Primary Concern For St. Louis Rams: Stay Healthy
Offensive line is still a big concern for the St Louis Rams heading into the 2012 season, but now that free agent addition center Scott Wells is back on the practice field, things are looking up. The team is getting healthier after experiencing injuries earlier in the offseason activities with both receiver Brandon Gibson and safety Darian Stewart also returning to action after nursing hamstring issues. Health always plays a huge role in determining which teams ultimately succeed and which fall by the wayside during the regular season so the Rams need to put these ailments behind them and stay healthy during the coming months.
Protecting quarterback Sam Bradford is imperative and to accomplish that, the team needs its offensive line intact. Last season that was wishful thinking as the Rams saw a bounty of injuries along that line. Former number two overall pick, offensive tackle Jason Smith has struggled with concussion issues his whole career thus far, but this year he could be greatly improved if he can just stay on the field. Obviously Wells is the centerpiece and will make all of the calls along the line to help out Bradford and keep the group organized against blitzes.
Certainly Bradford’s health is also an area of interest as he suffered through a nagging high ankle sprain that seemed to still hamper him early in camp. Giving him a clean pocket and adequate time to deliver the football without the worry of re-injury is vitally important to the team’s overall success this year.
The healthiest team doesn’t always prevail at the end of the year, but the majority of the time, the club able to avoid the catastrophic injuries can persevere and be in contention when it matters most. If the St Louis Rams can stay relatively injury-free, the NFC West is a competitive division that could easily sway in their direction in 2012.
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