The NFC West is as competitive a division as the NFL has seen in years, but as the St. Louis Rams entered the 2014 in-depthseason, hopes were high that a strong defense and a healthy Sam Bradford could bring the team closer to the postseason.

Then disaster struck. Bradford again tore his ACL, missing the entire season and sending the team on a slow tailspin. There were moments of hope – such as a big, dominant win over Denver – but the combo of Shaun Hill and Austin Davis didn’t have what it took to lead the team to the playoffs.

As 2015 approaches, Bradford is gone. Nick Foles is at the helm, at least for the time being. And a strong defense again gives St. Louis at least a glimmer of hope that this will be the year.

How close are the Rams? Blaine Grisak, editor of Ramblin’ Fan, shares his thoughts.

Zoneblitz: The 6-10 record in 2014 was actually a one game step back from 2013. What caused that and how would you assess the season?

Grisak: I think it’s pretty obvious what caused them to take a step back in 2014 and it’s the fact that for a second straight season, quarterback Sam Bradford was out due to a torn ACL. With that said, they still showed that they can compete with the leagues best teams by defeating the 49ers, Seahawks, and Broncos.

It was still a disappointing season, but even with the disappointment, this team took a step forward on defense and showed that really, they are a quarterback away from being a legitimate threat.

Zoneblitz: What’s your assessment of the work Jeff Fisher and Les Snead have done thus far?

Grisak: I think overall they’ve done a good job, however, that doesn’t mean they aren’t on the hot seat. The NFL requires results and this regime has three losing seasons to show for themselves.

They started off well with the RGIII trade, but drafted Tavon Austin who has done nothing in his first two seasons, and then last year they drafted Robinson who was disappointing, but will hopefully take a step forward in 2015.

If I were to give them a grade I’d give them a C+. They’ve made good moves, but it’s time to take that next step. The fans are done with mediocrity. This is a franchise that hasn’t had a winning season in ten years. The time to win is now.

Zoneblitz: Sam Bradford’s injury-plagued tenure is over. What did you think of the trade and is Nick Foles the answer at QB or just a stopgap?

Grisak: I thought it was a great trade, but I’ve always been a Foles guy as I live in the Philadelphia area. Getting rid of Bradford opened up cap space, plus they got a good second round pick out of it.

I think Foles has the potential to be a franchise quarterback, but they need to give him an offensive line as we saw last year how Foles struggled behind a hurt o-line for the first half of the season.

For now I believe it’s a stopgap move as this team wasn’t going to go anywhere if Bradford got hurt again, but I do think this regime also sees the ceiling in Foles. You don’t go 27 and 2 based purely on luck, there is skill and talent in Foles.

Zoneblitz: What’s up at the WR spot – is Tavon Austin going to catch on? What’s the team see in Kenny Britt to give him big bucks? And what other weapons are legit in the passing game?

Grisak: The hope is for Tavon to catch on, but that is still up in the air at this point. With uncreative Brian Schottenheimer out, there is hope that Frank Cignetti will utilize Austin more aside from ridiculous halfback dives up the middle.

Moving on to Kenny Britt, they did pay him a lot, but it is a team friendly deal still as only $4-million of it is guaranteed. Britt lead the team with 13 receptions of 20+ yards and you have to remember that’s with Austin Davis and Shaun Hill throwing the football.

Also he brings veteran leadership to the team. He was probably the main reason why Brian Quick took the step forward that he did. Both have a similar skill set and seeing Britt do it really brought out the best in Quick.

Aside from Britt and Austin as legitimate threats on offense, Stedman Bailey has come on strong at points in games, I believe he had over 100 yard receiving in the first half against Oakland this year. Jared Cook is a big play tight end, and then Brian Quick really came on last year after a disappointing start to his career. If he can get healthy this team has weapons.

Zoneblitz: Is there a plan for addressing the offensive line?

Grisak: I hope so, because they need it badly. It would be nice to re-sign Joe Barksdale to a cheap deal or bring in a Justin Blalock or Stefen Wisniewski, but for the most part, I think they will stick to the draft. I really like Brandon Scherff out of Iowa, and if they get lucky, taking the center out of Florida State, Cameron Erving, would also be nice.

It’s still uncertain how they’re going to address the o-line, but everyone knows it’s something that needs major fixing.

Zoneblitz: Though the NFC West is as good a division as there is in the league, the Rams defense can stick with anyone in the NFL. The team added Nick Fairley in free agency – are there any holes? Is this a top-five unit next season?

Grisak: While it is a very good defense – heck, they held Peyton Manning and the Broncos to seven points last season – there are still some holes particularly in the secondary. As of now they have Rodney McLeod as their free safety and he is below average on a good day. Multiple times last season he blew a coverage that went for a touchdown. I also think they need to add some sort of depth at the cornerback and linebacker positions.

With that said though, they are still a top unit in the league. Top-five might be a bit far-fetched, but certainly top 10.

Zoneblitz: What Rams have a chance to break out in 2015?

Grisak: If he didn’t already last year, I really liked what I saw from Tre Mason. I believe he will be the premier back and get close, if not break, 1,000 yards rushing next season. I also really like Stedman Bailey. He started slow last season as he was suspended the first four games, but after that he got in a groove he put up some number. I think he’ll have a chance to break out and make plays on a consistent basis.

Lastly, on defense, I’ll say T.J. McDonald. He has turned into a really good safety, and now that he knows the system, I believe he’ll be able to play more on instinct and show what he can do.

Zoneblitz: How far are the Rams from being a serious threat in the postseason?

Grisak: I don’t think they’re far at all. They need to play better on a consistent basis, but they’ve shown they can beat the top teams.

As we know, in today’s NFL it all starts with the quarterback and the Rams finally have one that will hopefully stay healthy. To answer your question though, I think they’re right there, as I said before they just need to start putting games together consistently.

Zoneblitz: What is your reaction to free agency at this point and what would you like to see the team do through the rest of free agency and in the draft?

Grisak: I like what they’ve done. They added a top piece to an already good defensive line. I though re-signing Britt was huge as well as cutting Long and Wells. Moving forward I’d like to see them address the offensive line as well as cornerback depth in the draft and free agency.

Zoneblitz: What is your sense of the future of the Rams in St. Louis?

Grisak: It’s a very complex situation, but my sense says it’s about 50-50 right now. I think it will depend on what happens with the Chargers and Raiders and that situation. If either of those teams stay, then I think the Rams will be headed out west.

However, they do have stadium plans in place in St. Louis which is a good sign that the city want to keep them, but until a stadium is actually built, I think it could go either way.

Follow Blaine Grisak on Twitter at: @bxgrisak1993
Follow Ramblin’ Fan on Twitter at: @RamblinFan
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