FanHouse KeenanBurton

After three Rams losses, it's pretty evident 2009 is going to be a long season in St. Louis (the third straight of the variety). Monday, they received some more bad news -- that Laurent Robinson, a member of the already paper-thin receiving corps, will likely miss the remainder of the season after injuring his lower leg (both a fractured fibula and high ankle sprain) during Sunday's loss to Green Bay.

Quarterback Marc Bulger also left the game injured, but his injury isn't deemed as serious, now that he's been diagnosed with a bruised rotator cuff. Earlier Monday, some feared Bulger had a torn rotator cuff and would also miss the remainder of the season. Of course, clouding matters is that Kyle Boller came in relief of Bulger and looked far superior.

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Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

The Rams enter the 2009 season in full-on rebuilding mode. Another bad season wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing for the future of the franchise as a whole, as they need to continue to grow their young players. The remnants of the strong Rams rosters from earlier this decade are either gone or aging quickly. New head coach Steve Spagnuolo will look to mold the next generation his way, starting immediately.

The Rams have been getting noticed for their incredibly physical training camp under the new Steve Spagnuolo regime. There are many positives to having a physically intense camp, but there's always the increased risk of losing an important player to injury. Remember, the Rams dodged a close call with their franchise player last week.

Friday night, No. 1 wide receiver Donnie Avery came down with a foot injury during an intrasquad scrimmage. The injury wasn't believed to be serious, but, come Sunday, Avery was experiencing enough pain that the team ordered an MRI. The results came back with bad news.

Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.

The Rams entered the draft with far too many holes to be filled with simply seven picks. Steve Spagnuolo entered the Gateway City with the task of returning the Rams to national prominence after they have fallen apart in just a few years. There are some talented pieces in place, and they've addressed some needs this offseason, but many more positions need attention. The logical starting point -- because they've done it before with Orlando Pace -- was a stalwart left tackle. Jason Smith was taken to fulfill this role with the second overall pick.

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

The 2008 season was an unmitigated disaster for the Rams. They had their star running back hold out, only to be re-signed and get injured -- an injury which lingered far too long. They fired their coach after four embarrassing games, won two straight under his replacement, but then dropped their final 10.

It was hard to find a strength on this team. The offense ranked 27th in the league, while the defense was 28th. Then again, Donnie Jones was one of the best punters in the league. So there's that.

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Meet The ...
24th ranked offense in the NFL in 2007. Could it be? The "Greatest Show on Turf" has been reduced to rubble. Well, not entirely. Steven Jackson and Marc Bulger both missed four games, Isaac Bruce got old, and Bulger was without all-world protector Orlando Pace for all but one game.

The Breakout
For once, I'm not going to follow directions. There isn't one breakout on this team I'd like to spotlight, but instead several guys that will totally out-perform last year's value. First and foremost is Jackson. He's right with Brian Westbrook and Joseph Addai in the mix for the third overall pick. Next, as Tom Herrera already covered, Bulger is due for a huge bounce-back. Invariably when he does, Torry Holt comes back to his expected level of production. Randy McMichael was rescued last year from the exile that is Miami's offense, and now he'll get to reap the rewards. I guess my short answer is that I'd rather name this category "The Bounce Back" and say "The entire offense." They aren't 24th-in-the-NFL bad. Not even close.

With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, Fantasy FanHouse is here to preview each and every team. Listen closely, you're almost guaranteed to win your FREE fantasy football league, only over at Fleaflicker.

Meet The ...
24th ranked offense in the NFL in 2007. Could it be? The "Greatest Show on Turf" has been reduced to rubble. Well, not entirely. Steven Jackson and Marc Bulger both missed four games, Isaac Bruce got old, and Bulger was without all-world protector Orlando Pace for all but one game.

The Breakout
For once, I'm not going to follow directions. There isn't one breakout on this team I'd like to spotlight, but instead several guys that will totally out-perform last year's value. First and foremost is Jackson. He's right with Brian Westbrook and Joseph Addai in the mix for the third overall pick. Next, as Tom Herrera already covered, Bulger is due for a huge bounce-back. Invariably when he does, Torry Holt comes back to his expected level of production. Randy McMichael was rescued last year from the exile that is Miami's offense, and now he'll get to reap the rewards. I guess my short answer is that I'd rather name this category "The Bounce Back" and say "The entire offense." They aren't 24th-in-the-NFL bad. Not even close.

St. Louis Rams 2008 Draft Picks:

Round 1 (2): Chris Long, DE, Virginia
Round 2 (33): Donnie Avery, WR, Houston
Round 3 (65): John Greco, OT, Toledo
Round 4 (101): Justin King, CB, Penn State
Round 4 (128): Keenan Burton, WR, Kentucky
Round 5 (157): Roy Schuening, OG, Oregon St.
Round 7 (228): Chris Chamberlain, DB, Tulsa
Round 7 (252): David Vobora, OLB, Idaho

The Good: Long is as close to a sure thing as you get and the Rams addressed their greatest need instead of taking Glenn Dorsey. The team got a steal in King, who went about two rounds too late. Likewise, Greco and Schuening are both good values, and both are talented players. Not only did the Rams address their biggest problem, they found good players without spending first-day picks on them.

The Bad: Of course, that doesn't mean anything if the Rams waste those picks anyway. Taking Avery absolutely baffles me. He's fast, and will help in returns, but he's not Devin Hester. You can find a return man later, especially when you need every-down starting receivers and Devin Thomas and James Hardy are available. Even DeSean Jackson was there, and he's the same type of receiver as Avery except better in every way. This is even with the Titans taking Chris Johnson as the worst pick of the draft in my mind. Burton, who has potential, will outperform him.

The Grade: B. The team really improved their two weakest areas from last season -- pass rush and offensive line -- and added a very talented corner who at one point was considered a borderline first-rounder. Still, with the 33rd pick they could have fixed their third biggest need, and blew that opportunity considerably. That's a huge blemish if Torry Holt can't stay healthy this year.

Click here to read other Draft Grades.