As for the Rams however they will be looking to get over the hump this season and make the playoffs for the first time since 2004. This will not be an easy task as they will once again have one of the toughest schedules headed into the season. To be exact the Rams appear to have the fourth toughest schedule with an average opponent winning percentage of .539. The Rams also appear to have the toughest road schedule with an average opponent winning percentage of .613. Don’t get too worried about these numbers. The season hasn’t even begun yet, and if it’s one thing everyone knows about the NFL; anything can and will happen. In 2012 the Giants began the season with the toughest schedule, but by the end of the year it ended up being the 10th most difficult. In 2011 the Panthers began the season with what appeared to be the most difficult headed into the season, but when all was said and done, it ended up being the 7th easiest schedule that year.

The wait is finally over Rams fans here is your St. Louis Rams 2013 NFL schedule:

Week 1: Cardinals-4:25 on FOX-September 8

Week2: @Falcons-4:25 on FOX-September 15

Week 3: @Cowboys-1:00 on FOX-September 22

Week 4: 49ers-8:25 on NFLN- September 26

Week 5: Jaguars-1:00 on CBS- October 6

Week 6: @Texans-1:00 on FOX-October 13

Week 7: @Panthers-1:00 on FOX-October 20

Week 8: Seahawks-8:40 on ESPN-October 28

Week 9: Titans-1:00 on CBS-November 3

Week 10: @Colts-1:00 on FOX-November 10

Week 11: BYE

Week 12: Bears-1:00 on FOX-November 24

Week 13: @49ers-4:05 on FOX-December 1

Week 14: @Cardinals-4:25 on FOX-December 8

Weeks 15: Saints-1:00 on FOX-December 15

Week 16: Buccaneers-1:00 on FOX-December 22

Week 17: @Seahawks-4:25 on FOX-December 29

While the St. Louis Rams are still technically in the hunt for a spot in the playoffs, odds are that the team will be picking somewhere in the 15-18 range. So without further ado, “With the 13th pick of the 2013 NFL Draft, the St. Louis Rams have selected…”

Taylor Lewan, Offensive Tackle, Michigan

Sam Bradford needs any help he can get and the Rams can start by adding a monster tackle to protect the guy they drafted to be their franchise quarterback. The jury is still out on Bradford, but adding an imposing tackle like Lewan would go a long way in helping Bradford’s progress.

Personally, the St. Louis Rams should be focusing on the defensive side of the ball with this pick, unless there is some “can’t miss” playmaker that falls this far on the board. However, if the Rams do choose to make another investment in the offensive line for Sam Bradford, I doubt you will hear many complaints from the St. Louis faithful. Barry Richardson is currently ranked as the 12th worst tackle in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus. But, after acquiring Wayne Hunter from the Jets and Chris Williams from Chicago, the Rams may already have a player that can step in an relieve Barry at the end of the season… or, hopefully, sooner.

Typically, now is the point where we would go on to explain why Lewan would be the right selection for the St. Louis Rams to make with the 13th pick. Instead, we are going to bypass that for this week and move on to more important matters. What might those be? Well, in each of this years’ mock drafts, the Rams will get to dissect two players, courtesy of Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskin.

So, ”With their first second pick of the 2013 NFL Draft, the St. Louis Rams have selected…”

 Eric Reid, Safety, LSU

The Rams are beginning to turn things around and anytime you have multiple first-round picks you need to go with the best player available strategy. At this point in the draft, with a safety class that lacks depth, it would make sense to pull the trigger on a safety like Reid. Pairing him up with Cortland Finnegan in the Rams secondary could form a great duo for the future.

*BAM* That is the sound of the mocker for this draft hitting the nail on the head.  Safety is easily the biggest concern for the St. Louis Rams heading into April. After this season, Craig Dahl will be sorely missed, mainly because he was the easy scapegoat, and the likely culprit, for a majority of the Rams defensive woes over the last season and a half. Many had hoped that Darian Stewart would fully recover from injury and line up next to Mikell in the secondary, but that does not appear to be happening this season.

Reid is the top ranked safety on a majority of boards, for now. NFLDraftScout.com raised concerns about his ability to control his aggressiveness and intensity on the field. He is a big bodied safety, measuring in at 6ft, 2in tall and weighing 212 lbs., who loves to play up in the box and make crushing hits on the ball carrier. Reid is the type of safety that will make wide receiver not want to go across the middle on a slant or crossing route, and make them pay for it if they do. The LSU star is the prototype of the player that Jeff Fisher prefers in his secondary. The St. Louis Rams genuinely need a safety with basic coverage skills and the ability to read-and-react on the field, but not at the expense of someone who is strong in run support; Reid can be both.

In the late morning, reports started rolling in the Kansas City Chiefs’ linebacker Javon Belcher had shot and killed his girlfriend outside of their practice facility, then committed suicide,

Chief LB Jovian Belcher was involved in a shooting involving at least one other person outside the team’s facility today, source said…

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) December 1, 2012

La Canfora has also mentioned that the team has been moved to Arrowhead stadium in the wake of the incident, with police and ambulatory personnel engulfing the stadium. We will continue to update everyone as more information starts to pour in. Make sure to head over to ArrowHeadPride.com, the Kansas City Chiefs page within the Fansided network, for more details as well.

Updates:

KCPD Officer Darin Snapp confirms GM Scott Pioli and Coach Romeo Crennel were outside team facility at the time Chiefs player killed himself

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) December 1, 2012

KCPD say the player thanked both men before taking his life, and that Pioli and Crennel did not feel threatened. KCPD not revealing identity

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) December 1, 2012

“We can confirm that there was an incident at Arrowhead earlier this morning. We are cooperating with authorities in their investigation.” -Official Statement from the Kansas City Chiefs