St. Louis Rams – Local Chatter and the Countdown to Kickoff

During NFL training camps, we'll be taking some looks at the local reporting to see what stories the hometown papers and fan blogs are saying about their teams. Today, the St. Louis Rams under new coach Jeff Fisher and a commitment to defense.

The St. Louis Rams ranked 22nd in total defense last season, giving up 25.4 points per game and nearly 359 yards to opposing offenses. It's no secret that defense is an area new head coach Jeff Fisher knows the Rams have to improve on if they want to get near the top of their division.

One of the keys to making the defense better is second year defensive end Robert Quinn. In limited action as a rookie, the 6'4" 264 pound Quinn recorded five sacks and deflected two passes. So far in camp, he's looking like he can be a significant and disruptive factor for the Rams defensive line.

Bryan Burwell of the St. Louis Post Dispatch writes that Quinn's training camp so far has been eye opening and impressive.

Quinn has been impossible to miss in the first weeks of camp. He seems to flash across your eyes in every pass rushing drill like a blur. In 11-on-11 drills, every time you see the flash of white jersey slashing around the edge on the pass rush right into the lap of nearly every quarterback before they can cock their throwing arm, it seems to be No. 94. He has burst past every offensive lineman put in front of him.

If Quinn can play like during the season, the Rams might not have the 7th worst scoring defense in the league. Only 8 teams gave up 400 points last year, and that's not a club that St. Louis wants to be in again. Fisher, for his part, sounds giddy while watching Quinn wreak havoc in practice.

It kind of reminds me a little bit — and you might think I'm crazy about the comparison — but it's a little bit like (Tennessee Titans Pro Bowl running back) Chris Johnson's rookie year in training camp where you kept saying, 'Gosh, if this was a game do you think he'd score on that?' Well now it's like, 'Boy if this was a game, he'd have a few sacks by the time the game's over, right?'

Of course the Rams need plenty of help on offense as well. They were second to last in total offense in 2011 and scored a measly 12.1 points a game. Give up 25 and score 12? That pretty much explains going 2-14. Yikes. Anyway, the Rams need more big play guys and Ryan Van Bibber of Turfshowtimes.com, says rookie wide receiver Chris Givens, a fourth round pick (pictured), is looking NFL ready.

Whenever there was a ball being thrown, it seemed like Givens was there to catch it. That is not the reality, of course, as there were no shortage of players catching balls in practice. When the throw was coming his way, Givens can make the catch look easy, though he did have one notable drop.

He was at his best with the ball in his hands, where he moved around corners and safeties with a natural flow. As is so often pointed out in the days after the NFL Combine, 40 times do not necessarily translate on the field. I did not see Givens running many pure straight lines. Fine with me. His speed translates into an elusiveness that he uses to get around defenders, like he did Janoris Jenkins and other defensive backs in practice.

The Rams still have the 49ers in their division, but the Cardinals and Seahawks can be caught up to quickly, especially with a proven winner in Fisher now running things in St. Louis. The Rams aren't going to make the playoffs this year, but they should show a marked improvement over last season's abysmal performance.

The Rams play the Colts Sunday for their first preseason game, and kick off the regular season on Sept. 9 at Detroit.