Three Things The St. Louis Rams Can Learn From The NFL’s Final Four

The NFL’s conference championship games are set to take place this weekend, and while the St. Louis Rams may not be playing in those games, they can still learn a few things from those teams.

The Rams only went 6-10 this season, but next year is a big year for St. Louis. Call it playoffs or bust, but this team needs to take that next step. Here’s a few things they can learn from the four teams that could help them take the next step in 2015.

1. Franchise Quarterback 

The last time a team without a franchise “elite” quarterback won the Super Bowl was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2003, and that trend is going to continue this season.

The final four teams quarterbacks include Tom Brady, Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, and Aaron Rodgers. If you want to take it as far as last week as well, those quarterbacks eliminated Joe Flacco, Peyton Manning, Cam Newton, and Tony Romo- all franchise quarterbacks. Those are all quarterbacks that you can build your team around-unlike Shaun Hill.

While some may think Sam Bradford is the answer, the Rams need a franchise quarterback that can stay on the field sooner rather than later. The Rams might think they can be the Cardinals and get to the playoffs with a Carson Palmer or Drew Stanton type quarterback, but if you dont want to get embarrassed in the first round, you need a franchise QB.

2. Consistency

The final four teams in the NFL are four of the most consistent teams as well in terms of everything. Coaching staff, players, level of play-its all there.

It would have been really easy for the Seahawks to fire Pete Carroll after a second 7-9 season in 2011 and completely missing the playoffs, but instead two years later they win the Super Bowl. It would have been easy for the Packers to fire defensive coordinator Dom Capers after his defense finished 25th last season, but their defense currently ranks 15th and is top ten against the pass.

The thing about these teams, they dont change. The corps around them are kept consistent. While change is needed sometimes, it isn’t always the answer and these teams are a perfect example.

Moving onto consistency on the field. None of these four teams lost more than three games in a row let alone twice. They dont beat the Denver Broncos only to lose to a lesser opponent the following week. All of these teams won at least five games in a row at some point in the season and the Rams haven’t done that since 2003 when they won seven in a row.

The Rams under Jeff Fisher haven’t been able to play consistent and put a string of games together, the longest winning streak being three wins under Fisher.  This season they won back to back games only once. That needs to change.

3. They aren’t mediocre

While 9-7 teams like the Giants win the Super Bowl every now and then, its the elite teams that make the playoffs, get home field advantage, and more times than not hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

The only team with less than ten wins this season to make the playoffs was the Carolina Panthers and that was only because they played in one of the worst divisions in NFL history.

The finals four teams all won 11 or more games, not seven, not eight, and not nine. They got into the double digit win category, something the Rams haven’t done since 2003 when they went 12-4.

Aside from non-mediocre records, they also have non-mediocre stats. Aside from the New England Patriots, three of the final four teams had a unit in the top ten whether it be offense or defense.

The Seahawks have the number one ranked defense, the Colts have the number three ranked offense, and the Packers have the number six ranked offense. These teams dont settle for mediocre, ranking in the mid-late teens.

They each have an elite unit and have built their team around that unit. While they have an elite unit, the other, whether it be offense or defense, is still able to hold its own.

While the Colts have the number three ranked offense, their defense is ranked a respectable 11th. The Packers are ranked 6th on offense and 15th on defense. And the Seahawks are first on defense and 9th on offense. The Patriots are the only anomaly ranked 13th on defense and 11th on offense.

The Rams are currently ranked 17th defensively and 28th on offense. Thats not good enough. If this team wants to compete in 2015, they must significantly improve both of those numbers.

The Rams are looking to take the next step in 2015, and with the Cardinals’ quarterback troubles and the 49ers coaching change, they will have an opportunity to do so, but it starts with the three things listed above.