hopes, it was coming from Sam Bradford’s right arm and not Steven Jackson’s legs.

Bradford threw 15 interceptions to his 18 touchdowns in 2010 but led the Rams to a 7-9 record.  Granted it was against a soft schedule but for a door mat Rams team it was the fresh water in the ocean after a long trek through muddy land.    Bradford regressed due to injury and a horrible offensive line in 2011, playing on a bad leg and completing only 53 percent of his passes.   He was barely 100 percent that entire season and that is when the haters came out in full force and demanded his head on a platter.   They forgot that he was the closest thing to a franchise QB the team has seen since Marc Bulger and didn’t realize Bradford was taking the same kind of torture from opposing defenses.   Was this talented brainy quarterback slowly getting clubbed to death?  Jeff Fisher took over in 2012 and Bradford rebounded in a big way.  He started all 16 games, fumbled only 4 times, and threw 21 TD to 13 INT.   His completion percentage went up to 59 percent with 144 more attempts than 2011.   Fisher took the head coaching job at the Rams because of Bradford and immediately saw the reward in his decision making.   Bradford was revitalized.  He had a rough first half of the season, but finished on a hot streak.  He improved his red zone accuracy in the final half and had some of his better play on the football field.   2012 was when Bradford took control of the team.  So, why has he seemed to regress with an upgraded offensive line and younger faster receivers in 2013?  Why he is failing with the additional talent?

It’s not all Sam’s fault.  That’s as dumb as saying it’s all Fisher’s fault.  The running game is non existent without a trio of part time backs trying to be full time carriers.    The defense has broken down and has been torched, often putting Bradford and company in comeback mode early on.  The offensive line has broken down badly, allowing Bradford few times to actually set his feet and pick his receiver.   He is getting sacked a lot and hurried almost every snap.   His feet aren’t set in stone but he also can’t run like RG3 or Cam Newton.   Bradford is more like Jay Cutler.  A pocket passer who can move when threatened but still vulnerable to hurried throws and someone who will check down quickly.   Bradford is playing gun shy right now.  He is pressured and his receivers are dropping passes.  When the pressure has hit Sam in the face this year, his passing accuracy has been downright horrible with a completion percentage of 48.1.

This is a separating mechanism that will determine the rest of his career.  Plenty of quarterbacks in the NFL have these problems and find a way to win.   Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger have played with similar issues.  No running game.  Bad offensive line.  Young raw receivers.   They have found ways to make it work.  By no means am I comparing them to Bradford but in order to push your team beyond mediocre in the NFL, a quarterback must make great throws in tough spots.    Against the wall, bleeding and breathing through bruised ribs and a dented helmet, he has to make throws that propel his team forward.   Forget about what you don’t have and find a way to make it work.  Nobody is going to feel sorry for the last #1 draft pick to get ridiculous money a long term cushion.   The Rams are seeing the end of that deal and thinking twice already.

I am not one of the guys who saw a deal RG3 as a better option than Bradford last year simply because there is no guarantee RG3 makes it work here and he is going to be an injury prone player.   Bradford deserved the chance to thrive under Fisher and did for one year but now looks nothing like a guy who can lead his team out of the dark and into the promise land.  Through 4 games, his TD/INT aren’t bad but 2 of his 3 picks have been turned into 6 points and the other was taken away in the end zone.   Two of them have been tipped but Bradford has missed wide open targets.   With better accuracy, the Rams could have at least 3-4 more touchdowns in the books.

Plenty of QB’s get it done without a good running back or line to back them up.   The question is…can Bradford become that guy or will he keep walking towards the box labeled “disappointment”.   He is in the 4th year of a 6 year contract and will keep making more annual money.   The years aren’t guaranteed in the NFL so he better get his act together.   Call more team meetings, get together with the lazy bland play calling Brian Schottenheimer and convince the coordinator to use the no huddle more often.   I have rarely seen Sam look more comfortable than when he is using the no huddle.   His confidence is high and drives are longer and more effective.  So why not use it?   How much longer will Fisher and company go against a strategy that works?

The Rams improved last year, going 7-8-1 against a tough schedule and turning heads.  This year, they are 1-3 after 4 games and have lost 3 in a row.  Bradford has gotten worse each game.  After nearly bringing the Rams back in Atlanta, he has gotten zero energy out of his offense and gotten little going against Dallas and San Francisco.  He was facing a weakened 49ers defense and still could only muster a single touchdown late in the game.   What happens in the last few weeks of the season when Bradford and the Rams head to SF to face a probable full defensive attack?   How much blood will be in the water then?

The time has come for Bradford to find out who he is.  It’s not early anymore and he doesn’t have Steven Jackson to take the blame for a bad day at the office.   This is Sam Bradford’s team and the question, can he handle it?  Can Sam Bradford rise up, make tough throws and lead his team out of the dark tunnel?  We will see soon enough because on Sunday the Rams face a horrible team in Jacksonville.   Regroup there and blast off.  If not, fall to the ground and drift away.    Bradford may be starting to drift out of town.  This is the NFL.  Put up or shut up.

Thanks for reading,

Dan Buffa

@buffa82 on Twitter

(CBS SPORTS PHOTO)

Let me be blunt here.   FIrst, Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the best boxer of his generation and the best to come along in a long time.  It’s getting harder and harder to contest that or deny it.  He is a smart, tactical and accurate fighter who makes other fighters wrap themselves in frustration trying to hit him with a punch.  He has been criticized by some because it seems like he is running away from his competition in the ring.  That is painfully inaccurate.  Floyd fights smart.  He stands, fires jab and hook and a few more jabs and spins away.   He fights a defensive game but can go on the offensive.  He never runs.  He turns his front shoulder and doesn’t allow the other boxer to penetrate his vital areas.  It happens time and time again.  We prop up a young challenger or a seasoned vet who we think can give Floyd a run for his money.   Every time, Floyd takes that guy to school.  Every time.  Unless you are a Floyd fan,  the fights are frustrating.  Those people usually sum up the night by saying, “Well, if Floyd didn’t run away, we’d have ourselves a fight.”   WRONG!  Floyd Mayweather Jr. simply knows how to box better than any fighter out there and is an expert at picking apart an opponent or simply avoiding punishment.  He never looks bruised or cut up after a fight.  Most fighters climb into the ring to win a fight.  These days, Floyd’s opponents climb in with the hope of hurting him or at least touching him with solid contact.  That is how good he is.    Boxing can be a frustrating sport to watch but it can also be beautiful to witness at the same time.   There’s a sexy art form to it.  That sums up Floyd Mayweather Jr..

Tonight, Floyd took Canelo Alvarez to school because he took the young champions greatest weapons, size and power, away from him for 12 rounds.    He pitched a shutout.   Mayweather Jr. frustrated Canelo by ducking and diving, slipping jabs and countering with hooks, and this drove the young durable and talented Mexican champ into desperation.   Canelo always starts fights with a slow methodical march towards his opponent, but tonight it looked more and more like definitive annoyance with a preconceived notion that was becoming painfully correct as the fight carried on.   Mayweather Jr. didn’t pulverize or dismantle Canelo.   He just out boxed him.   He hit him more often and more precisely.  Canelo couldn’t breach the impenetrable vault that represents Money Mayweather’s defense.  Every time Canelo threw a combination that usually decimated lesser fighters, it was met with a few counter jabs and didn’t do any damage.   As the fight carried on, Canelo’s combinations grew more wild and then became lamely tentative.  As a man who respected Floyd’s talent yet wanted to see him be challenged, I screamed at the television.  I pleaded with Canelo’s fists.   Once you know you are losing the fight, it’s time to let it rip.   Throw, throw, and throw some more.  Retain dignity and throw some more.   Don’t stop throwing.   However, I am not in the ring with him.  All I can do is shadow box in my chair and will my guy on.   Canelo is the one facing down the best fighter in the last 15 plus years of boxing.   We haven’t seen this kind of brash excellence since Joe Calzaghe finished with an flawless record.   Floyd is outlandish, ambitious, highly confident, rambunctious, and an expert boxer.   He reminds you that the very essence of the sport has to do with boxing and not punching.  Canelo Alvarez got a lesson tonight and one he will take into his future fights.

Let’s be clear.   Canelo Alvarez has nothing to be sad about tonight.   He should carry little regret about the way he fought.   He is a very good fighter with a chance to be great who was taken down by the best.   He is 43-1-1 and that loss comes against Mayweather Jr., the best in the sport.  What does he have to be ashamed about here?  Nothing.  He will have plenty of great fights coming up.  He can take on Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and take over the power in Mexico’s boxing ranks.   He can fight seasoned vets like Sergio Martinez or Miguel Cotto.  He can come up to 160 where I feel he will be more comfortable and find a whole new arsenal of opponents.   Canelo has options and didn’t lose any on Sunday morning in Vegas.   He came to fight, did his best and simply failed.

What is next for Floyd?  I would love to say a fight with Manny Pacquaio but a lot of things have to happen for that to make sense to the champ.   Pacquiao still draws the second most pay per view buys behind Floyd so the fight would make money.   It would just come 2-3 years too late.  The one element of Manny’s game that could give Floyd issues is his hand speed.  While not as adept as Mayweather Jr., Pac Man has the power, foot speed and hand speed to keep up the pace with Floyd.  However, these opinions carry dust.  A few years ago, they would be firm reasons for a match.  This was the fight we all wanted to see.  Each fighter contributed to making it not happen.   Floyd did seem a little scared of it at the time and made efforts to break it up.   Manny’s promoters are shitty big fight makers.  Each one got in the way.  This fight isn’t as hot as it once was but if Pac Man beats Brandon Rios definitively next month, it can happen.  I can see Manny winning his next two fights and getting a shot at Floyd next September.   Manny can beat Rios and then fight the winner of the Timothy Bradley-Juan Manuel Marquez fight next month and get some revenge.  If he can do that, things look a lot different.   The fighters would be older but a fight would still carry some flair.  If not that, Floyd can come down and face Danny Garcia, who impressed in a blow for blow bout with Lucas Matthysse last night.  I think Floyd would school Garcia, Devon Alexander and nearly anyone else put in front of him.   Pacquiao is the only intriguing fight option and that isn’t even that shiny of an opportunity at this moment.

All I can say is Floyd Mayweather Jr. deserves your respect because he once again reminded folks Saturday night why he is the best fighter in the boxing game and may retire with the crown on his head.   He broke down, frustrated and completely outboxed Canelo Alvarez, “The People’s Anointed Champion” and a very good fighter.   It’s time everybody gives him his due and stop the fuss.

You know what I’m doing right now as I drink a cup of coffee at 2 a.m..  I am getting a shovel out and digging a hole for all my Floyd Mayweather Jr. hatred and another small one for my excuses.  I still don’t the guy but I think that is part of his appeal.  The ultimate antagonist.  I just can’t hate the guy any longer.   He is too good of a boxer for a boxing fan like myself to hold that kind of weight on him.   When I am done digging, I am watching some HBO and going to bed.

Thanks for reading folks and goodnight,

Dan Buffa

(reuters)

These days, boxing is still a proud sport but has lost a lot of its fans to MMA action.   The latter provides a shorter, more blunt and sustained form of entertainment.   Boxing is like baseball.  The fundamentals, intangibles and sweet science behind every move is only for the patient people or the crowd who can wait for the big overhand right to the jaw that shakes a man and a crowd at the same time.  I fell in love with boxing when I first watched Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvin Hagler beat the crap out of each other with my dad and brother at a crisp young age of 7 years old.   Seeing two men stand in the middle of the ring and fire blow upon blow while receiving the same punishment was as thrilling as it got for a kid.  It was bloody, pure and old fashioned.  A man’s occupation being training to fight inside a ring for 12-15 rounds was an outlaw style of juicy.   Who didn’t want to watch that on TV if not experience it live?   Flash forward 23 years later and few people truly love boxing.   At least around my part of the world.   I mention boxing and it’s like describing a putt on a green to NFL fans.  They shake their heads, roll their eyes and say the illogical thing, “All boxing is fixed man.”   Uh, no it is not and actually, its cleaner than you think.    People often confuse corruption with judgement.   There are a lot of fights that don’t get judged right and a round scored for the wrong man can cost someone a victory.  However, that is the same as an umpire in baseball missing a call that could overturn a game.  Same logic.   No fix included.

Boxing has died and is barely alive these days even though a ton of fights have displayed a signature kind of entertainment.   Manny Pacquiao and Juan Marquez duking it out for a 4th time last year in a fight that ended in a one punch knockout.   Mike Alvarado and Brandon Rios slugging it out for a second time.  Any fight Andre Berto and Miguel Cotto take part in always produces a good fight with plenty of punching.   However, most people can’t even name 5 current boxers.   Two men that are breaking their way into any sports conversation this weekend, Canelo Alvarez and Floyd Mayweather Jr., are set to clash this weekend.   The weigh in is tonight and the fight is tomorrow.   This, my friends is boxing at its finest.  A young red haired silent Mexican destroyer against the aged perfection that is Mayweather.   Their personalities are completely different.  Their lifestyles couldn’t be more different.   They are isolated champions set to strike.  This fight took no convincing to make.  This was the fight fans were demanding.   The moment Canelo beat respected champion Austin Trout earlier this year, he rose to the top of the list of fighters Floyd had to take on.  It’s rarely that simple or easy these days in promoting and boxing, but this time, the stage was set.  Before I tell you who I think will win or what might happen, let me describe the fighters.  Each have fought in 44 fights and never lost.

We all know who Floyd is.   He’s 44-0.  26 knockouts.    He’s the flamboyant, loud talking, ultra-confident and unbeaten champion.  At 36 years old, he picks apart any opponent put in the ring with him.   He isn’t a perfect man outside the ring.  He likes to get into trouble with the law, whether its beating up his girlfriend, shoving security guards or not paying his taxes.  He’s a boxer in every essence of the word.  He grew up poor, earned his place and is now rich and famous.  He beats opponents before they step into the ring.  Back in 2007, he became the thorn that still rests in Oscar De La Hoya’s side.  He made the silent Cotto talk more in their pregame rituals.  Floyd made fun of Shane Mosley’s hair and shut him out in the ring.   Floyd’s long time nemesis was Pacquaio, and both sides contributed to a mega fight never happening.   Egos came into play there more than fists and words.  Floyd is an island and any fighter who dares to fight him can’t just step onto the shore, they must live there for 3 months.

Canelo is a silent champion.   He doesn’t speak English and prefers to keep his mouth shut in pregame sessions.   An undefeated 23 year old champion that lets his fists do the talking once the bell gets rung, Canelo has atom bombs for fists and has gotten better with each high profile bout.   Most boxing pundits thought Trout would take the cement footed, power punching and fire haired Mexican to task in their fight but Canelo looked like a changed man.  He bobbed and weaved, slipped punches, moved his feet and slowly yet surely defeated the older fighter.  He surprised me.  Think of a home run hitter suddenly spraying line drives through a shifted infield.  Canelo was added another element to his dominance and caught the eye of Floyd.  He is 43-0-1 with 30 knockouts.  He’s a powerful puncher but added defensive elusiveness to his resume.

Who wins?  For betting people, this is easy.  Betting against Floyd is like betting against the sun coming out in Florida.  Bad for business and bank accounts.   Luckily, I am not a betting man.  I simply can’t afford it.  I will spin it as blunt and precise as I can.  Canelo came down in weight to fight Floyd.   A growing man and a body that is resisting weight loss, Canelo is fighting at his lightest weight in quite some time.   Floyd came up 5 pounts from his usual weight to fight Canelo.   That may play a role somewhere tomorrow but my feeling is it will only work against Canelo, who will try to pack the pounds back on tonight after the weigh in.   The fight takes place at the MGM Grand, in other words, the House That Floyd Built.  It will nearly impossible for Canelo to score a decision in that place unless he pummels Floyd for 12 rounds and that won’t happen.   My prediction is Floyd taking more punishment than usual but at the very least sneaking out a decision.   I don’t think Alvarez will make it easy.  He can take a punch and more so than Floyd’s previous opponents, has the power and THE PATIENCE to wait out Floyd.   For the first 2-3 rounds, Floyd slip his jab and dance around, feeling Canelo out.   However, Canelo does this in his fights.  He waits, takes his time, measures his opponent and fires.  Sure, he has never faced a fighter with the defensive skills and elusiveness that Mayweather Jr. has, but Canelo isn’t stupid like Victor Ortiz.  He will get his licks in and connect with Floyd’s jaw line at some point.  When that happens and how often determines if he has a chance of shocking the world tomorrow.    His followers, Mexico as a whole and Floyd haters will bet on him tomorrow because he is likable and talented.   The majority of the world will bet on Floyd pulling out another decision because of the countless times we have went against Floyd and lost.   I thought Robert Guerrero would use his size, jab and experience to at least hang with Floyd in May but that didn’t happen at all.   Guerrero was too busy early and then too tired late and lost a shutout.   Canelo won’t do that.  He will sit back, wait and line up his target.   I don’t think he can beat Floyd on the scorecards, at least not in Vegas.   The only way Canelo can beat Floyd is giving him a taste of a medicine the Money Man has never digested before.   Raw unfiltered power.   If Canelo can rock Floyd a few times, change the veteran’s game plan, and turn the fight into a slug fest or escape plan, the kid may have a shot.  If not, I think he will lose a respectable decision to the elder master.   That doesn’t mean Floyd(who usually doesn’t do rematches) won’t dish the young fighter another chance.   If Canelo gives Floyd a decent hard time, a rematch will be all there is to talk about.   That and hopefully a great night of boxing.

My ambition.  I want Canelo to win.  I am not a Floyd fan but respect his record and talent.   I really like Canelo because he reminds me of my other favorite fighters, Cotto and Pacquiao.   Silent proud champions who let their fists do the talking.   When Cotto loses, he does so with dignity and always promises an entertaining fight.   Same for Pac-Man.  When Marquez knocked him out cold, the Filipino had no excuses and only praise.   Floyd talks a LOT and gets under a fan’s skin, but you must acknowledge what he has done for the sport.  If not for Floyd, the sport is completely dead.   Mayweather is the guy you love to root against and hate.  He is the perfect antagonist.   However, he earned my respect when he caught Ricky Hatton(the Hitman was previously undefeated) with a check hook and knocked him out.   Floyd has earned my respect the past 6 years by taking fights and producing wins.   He is a rich because he made himself rich.   He is the villain but not evil.   Floyd Mayweather Jr. is exactly what boxing needs to stay alive.   A face that everyone wants to see get beat.   Canelo is the perfect hero.  The talented, hard punching, smart young Mexican fighter who says little yet loses all knowledge of resistance once he enters the ring.  This is the perfect fight and represents boxing at its finest.

Enjoy and get ready for more exciting boxing this fall and winter.    Manny Pacquiao tries to reclaim his career on October 12th against Brandon Rios.   I sincerely think Pac-Man has his hands full.   Timothy Bradley has Marquez in October.  Cotto faces Delvin Rodriguez in December with his new trainer Freddie Roach.   Lots of good fights coming up but none as good as this clash between boxing’s brightest stars.

Canelo and Floyd are playing for blood tomorrow night.

For what it’s worth,

Dan Buffa

It’s a beautiful time of the year for St. Louis sports fans.  Summer hitting its peak before fall enters the equation.   Leaves start popping up.  Mowing the grass ceases to to exist on your chores list.  And, football begins.   The Cardinals are in playoff push mode, but the Rams are just getting started.   Blues hockey less than a month away.   It’s the time of year where the sport merge if only for a few weeks or days.   Being a die hard baseball fan, it’s hard to think too hard about The St. Louis Rams in August, but as the season rolls around I gather my data, put together a few blunt thoughts and share them with the rest.   Here are 10 things about the Rams to look forward to, beware and generally expect.   I don’t like predictions.  I save those for bookies and the casino junkies with their mortgage payment in their hands.  I provide expectations based off what I see and what I expect to happen in the coming season.  Let’s start.

1.  Sam Bradford’s time is now.   Yeah, it’s been said a few times but I’m making it clear.  Sam needs to take this car out for a long drive.  He’s got protection in Jake Long, a new batch of wide receiver toys and most importantly, a healthy medical chart from his trainers.  With so many vital bodies falling around the NFL, the Rams made it out clean.  No big injuries.  No problem.  Bradford is ready to roll.  If you keep your ear to the paper and internet, you’ll find out people are fed up with the Oklahoma kid.   They say he is a bust.  No good.  Why didn’t we take Robert Griffin III and those shaky knees in that draft?   Well, wake up and get smart my friends.   Sam Bradford is entering the first year where he is expected to be produce very good things.   He has the same offensive coordinator from a previous season for the first time.   He is healthy and knows the playbook.   He actually has targets to throw to that aren’t named Danny Amendola.   Bradford isn’t a bust.  He just needed some consistency from his coaching staff and a new set of toys to throw to.   After being sacked 105 times in 42 games, Bradford has Long to protect him.  It would be nice seeing what he can do off his back.   He has a tight end in Jared Cook that can make plays.  Tavon Austin, Chris Givens, and Brian Quick are among the targets.   It’s fair to expect more from a #1 draft pick who was pegged to lead this franchise out of the gutter.  It’s wrong to ignore the details.  For his career, Bradford has decent to average numbers.   However, when healthy, Bradford has the potential to be above average.   This team is his own squad now with Steven Jackson gone.  The playbook revolves around his arm and not Jackson’s legs.  Bradford’s 4th season will reveal to us what the kid is made of.   His staff is young but fast.  He is a book smart all business no play mind.  If you think Bradford isn’t ready to win, you aren’t watching the tape.  Sam Bradford is set to roll.  This team is framed around his potential for the first time in 3 plus seasons.  I am not 100 percent sold on Bradford and I feel few are in this town but don’t ride him away yet.  He does hold onto the ball too long and had trouble with the deep ball, but slowly those things are improving.  We gave him the time and his room to shine is now.  This is his team.  Can he lead it?

2.  The young arsenal of receivers will provide Bradford with many versatile targets.  Austin was selected 6th overall for his ability to elude defenders and make quick breaks in the open field.  He’s a game changer.  Quick is your downfield high target.   Givens had an impressive rookie season and only figures to improve.  Stedman Bailey is another threat.  Cook is a big body who plays tight end but can make plays like a receiver.  The only drawback of this group is their age.  There’s little experience among the lot but that also creates problems for the defense.   Rookies carry their own bag of tricks.  If anything, this group will be exciting.

3.  Running back is a questionable area for a few reasons.   Darryl Richardson was solid for a few games in 2012 before defenders found him down below and started stuffing him before he could get his legs moving.  Richardson is a little back without the power to move bodies forward.   Is he really a starter or will his wear down early?  Can Isiah Pead hold onto the ball and make plays when inserted into the lineup?   Will we see Zach Stacy?  This is the biggest question mark and one that leaves you puzzled.   All the Jackson haters can now rest their anger on a trio of shoulders.  Chase Reynolds and Benny Cunningham are also on the depth chart but they leave little background to get excited about.   The running backs and wide receivers are exciting on paper but have little backbone to base an opinion on.   Who will take over this job or will it be a group of producers?   If it’s one guy, who is the smasher?  If it’s earth, wind and fire, then name  the bodies.   Confusion fills the mind here.   If you can’t run the ball, you have to be putting a large amount of confidence in your receivers getting the job done.  Lots of flash here.  How much substance?

4.  The identity of the offense.  The playbook is under wraps.   What is up Fisher and Schotty’s sleeve this year?   Both LOVE to run the ball but they have no proven #1 back.   Will they open up the passing game and hand the keys to Sam?  Conservative or aggressive?    What is the thesis statement of this movement?   The preseason showed little to none in the true plays department.    Once opened up, what is the identity of this offense?

5.  The defense has a high ceiling of potential and only foolhardy off field antics can get in the way of greatness.   Chris Long and Robert Quinn create the most underrated defensive end tag team in the NFC and Michael Brockers only got better at stuffing the run as 2012 went on.   Kendall Langfold is a sneaky body who can make a big play.  William Hayes and Eugene Sims are solid 3rd down defenders.   The linebacking crew is led once again by tackle machine James Lauranaitis and he is joined by returning veteran Will Witherspoon and the raw talent of Alec Ogletree.   Fisher took a gamble on Ogletree’s head because his ability was off the charts.   You saw it in the preseason when he created two turnovers against Denver and made huge plays.   Sure, he can miss an assignment and needs to learn the whole playbook but the potential is infinite for Alec.  Cortland Finnegan and Janoris Jenkins will get their fair share of takeaways but most take away the big play from the defense.   The safety position isn’t strong but can hold steady if Darian Stewart can stand up straight and not break down early.    If the raw talent, good behavior and skill sets can mesh well on this squad, the Rams will once again win some games on defense.

6.  The offensive line looks solid for the first time in years.   Long sits at left tackle with Roger Saffold at right tackle and in between you have the monstrous force of Harvey Dahl and the healthy body of Scott Wells as well as Chris Williams.   If this crew can keep Bradford upright more often than not, and I think they can, the offense won’t need magic from their inexperienced group of playmakers.   The most underappreciated spot in the league in pass blockers and run protectors.   You won’t see Dahl on a Madden cover but if he stuff the interior defensive line of opposing teams, Richardson and Stacy can find holes.   If Long keeps the big pass rushers off Bradford, big throws can happen.  It’s as simple as that.  If the QB is in constant trouble, the offense will flat line and the defense will break and games will be lost.

7.  Special teams didn’t look too shabby in the preseason but the real question is this.  Will Austin change the Rams return game and give them a threat to run the ball back?  It’s been a long time since Tony Horne rocked the house of the Ed Dome and one of Tavon’s attributes was his ability to return kickoffs and punts.   The unit didn’t allow too many huge returns and if the offensive end of the group can provide some fireworks, the pressures slips off Bradford’s shoulders just a little more.  Will the Rams special teams department be relevant again?

8.  It’s hard to question the commitment of owner Stan Kroneke.  He spent big dollars on Jeff Fisher and Les Snead and paid the money to bring in playmakers like Finnegan, Long and Cook to stabilize the operation.   He is an active business man and has provided the resources to make them successful.    Don’t worry about the team’s future in St. Louis right now.  Worry about playing football.   Kroneke didn’t fight to have full ownership of this team to run them out of a town he has held ties to for over 15 years.  He did his part to push this team and now the team needs to respond.

9.  That schedule allows the Rams to make a statement in their division early.  We face the Cards, 49ers, and Seahawks at the Ed Dome first in the first half of the season.   We get a firm test at Atlanta in week 2 and in Dallas in week 3 and in Indianapolis in week 10.   However, I don’t see many games that are completely out of the realm of victory.   We get the Bears and Saints at home.   We travel to Carolina and Houston but get Tampa Bay and Jacksonville at home.  Unlike getting New England in London or Aaron Rodgers at home, the Rams have a chance to be competitive in every one of these games.   Houston has a suspect defense.  We proved our mettle against our divisional foes last year.   We nearly beat Tampa Bay in their house.   We will have to deal with Cam Newton in his own temple but we don’t have to travel to Soldier Field to make Jay Cutler’s life miserable.   The Saints have no defense so that will be an offensive show.  Every game provides an opportunity to win.

10.  My expectation for this team.   9-7 record.  I could shoot it right down the middle but I’m not.  I want improvement but I expect some fireworks and if they let me down, I won’t feel as bad as I did during the Linehan-Spagnuolo era.   This team has kissed the bottom of the barrel too many times for me to get mad about them falling short of an expectation.   We saw this team play good football in 2012.  I expect better in 2013 with the same coaches, new fresh young talent, stronger O-line and the defense remaining a force.   Looking at the schedule, I think this team can win 9 games.  Call me crazy because it’s been done before.

Kickoff is tomorrow at 3:15 on FOX.  Two hours of baseball and then Rams football….and baseball.   The Rams start the season at home against an Arizona team that finally found a quarterback in Carson Palmer.  They will not be a pushover but neither are the Rams.  It’s exciting to come into a St. Louis football season and expect more wins than losses.  Goodbye dismal depravity.    Hello competitive action.