It's time for pro football. This Sunday, a beautiful day where DriecTV provides us with a free preview of "The Ticket," the battle of St. Louis' teams will take place. The former St. Louis team, the Arizona Cardinals, go across the country to the Ed Jones Dome to match up against the current St. Louis squad, my beloved Rammies. And while I have absoultely zero expectations for the Rams this year, based on the previous three years of suffering, I have to admit that there is a mild stench of hope in the air.
I thought breaking down a "My 5 Reasons" post, as we have done so many times in the past, would be a great way to preview Sunday's upcoming battle.
My 5 Reasons my Rams will beat Arizona:
1. Arizona's QB crisis: Matt Leinart certainly didn't work out, despite the Cards basically trying to hand him the job. He ended up continuing to be a douche, got cut, and is now playing backup in Houston. Meanwhile, former Browns castoff, Derek Anderson has been giving the starting role for the Cards. Derek, although seemingly a nice guy, doesn't really strike fear in the heart of opponents. Last season he managed just a 44% completion rate. His career QB rating is 69.7 (I'm not going to pretend I know what that means, but let's just agree that it's bad).
2. Arizona's WR crisis: The star of the offense, Anquan Boldin, was traded to Baltimore in the offseason. So now, they don't only have an iffy QB, but he also has nobody to throw it to.
3. The Sam Bradford effect: To me, I'm starting to get the feeling that Bradford is going to come out strong to start the season. His preseason play is really the only thing that has gotten fans excited since 2006, to be honest, and it just feels like he has to work out. He's looked pretty accurate, and hopefully he can stay on his feet against a tough defensive line.
4. Mark Clayton: Clayton was acquired as a replacement for the injured Donnie Avery, and may slide right into Avery's top receiver slot. He actually has a history of working out with Bradford in the past, and hopefully that relationship will help the two gel quickly on the field.
5. 7 straight losses seems like enough: The Rams have dropped 7 straight games to their division rivals from Arizona, and that is a steak that needs to come to an end. If we were ever going to be able to break this curse, it seems like this might be our shot. The Cards seem primed to get upset.
My 5 Reasons my Rams will lose to Arizona:
1. 7 straight losses: The Cardinals have owned the Rams, and it would be a pretty big jump to say that the Cardinals are that much worse than any of the previous incarnations that have crushed the Rams over the last 4ish years (or that the Rams are that much better).
2. Larry Fitzgerald: It's nice to point out how Boldin is off to Baltimore, and that the AZ receiving core has taken a huge hit, but it's not completely accurate. Anderson will still have one of the best WR in the game, in Fitzgerald, and will also have Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower catching his balls.
3. Joey Porter: While the defense also lost some key players, Porter and his 92 career sacks will be ready to try and cause problems for our new rookie signal caller. And we all know how weak our offensive line is.
4. Steven Jacksons' health: With Donnie Avery out for the season, and Sam Bradford never having thrown a single NFL regular season pass in his life, you know that the Rams offense is going to rely heavily on Steven Jackson out of the backfield. S-Jack underwent surgery in April to repair a herniated disk, and says he's fully recovered. I guess we'll find out soon if he's telling the truth.
5. Remember, it IS still the Rams: 6 wins over the last three years tells us a lot. A team cannot really expect to improve THAT much after being so bad for so long, and I think that's something that we need to focus on. Most "real" media members have the Rams looking like they'll win 4-6 games, and I guess we're left every week asking ourselves, "Is this one of those 4-6 games?"
So there you have it. That's about as fair and balanced of a preview that a die hard Rams fan like me can give.
As far as I'm concerned, the Rams are winning this game. The Cards seem to be in a state of flux, seem to be overvaluing Derek Anderson's abilities, and seem to be ripe for the picking. Now if only the Rams can score more points than the defense allows.
¡Viva los carneros!
-- Sent from my Palm Prē
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