EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Many knowledgeable football people would argue that with a healthy starting quarterback, the St. Louis Rams would have been a legitimate playoff contender in 2014.
Now that the Rams have traded that unhealthy starter (Sam Bradford) for a healthy one in Nick Foles, the discussion of how the team will fare in 2015 isn't centered on having a healthy quarterback so much as having a productive one.
Over at TheMMQB.com, Peter King unveiled his June 1 power rankings of every team in the league in this week's edition of the Monday Morning Quarterback. In said rankings, King has the Rams checking in at No. 19 overall, which amounts to what is essentially another middle-of-the-road season. Those have become commonplace in St. Louis since Jeff Fisher arrived in 2012, though it's also an upgrade over what preceded it.
King writes that the direction the Rams go depends greatly on Foles' ability to perform:
"If Nick Foles is really good, the Rams will win 11. If he’s average, they’ll win eight. You see which way I’m leaning."
He's clearly leaning toward the latter, which wouldn't come as a surprise given the team's recent track record. At this point, I would probably agree with that assessment, though I'm not sure I agree with Foles needing to be "really good" for the Rams to make a move.
Instead, I would say Foles needs to be really consistent for that to happen, especially when it comes to taking care of the ball. This isn't an offense that is going to ask Foles to carry the load, but it is one that will ask him to not mess it up. Too often in 2014, the Rams had backbreaking turnovers that instantly became touchdowns going the other way.
Cutting down on those miscues, staying healthy for 16 games and taking advantage when downfield opportunities arise would be a step in the right direction.
I.C.Y.M.I.
A roundup of Monday's Rams stories appearing on ESPN.com. ... In the Ram-blings, we started the week with a look at where the Rams' defensive line ranks among the best position groups in the league. ... I then offered some leftover thoughts on Chris Long and William Hayes' homeless experience. ... In the offseason roster review, we examined the team's defensive tackles. ... Finally, we closed the day by looking at what the defense's ceiling might be in 2015.
Elsewhere:
As always, John Clayton hits on a variety of topics in his weekly mailbag.
Kevin Seifert writes that history is not on the side of Adrian Peterson or any running back older than 30.
Once more, in case you didn't see it, here is Liz Merrill's piece and the SportsCenter Featured video on Long and Hayes' night on the streets.
At 101sports.com, Randy Karraker isn't pleased with the legislators bringing a lawsuit to try to stop or slow down the St. Louis stadium plan.
At stltoday.com, Joe Lyons previews the start of organized team activities.