Upgraded Secondary, better FG Kicker, healthy Kupp adds 2 more wins

An adequate Secondary and a good FG Kicker would have been worth at least 2 games last season and I think that reality will carry over to this season.

Our Secondary was a C- in my book. They all took turns screwing it up. One of the bigger culprits, but not called out for it because he's such a likable guy, was Fuller. He was slow to his mark, slow to react, and I think out of position a number of times. Center Field was just too easy to penetrate.

This year we have at worst a solid B Secondary. That people worry Williams is aged out at 31 is unwarranted. He is a guy who takes care of his body, is serious about his game, and has not had a series of injuries. Players can play longer than ever if they want to with the good training staffs we now have, and if they take care of their bodies. Tre is more of a worry, and he is a fingers crossed kind of a guy who will be good, at worst, provided he stays healthy. Kamren Curl is a VERY good Safety who was overlooked because he was on a pretty bad team. Not spectacular, just solid as a rock and totally dependable. My bet is that we have Kinchens starting within 3 or 4 games.... maybe even out of the box .... at the other Safety. The guy was just born to be an NFL Safety and plays so aggressively yet soundly and is a dangerous ball hawk. And then our young guys from last year will continue to develop, after having lots of playing experience from last year. In fact, I think Kinchens has the chance to be the equivalent of our Earnest Jones in the Secondary.

I think the Rams are going to have every chance to win the NFC West outright. No doubt our Edge play will be improved, our WR room strengthened with a healthy Kupp, the addition of Corum is going to give the Rams a 1-2 punch at RB that is being overlooked by the pundits for some reason. And, I think we're going to see our TEs being much better than forecast with the addition of Parkinson, which will improve our running game at the least. Allen showed what he could do towards the end of last year, and Higbee will be back around mid-season. Our Oline is going to be very good with the addition of Jackson and retention of Dotson, and Avila moving to Center. And BIG.... nobody under 320. And all of them good players in their own right.

Stafford is fully healthy, we have as good a back up QB as we've had in many many years in Garappolo for insurance, and good and growing depth pretty much everywhere except maybe ILB.

The unknown is how well will the Dline be without the human eraser AD? This could be the X factor into how far the Rams will go. I would be a little surprised if the Rams don't bolster it with a vet signing in the coming weeks. It will depend so much on what things look like after the pads come on. But, a good vet presence almost always helps a unit as young as the Rams are.