St. Louis Rams' Roster Changing, 2011 Super Bowl Odds Not So Much

NFL News - March 3rd, 2010 - Written by John

The St. Louis Rams have the no. 1 selection in the NFL Draft this April - and that's never a good thing. It means another dismal season for the franchise that dominated earlier in the decade, but has since found it difficult to thrive on offense. In a division that is as winnable as any, the Rams haven't had a winning season since 2003 and haven't had a top-10 offense since 2006. Stephen Jackson maintained his status as a dominant back in the league with the second-highest rushing total, but St. Louis was dead-last in scoring in 2009 and only claimed one win.

Without any added help, team executives have begun to address the front lines, and appear to be targeting defensive tackles Gerald McCoy and Ndamukong Suh with the top pick in the draft after taking offensive lineman in the previous two drafts. They have also privately explored the option of trading with the Philadelphia Eagles for either Donovan McNabb or Michael Vick.

Marc Bulger led the team with 1,469 yards and five touchdowns through the air, but appears to be on his way out after clearing his locker at the end of the year.

But until anything drastic changes, bookies still consider the Rams one of the longest shots to win the championship next season. Bodog lists St. Louis with 100/1 odds to win the 2011 Super Bowl, among four other teams with the worst odds, according to NFL Betting Lines.

What made Jackson's 2009 season one of the best in his career was the fact that he had little help elsewhere. The Rams didn't have a single receiver with 600 yards, and kicker Josh Brown finished with roughly 40-percent of the team's points. With defenses routinely stacking the rush, Jackson went off for 1,416 yards, second-most in his career, and averaged 4.4 yards per carry.

St. Louis' only win was against the Detroit Lions in Week Eight, but went oh-fer in it's division. It finished the year on an eight-game losing streak, scoring no more than 13 points in any of it's last five.

Former 2008 draft-mates James Laurinaitis and Chris Long led the Rams defensively. Laurinaitis, a second-round selection, led the team with 120 tackles, and it was first-rounder Long set the pace with five sacks. But St. Louis had the 29th-ranked defense in the league, and it's eight interceptions were tied for fewest with the Oakland Raiders.