By: Joey Bittick

I realize this topic is very subjective, but I have thought a lot about it recently. Some people would be pleased just to see improvement in the way the Rams play (playing hard, more exciting play, etc). For others, they will strictly equate improvement to wins over losses. I think a blend of both philosophies is the most logical approach.

Why? Because, while the Rams played hard and didn’t quit on Steve Spagnuolo (as opposed to the poor effort that was apparent in 2008, when the team seemingly quit on Scott Linehan/Jim Haslett), that effort did not equal wins in 2009. As we are all painfully aware, the Rams went from two wins in ’08 to just one in ’09.

So, while there seemed to be plenty of fight in the ’09 bunch, I think anyone would be hard pressed to call the end result on the field an improvement or a success.

However, I do believe that our front office had quite a few successes.

They were able to take the Rams from one of the oldest teams in the NFL to one of the youngest in just one year. They shed plenty of burdensome contracts and put this team in a place to add good players when they become available (like they did in adding Jason Brown before the ’09 season).

In the last few drafts, they seemingly did very well, though I realize it is too early to say whether or not the players they chose are hits or misses. Bearing all this in mind, I think the Rams are in a great position for 2011, barring a lockout, of course.

Should a new Collective Bargaining Agreement be reached, the Rams will be in position to land quite a few top-tier free agents that will hopefully be hitting the market. We all know the Rams were constrained when it came to adding top free agents this last off season, as there just simply weren’t many available because of the lack of CBA.

Because of that, as well as the lack of ownership, rookie Quarterback Sam Bradford, and the inexperience of the Rams roster, the Rams appear to be hamstrung going into 2010. In other words, I don’t think many would list them as contenders.
So, what would it be reasonable to expect?

I have heard some say, “Steve Spagnuolo has to win X amount of games, or he and Billy Devaney will be fired,” but I simply do not believe this to be the case. Barring a total lack of competitiveness or drive from the Rams players in 2010 or a zero win season (which I cannot see happening), I think Spags and Billy D. are safe.

So, in order to get some idea of what to expect from the Rams in the coming season, I decided to take a look at recent NFL history.
According to NFL.com, since the year 2000, there have been eleven teams that have won two or fewer games in an NFL season. Ten of the eleven improved their record the following season. Four teams improved their record by at least four wins. The only team that did not improve their record was—you guessed it—the 2008/2009 St. Louis Rams.

Here is a complete list of these teams that won two or fewer games and their record in the following season:

So, I would say that recent NFL trends are on our side. I realize that looking at recent history to determine future improvement is not a perfect method, but at least it has given me some hope. And as a Rams fan, it feels good to finally have some hope.

Of course, it’s barely July, likely way too early to begin making predictions about Win/Loss records, particularly since the pre-season hasn’t even arrived yet. So I will save that for a later date.

I will say that with the moves the Rams have made, my faith that Steve Spagnuolo and Billy Devaney are the right men to lead our team, and the fact that ten of the last eleven teams in a similar predicament to the Rams showed improvement in the wins category, I am feeling a sense of optimism about the 2010 Rams and beyond. I am not expecting any surprise playoff runs, but I will keep my fingers crossed.

When it comes to being a Rams fan, hope has to be a mainstay, and I have plenty of it.