James Hall and the Rams' rebuilt defensive line increased their sack total from 25 to 43 in one season. Mission accomplished? Or just beginning?

Despite a seemingly annual procession of high draft picks, the Rams' defensive line always played as less than the sum of its parts, until 2010. The transformation, led by coach Spagnuolo, started by letting go of one high draft pick (underperforming DT Adam Carriker) and not working very hard to entice its best pass rusher (DE Leonard Little) out of retirement. The only additions to the line were a 33-year-old defensive tackle (Fred Robbins) and a pair of third-day draft picks (Eugene Sims and George Selvie). However, these minimal changes had a hugely positive effect on the overall play of the line.

The Rams' defensive line improved radically from 2009 to 2010 by a number of measureable metrics, however, it failed to improve by one key stat:

• Sacks: 29th in the NFL (25 total) in 2009 .... 7th in the NFL (43 total) in 2010.

• Adjusted Sack Rate (sacks per pass attempt): 27th in the NFL (5.4%) in 2009 .... 8th in the NFL (7.1%) in 2010

• Opponent's passer rating: 31st in the NFL (96.9) in 2009 .... 9th in the NFL (80.4) in 2010

• Opponent's yards per rush: 20th in the NFL (4.4) in 2009 .... 22nd in the NFL (4.5) in 2010

While moving James Hall (right side) and Chris Long (left side) to their natural positions helped the team take a quantum leap against the pass, the weakness of their interior line couldn't generate any improvement versus the run. Moreover, while most teams utilize rotations with their defensive front four, the constant cycling of players in and out of the lineup at some spots suggests more desperation than plan.

To illustrate this, here is what the Rams' left side of the defense looked like, on a per-snap basis. (Stats via ProFootballFocus.com)

One week remains until the Super Bowl, and the representatives for the players and owners have this time to sit down and come together and figure out how to salvage the 2011 season. All of it. Not just the games in September (or August, if an 18-game schedule is rammed down our throats), but the FULL season.

We have the regular season. The Playoffs. The draft. Undrafted free agents. Big time free agents. Mini camps, where we start to hear about schemes and personnel and workouts. More free agency activity, and big-ticket trades. Training camp, when our teams come to town and Rams fans are lucky enough to be invited to watch. Juggling fantasy football boards, and getting together for our fantasy drafts. And before you know it, the season begins again.

The NFL is year-round, as you can tell from blogs like mine, like Turf Show Times, like RamsGab. And we don't stop writing, as you can tell from our archives. Why do we write year-round? Because of you. Because you fans love football -- love the Rams -- that damn much. And because we're fans too, and we can't stop feeding the beast. So this message is from more than just the players to the owners, its from all of us to all of you in suits, at the negotiating table.

Let us play. All of us.

Do your part. Go to NFLLockout.com and sign their petition. It isn't about taking sides... we're all on the same side here. We all want a 2011 season. We all want to play. 

LB Von Miller looks to continue his impressive rise up draft boards.

South Team: Defense

• DT - 98 Phil Taylor (Baylor): Taylor has been impressive all week as the consensus best pure Nose Tackle among the bunch, and could play the "zero technique" next to Fred Robbins, lining up over Center, or between Center and Guard if the Rams chose to use a high pick on him. More likely, he will be picked up by a team like the Redskins, who need to build up their

• DT - 57 Allen Bailey (Miami): Bailey is considered more of a raw prospect, and started the week of practices slowly. However, he picked up momentum on Wednesday and Thursday, and could be playing his way back into the spotlight. Fellow DT Jarvis Jenkins (Clemson), a teammate of Rams DT Darell Scott, is another player to watch.

• OLB - 40 Von Miller (Texas A&M): Miller has separated himself from a strong group of linebackers with transcendent play, and is considered a strong first rounder and potentially a target of a team like the Patriots. If he's there at #14 and both top WRs are off the board, though, Miller would have to be considered as a "best available" talent for the Rams.

• DE/OLB - 81 Sam Acho (Texas): Acho has been wowing in interviews just as much as on the field, and has shown admirable ability to play upfield and in coverage. Projected as a 4-3 DE or as a linebacker in a 3-4, it's questionable whether he could fill a full time weakside linebacker need out of the gate, but is considered a high-character and coachable player.

• FS/CB - 35 Ahmad Black (Florida): Already profiled as a player for Rams fans to watch, Black's instinctive play should shine in today's exhibition.

• CB - 24 Shareece Wright (USC): Wright has been the best cornerback on the South team roster, and will have his hands full battling with the likes of Boise State's Titus Young. Win enough battles, and Wright's stock could rise nicely.

Iowa DT Christian Ballard could make a strong impression today on Rams Scouts -- and on South team quarterbacks.

The Senior Bowl kicks off at 3:00 central time, and promises to be a lot more fun to watch than the NFL's Pro Bowl. Why? Because unlike their well-paid counterparts in Hawaii, these Seniors have something to prove. Here's a roundup of players to watch on the North roster, with a highlight on those who could pique the interest of the Rams:

North team: Defense

• DE - 97 Cameron Jordan (Cal): All eyes will be on Jordan, who may be the best player on the field and has done more to raise his draft stock than anyone else this week. Simply unblockable, and a terror in the backfield. Most likely will be taken before the Rams select at #14. If the Rams are looking at a mid-round DE, #91 Ryan Kerrigan could be an attractive target.

• DT - 46 Christian Ballard (Iowa) Was overshadowed by Iowa linemate Adrian Clayborn during the season, and may be overshadowed again by Jordan in today's game, but deserves his own recognition as perhaps the best DT here. At 6'4" 288 lbs, Ballard has nice size for the position, and could step in nicely to fill Cliff Ryan's shoes.

• DT - 94 Terrell McClain (South Florida): The Rams have already shown interest in McClain, who was a late addition to the Senior Bowl roster. McClain is probably a third-day pick, but one who could be watched closely by Rams scouts.

• S - 20 Quinton Carter (Oklahoma): Was neck and neck with the South Team's Ahmad Black in safety play; Carter is more of a traditional safety, where Black has the feet and playmaking ability to be a mini-Atogwe.

Like a ninja, Laurinaitis may be almost unseen but deadly effective.

James Laurinaitis' rookie year was about as good as it could be. He played every snap, made the defensive calls for a team that allowed 29 fewer points than the year before, led the team in tackles, and his name rang out as a candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Perhaps that explains why he can somehow fly under the radar despite once again playing every snap, making the calls on a defense that allowed 108 fewer points than the year before, and leading the team in tackles.

Sure, Rams fans appreciate him, but nationally speaking his name is barely on the airwaves, despite actually showing marked improvement in his play. Why don't they care? Because his total tackles (114) were slightly fewer than last year's (120).

ProFootbalFocus
@RamsHerd Yep, shame an inaccurate, unofficial stat is the be all and end all when it comes to LB play amongst some

That's what makes Laurinaitis' inclusion among Pro Football Focus' All-Sophomore Team so satisfying. Someone, at least, is paying attention.

In fact, Laurinaitis' rookie year didn't come with many accolades from the PFF crew -- he rated 34th among 54 inside linebackers in 2009, not really grading negatively, but hardly excelling. In 2010, though, he took a big leap into the upper quartile of players, grading 14th overall out of 50 players. These ratings are based on four factors: pass rush, coverage, run defense, and penalties. Here's a look at how Laurinaitis graded out:

Fenton, MO: The place where automotive dreams were made could become the place where Rams history hangs from the rafters.

On August 24 of last year, Stan Kroenke was officially confirmed as sole owner of the Rams. Unofficially, rumors and speculation had already been flying around for weeks connecting him with the old Chrysler plant in Fenton. Jim Thomas acknowledged as much in an August 10th chat session:

bruce8080: JT, do you believe the rumor that Kroenke is looking into the Fenton, Chrysler Plant as an area to build the next Rams stadium?

Jim Thomas: I could be wrong, but I thought I'd heard that he has put in a bid to buy the land. It is a fascinating possibility. On the one hand, it could be land used for a Wal-Mart super center -- and more. Then again, it would be one way to get around the stadium lease situation. (And as he has shown in Denver, Kroenke does like to have control of revenue streams.)

-- From Google's cache of an stltoday.com Rams chat transcript.

The speculation simply makes too much sense to ignore: Kroenke's development company, THF Realty, is known for engineering land development deals for retail properties on disused (and cheap) suburban property, garnering tax increment financing and government subsidy along the way. Kroenke Sports Enterprise operates in the same way, having built the Pepsi Center in Denver to house the NBA's Nuggets and NHL's Avalanche. And the stadium lease expiration clause that requires the Ed Jones Dome to be among the top 25% of NFL stadiums in revenue production (a fiscal impossibility) by 2014 was already well publicized.

In the sixteen years since the Dome was built, nineteen new NFL stadiums have opened. There was little doubt that the new Rams owner would want one too.

The Chrysler property -- 5 million square feet of available space, with demolition already underway -- is located in a shopping-rich area neatly placed halfway between downtown and Six Flags, the fringe between suburbia and exurbia where sports franchises seem to be roosting. And its connection to tens of thousands of local jobs and millions of tons of six-cylinder American steel makes it a sentimentally perfect new home for our football team.

What we don't have is any confirmation of the rumors. But today, an important piece of the puzzle fell into place: according to the Saint Louis Post-Dispatch, Fenton and the state of Missouri are creating an "Enhanced Enterprise Zone" for the 295-acre plant site and its surrounding area.

The EEZ is a blend of state tax credits and local property tax abatements meant to spur new construction, job creation and economic growth, and is very much a part of the Kroenke Sports Enterprise model. (In fact, the Pepsi Center received $41 million in tax-increment financing to help defray construction cost.) While Kroenke's name has yet to surface in direct connection with the property, an all-important roadblock just fell.

Danny Watkins: an ideal cross between Richie Incognito's ferocity and Adam Goldberg's technique? 

The Senior Bowl's third day of practice winds down, and reports filtering in have one thing in common: unabashed love for DE Cameron Jordan, whose scouting report boils down to a single word: "unblockable." However, the Rams' interest in Jordan may be muted: The Cal DE is likely to go to a 3-4 defense (perhaps in San Francisco?) before the Rams pick at #14, and the Rams already have a pretty good player lining up over right tackle in Chris Long.

So far Rams scouts have only been linked with two players: Scrappy WR Dwayne Harris (this year's Dominic Curry?) and DT Terrell McClain. However, there are several other Seniors who should be piquing the interest of Rams scouts in attendance, based on their performance and our team's needs. Here are a few names worth remembering:

OG Danny Watkins - Baylor

6' 3 1/2", 312 lbs

WesBunting @NLFOOTBALL I love #Baylor OL Danny Watkins...he will fall a bit bc of age, but I think he goes in top 100 picks #NFLDRAFT

A relative oldster at age 26, Danny Watkins has only been playing football for four years, and only at Division 1 level for the past two seasons. There's a reason for his slow start in the sport: his first chosen calling is firefighting. The Rams could certainly use someone with his talents to help keep the heat off Sam Bradford.

After playing two seasons for Butte Junior College, Watkins stepped into Jason Smith's shoes at Baylor and played well at Left Tackle in 2009-10; yet in the Senior Bowl, he has been practicing and playing as a guard, and is reportedly taking to it like a fish to water. Given the Rams' coaches preference for the versatile Adam Goldberg over the big but one-dimensinoal John Greco at guard, coachability may be the thing that most intrigues with a player like Watkins. 

Says Bunting, the director of college scouting at the National Football Post: "If Baylor OL Danny Watkins was three years younger and two inches taller the guy would be a first-round pick," and "strikes me as a guy who can come in and play from day one as an NFL guard." 

One area of concern may be Watkins' experience on the left side of the line; the Rams' greatest short-term need is at the right OG position, and Jacob Bell is signed through 2013 on the left side. However, talent is talent, and with a player this coachable perhaps those concerns disappear.