St. Louis Rams Finally Crack The “Fine Fifteen”

October 4, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher reacts to a penalty call during the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams defeated the Cardinals 17-3. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE

Sport’s Illistrated’s Peter King published his weekly Monday Morning Quarterback this afternoon, filled with his take on the week of sports. Within the article, you can find weekly awards for players, breakdowns of the games, thoughts on the league and individual players, and other random bits, such as “Quotes of the Week.”

On the third page of MMQB, King always lists his “Fine Fifteen,” or his personal power rankings of the upper tier of the league. Understandably, the St. Louis Rams have not graced this list for a fair amount of time. As a matter of fact, the 2010 “playoff hunt” in Bradford’s rookie season was the last time a St. Louis team cracked the Top 15, and there is no telling how far you would have to search through the archives before you would see the Rams on the list before then.

After a trouncing of the Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis has finally squeaked back into the mix, directly ahead of the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks. Arizona had been gold in the eyes of King, but after a shaky offensive line performance, has fallen from grace, now sitting at the 14th spot. King also gives an interesting take on the Seattle Seahawks, who are anchoring the list in the 15th spot, claiming “Bruce Irvin’s on pace for a 14.5-sack season. His speed is impossible to handle for almost any tackle in the NFL. What a smart pick — assuming Irvin can stay on the field.” That is interesting! How many sacks did Irvin have against Wayne Hunter and/or Barry Richardson when they played the St. Louis Rams? Zero…

Anyways, the St. Louis Rams are above their two NFC West brother, chiming in at 13 in the “Fine Fifteen.” King had this to say about the Rams,

"Used to be an easy day, playing the Rams secondary. Today? Rams are second in the league with a 66.6 defensive passer rating. That’s what signing Cortland Finnegan and drafting Janoris Jenkins will do for a team."

King also had this to say about Jeff Fisher, who he named the “Coach of the Week,”

"In the span of five days, division rivals Seattle and Arizona went to St. Louis with a combined record of 6-1. Fisher’s preparation since camp has been a lot about the division, and here were the first two division games for them. After allowing a first-quarter touchdown run to Seattle, the Rams held the two teams to zero touchdowns and three field goals over the last seven quarters, with 11 sacks, and St. Louis won both to go to 3-2."

It is amazing to finally read something positive about the St. Louis Rams, especially when it is coming in the middle of the season instead of right after the NFL Draft. The St. Louis Rams play the Dolphins next Sunday in Miami, looking to tack on their first road win of the season. Miami has yet to make the Top 15 in the eye of King, or any sports analyst, and the  Rams hope to keep it that way.