Jeff Fisher has gone just 20-27 in three seasons as the head coach of the St. Louis Rams. A fourth consecutive year under .500 would all but guarantee his ouster. To save his job, the Rams are going to have to be competitive in the NFC West, but can they manage that? It's a question that was posed to ESPN Rams reporter Nick Wagoner in his weekly mailbag.
@nwagoner as roster stands now, how well do you see the Rams competing against NFC west? #RamsMail
— Justin Koski (@koski_justin) May 13, 2015
"I actually think the Rams are in position to make a bit of a move in the division," Wagoner answered. "That isn't necessarily a function of what I expect them to do as much as other teams taking a step back, but I do think it's possible they could move from fourth to second in the division. I think San Francisco looks poised for a tumble. It's never good when you replace a successful coach with an unknown coach who is basically just the opposite of the one you had. Rams fans circa Mike Martz followed by Scott Linehan can attest to as much. Arizona should still contend, but I wonder what becomes of the defense without Todd Bowles calling the shots and whether Carson Palmer can stay healthy. The Rams can compete with the Seahawks on the field twice a year but need to be more consistent in other games to have a shot at winning the division. I don't think they're ready for that just yet. It's been a strange three years in the division for the Rams under Jeff Fisher. They were very good against the West in 2012, awful in 2013 and slightly below average last year. I expect something closer to 3-3 or even 4-2 against the West this time around."
Fisher and the Rams are hoping that Nick Foles can bring some much needed stability to the quarterback position this year. Although Foles came back down to earth last year from his phenomenal 2013 season, he still threw for 2,163 yards with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in eight games. That's better than the 1,657/8/7 stat line Shaun Hill produced in in nine games and while Austin Davis got off to a hot start in 2014, his passer rating never topped 75 in his final three games. The Rams need Foles to produce if they hope to compete in the division.
If Foles can live up to expectations than this Rams team will be a serious threat. Fisher has put together arguably the league's most fearsome front seven and the team's solid stable of running backs was bolstered by the pick of Todd Gurley in the NFL Draft. It will be interesting to see how it all comes together.
