1. Will anybody in my fantasy league draft any Rams? You mean, besides kicker Greg Zuerlein? All kidding aside, running back Zac Stacy will likely be a RB2 in most leagues—he did have 1114 yards from scrimmage and 8 touchdowns—but it’s quite possible Stacy will be the only Rams skilled player drafted. Tavon Austin might be someone’s backup wide receiver (569 yards from scrimmage and 5 TDs). With Sam Bradford on the IR for another season, Shaun Hill is only an option in deep two QB leagues. 2. What would it take for the Rams to have a 1-15 collapse as they did in the 2009 season? Really? Not much. If any of their standout offensive or defensive lineman— like previously-hobbled J-Long or DPOY Quinn—were to suffer a serious injury, the reverberating waves could have shocking effect on this team that is not deep. J-Long, Saffold and Barksdale anchor a good O-line, while Quinn, C-Long and Hayes lead a great D-line. But take away a couple names from that list and watch the Rams free-fall down the standings. 3. How were the Rams lacking in chemistry? They only had 11 Rams on the 2013 roster that played 40-plus games together as teammates. That was the lowest figure in the league. On average, non-playoff 2013 teams had 18 players play at least 40 games together, while 2013 playoff teams had 21 players play at least 40 games together. The 2014 roster shows that a bunch of Fisher’s guys, however, may join that 40 club. As of now, nine roster players have played 40-plus games as Rams, while another 12 roster Rams are within range of hitting that 40 mark in 2014. It’s pretty safe to say, the continuity and chemistry is building in Fisher’s third year as head coach. Defensive Player to Watch His peers voted Robert Quinn the 13th best player in football today, in the NFL Network’s annual Top 100 Players show, as voted on by NFL players. The 24-year-old defensive end was not even on the top 100 list the year before, but that in a nutshell shows you what kind of 2013 Quinn had: Defensive Player of the Year, All-Pro, Pro Bowl, 19 sacks (which ranks 14th in the NFL single-season record book), 7 forced fumbles. The 6-4, 270-pounder has both imposing power and speed that belies his frame, getting to ballcarriers with uncommon ease. Rams Special Teams Nobody in 2013 punted better nor did anyone kick as well as Jonny Hecker (46.3 punting average on 78 punts; opponents returned only 30 punts for 79 total yards) and Greg “The Leg” Zuerlein (26 for 28 on field goals; 34 for 34 on extra points). TEAM ROSTER RAMS DEPTH CHART OFFENSE QB Shaun Hill Austin Davis RB Zac Stacy Tre Mason FB Cory Harkey WR Chris Givens, Austin Pettis Brian Quick, Tavon Austin TE Jared Cook Lance Kendricks T Jake Long, Joe Barksdale G Greg Robinson, Roger Saffold Brandon Washington, Barrett Jones C Scott Wells Tim Barnes DEFENSE DE Chris Long, Robert Quinn William Hayes, Eugene Sims DT Kendall Langford, Michael Brockers Aaron Donald, Eugene Sims OLB Alec Goldtree, Jo-Lonn Dunbar Daren Bates, Ray-Ray Armstrong MLB James Laurinitis CB Trumaine Johnson, Brandon McGee CB Janoris Jenkins, LaMarcus Joyner, SS T.J. McDonald, Maurice Alexander FS Rodney McLeod, Cody Davis SPECIAL TEAMS K Greg Zuerlein P Jonny Hecker KR Benny Cunningham PR Tavon Austin
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