After an up and down 7-9 season for the St. Louis Rams, they’re looking to propel themselves into playoff contention and claim the NFC West title once again.  The road the Rams took from ’04, when they last won the division crown, to now wasn’t a very enjoyable one to watch.

After the dismissal of coach Mike Martz, Scott Linehan was given the reins of a young football team with the difficult task of trying to transform them into the super bowl team they were just 3 years prior in ’01.  However, a string of draft busts and poor free agency decisions became the primary reasons why they just won 6 games over a span of 3 years from ’07-’09.

The Rams 19th overall draft choice in ’05, Alex Barron, spent just 5 years with the team while becoming one of the most penalized players in league.  Tye Hill, the 15th overall pick in ’06 was injury prone throughout career before leaving for Atlanta while the 13th pick in ’07, Adam Carriker, recorded only 2 sacks in his 3-year career with the Rams and eventually had to sit out the entire ’09 season due to injury.

After a horrendous 1-15 season in ’09 a shimmer of light appeared down a tunnel that seemed like it was miles in length.  That array of light was Sam Bradford, the Rams number one overall choice in ’10 with a contract guaranteeing $50 million.

With a cast of underachieving receivers and a stellar defense ranking up towards the top for sacks, Bradford managed to lead the team to a just under .500 record while keeping the Rams in playoff contention until the last game of the season against the Seattle Seahawks.  Their disappointing 16-6 loss to the Hawks in Seattle during week 17 left a foul taste in their mouths’, and soon became aspiring for revenge the next season.

Plans were unexpectedly changed when offensive coordinator Pat Shurmurr, left STL for a heading coaching job for the Cleveland Browns.  With the resigning of Shurmur, head coach Steve Spagnuolo decided the team needed a change in direction from Shurmur’s west coast offense.

Shurmur was heavily criticized in STL for his highly conservative offense that ran the ball 3rd and long not too rarely.  Only a mouth after his departure, Rams general manager, Billy Devaney hired former Broncos coach, Josh McDaniels, to be their new offensive coordinator.

McDaniels is well know for being the play-caller for the New England Patriots during their ’07 season in which they produced 67 offensive touchdowns en route to a 16-0 regular season.  His style of offense and play calling will now be transcended to the Rams as the “McDaniels experiment” will begin in 2011.

Unlike the ’10 draft, which was more focused on building a solid offensive line and filling voids on defense, the Rams ’11 draft featured picks of a tight end in the 2nd round and wide receivers in the 3rd and 4th.  McDaniels’ highly appraised offense that features dual tight ends (with the purpose of being able to block and having great pass-catching skills) was evidently a key factor in the team’s early and mid round draft picks.

The 3 picks, Lance Kendricks (Wisc.), Austin Pettis (Boise St.), and Gregory Salas (Hawaii) add needed targets for Bradford and could add more depth to an already struggling receiving core.

All in all, the Rams’ early to mid-round draft picks will decide if they do-or-die in ’11.  The Rams committed to building a strong and efficient offense in ’11 at the expense of avoiding major holes the Rams have on defense.  With not picking a defensive tackle, a linebacker, or safety in the first 4 rounds, the Rams are telling us that they will be looking towards free agency to fill their defensive needs.

Expect the Rams to come out of the gates in free agency hoping to sign another Fred Robbins or Na’il Diggs, who both added strength and experience to our defense.  Only good days are ahead for the Rams and the only thing that will stop them is a NFL lockout.