St. Louis Rams Make The “Fine 15” In Peter King’s Latest MMQB

Sep 5, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; American sportswriter Peter King walks off the field following the game between the Baltimore Ravens against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos defeated the Ravens 49-27. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

During the regular season, those of us who frequent sites like Sports Illustrated and NFL.com are well aware of the typical “release” schedule for news during a normal week. On Fridays and Saturdays, the news about injury reports and changes to the lineup begin to leak, as pundit speculate about their potential impact on the upcoming games. Previews and statistical predictions usually get posted towards the end of the week, usually on Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning, depending on if they have to include Thursday Night Football games. However, our earliest bit of “must-click,” weekly posts comes in the form of the Power Rankings.

For members of Rams Nation, power rankings are rarely satisfying. Even the most optimistic of St. Louis Rams supports would likely jump at the prospect of seeing the blue and gold ranked anywhere near the Top 15. Even more disheartening is the “range” that any given win or loss will move the Rams, usually somewhere between -2 and +2, depending on the opponent; juxtaposed by the +/-7 that franchises like the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins regularly register. So, when Peter King recently unveiled his Pre-Camp “Fine 15,” most Rams’ readers likely skipped over the section on way to the quotes and stats of the week neatly placed on the final page of the article. If you were one of those, you should go back and re-read… For those that aren’t regular Monday Morning Quarterback readers, the Fine 15 is Peter King’s personal set of Power Rankings, which typically are much more subjective and vary quite a bit on a weekly basis. Despite that understanding, viewers regularly flock to the second page of his weekly posts to see if their team “made the cut” to be in the top half of the league. Last season, the St. Louis Rams were only on the list for a handful of weeks. So, how did they fair this time around?

"10. St. Louis.  Might not show up in the record, but the Rams are going to be hell to play, and they’ll be a playoff team if Sam Bradford plays the way he was drafted to play."

Bringing up the bottom of the Top 10 is an impressive feat for the St. Louis Rams. However, skim up and down the surrounding spots, and you quickly notice that their slotting on the Fine 15 puts still puts them No.7 overall in the NFC and 3rd in the NFC West. With Seattle and San Francisco both enthroned in the Top 3, this “they’ll be a playoff team” speak from Mr. King seems a bit disingenuous. However, considering they are placed ahead of the previously 10-6 Arizona Cardinals and two other 2013 playoff rosters, those in Rams Nation will have to take what they can get. Is No.10 too high for the St. Louis Rams? Too low? Is there a realistic shot that the St. Louis Rams can sustain a spot in the Top 10 this upcoming season? Let us know your thoughts below.