After several tough seasons, the St. Louis Rams went 7-9, finishing one game from the playoffs in 2010. They had a new quarterback in rookie Sam Bradford and, seemingly, all the momentum in the world. I thought they had the best chance in the division of winning the NFC West.

I was way, way wrong. For our second post-season, in-depth segment, Ryan Van Bibber, editor of Turf Show Times, joined Zoneblitz this week to share his thoughts on what went wrong in 2011 and what has to happen for the Rams to turn things around again in 2012.

Zoneblitz: After 2010 I believed St. Louis would be in the mix for the NFC West championship. What happened that derailed that so dramatically?

Ryan Van Bibber: Things just never gelled at an organizational level. For various reasons, that left the team short on the kind of talent they needed to make the offense work, not to mention the run defense. Add in the injuries and poor coaching and it was a recipe for disaster.

Zoneblitz: After a promising rookie year Sam Bradford took a step back. His fault or circumstances?

Van Bibber: Mostly circumstances, though sophomore struggles aren’t unusual. The team did little to give him a good receiver to throw to, and the offensive line took a big step back. He got a lot of responsibility heaped on him in his second season, with no time to prepare and no dedicated quarterbacks coach.

Zoneblitz: Did anything happen during 2011 season that the team can build on and that can give fans optimism?

Van Bibber: Chris Long and James Laurinaitis continued to emerge as blue chip players. Together, they give the Rams defense a solid foundation. First-round pick DE Robert Quinn also flashed the natural talent that made him such a steal at #14, but the coaches just refused to play him more than as a rotation guy, even with the season lost.

Zoneblitz: Did you agree with firing Steve Spagnuolo or not, and why?

Van Bibber: Yes. Coaches that go 10-38 in three years don’t a contract extension. Players that perform like that get cut, or they should anyway. The Rams need to sell tickets and grow their fan base. It was the only choice they had.

Zoneblitz: What would you like to see in a new Rams coach? Do you have any candidates in mind?

Van Bibber: I think they need an established guy. Jeff Fisher makes the most sense.

Zoneblitz: Who or what do you see the Rams doing with the second pick in the draft?

Van Bibber: Ideally, they’ll trade it and get some more picks to help fill out a roster in need of talent. If not, Matt Kalil or Justin Blackmon will be the pick.

Zoneblitz: What else do you see the Rams focusing on in the draft, free agency and throughout the rest of the offseason?

Van Bibber: They’re pretty limited in free agency, with just $10 million in projected cap space. They need to find a backup running back or a complementary type guy to pair with Steven Jackson. They also need to rebuild their offensive line. Guard Jacob Bell is a free agent, Jason Smith is a bust, Jason Brown isn’t very good and Rodger Saffold is overmatched on the left side.

Zoneblitz: What’s your background and what is the history of your blog?

Van Bibber: I’ve been running TST for more than six years now…and still haven’t had the pleasure of covering a winning season. I’m also a contributor at SBNation.com, part of our NFL coverage team there.

Zoneblitz: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Van Bibber: Go Rams!

Follow Ryan Van Bibber on twitter at: @turfshowtimes
Follow Zoneblitz on twitter at: @zoneblitzcom

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