The team shouldn’t miss a beat on offense as Shaun Alexander continues to pound out the yards and touchdowns. Dropped passes were a big problem last year, but one of the biggest offenders, Koren Robinson, was released during the offseason. The recent addition of Ex-Bengals wide receiver Peter Warrick may not be a perfect solution, but he allows them to keep Bobby Ingram in the slot where he belongs. Overall, there’s no reason to think this team will regress this year, and if anything, they may respond better without the Super Bowl expectations that dogged them last year heading into the season.
St. Louis Rams
The Rams are still a dangerous offensive team, but they struggled in 2004 on defense and special teams. With the addition of a pair of veteran linebackers, Chris Claiborne and Dexter Coakly, the front seven of the defense should be fine, but the secondary could cause problems. Jerametrius Butler, who the Rams were counting on to start at cornerback, is out for the season, and Travis Fisher, the other starting corner, has a history of injuries himself. Behind these guys is a bunch of unproven talent, which could be big problem, especially if the injuries start to pile up.
On offense, Marc Bulger just seems to steadily improve each year. He has a great set of receivers, possibly the deepest in the league when they go four wide, and it appears Steven Jackson is ready to break out as one of the top backs in the league. If head coach Mike Martz doesn’t forget about him and veteran Marshall Faulk, this offense has the potential to not only be explosive, but they can grind the clock a little and take some pressure off their defense.
The Rams are a huge wild card in the division this year. They have the potential to be one of the better teams in the NFC, but concerns with the defensive secondary and the special teams could once again lead to an inconsistent season.
