The painful story of the worst season in Rams franchise history

The Los Angeles Rams selected California quarterback Jared Goff with the first overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. But it was not the first time that the Rams had selected with the first overall selection of the NFL Draft. Just six years earlier, the then-St. Louis Rams had selected Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford with the first overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. And the team did not need to trade up to acquire such a lofty pick.

The St. Louis Rams were awarded the first overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft because the team had the worst record of any NFL team in the 2009 NFL season.

The Saint Louis Rams, the winners of Super Bowl XXXIV, finished the 2009 NFL season with a record of just 1-15. Their lone victory came at the expense of the Detroit Lions by the score of 17-10 in Week 8. The Lions would finish that year with a record of just 2-14. It was a tough season to be a Rams fan.

The offense would only score 175 points over 16 games, averaging just under 11 points per game. The defense would allow more than double that amount, surrendering 436 points. It was a Rams team that debuted HC Steve Spagnuolo. Yes, the same mastermind of an incredible New York Giants defense that wowed the NFL. But when he took over as the St. Louis Rams Head Coach in 2009, it began a forgettable run of three NFL seasons that were laughably horrible.

Spagnuolo was a defensive genius. But he was not a great judge of coaching talent. His offensive coordinator was Pat Shurmur, and his defensive coordinator was Ken Flajole. Flajole would never be a defensive coordinator for any other team, as he returned to become a positional coach and remains an outside linebackers coach for the Kansas City Chiefs. Despite a poor showing as the Rams' offensive coordinator, Shurmur would oscillate between head coach and offensive coordinator positions in the NFL for much of his career. He is currently the offensive coordinator for the University of Colorado.

The 2009 Rams were simply a bad team, and Coach Spags was in many ways a victim of bad timing. He had inherited a 2-14 team from the previous season, and an offense that was led by depleted veteran quarterback Marc Bulger. It was an offense that was powered by running back Steve Jackson when the offense was on the field, and by rookie MLB James Laurinaitis when the defense took over.

The Rams struggled from Week 1 through Week 17, losing in a shutout to the Seattle Seahawks by a score of 28-0, and closing out the season by losing to the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 28-6. The Rams would score 17 touchdowns and surrender 54 touchdowns that year.

That may have been the turning point for the team, as the first overall pick in any draft often results in a team selecting a rookie franchise quarterback to build around. The Rams selected Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, who would only play four seasons for the St. Louis Rams. How bad was the 2009 season? Not only did the Rams end with a 1-15 record, but there was no pot of gold awaiting this team in the subsequent 2010 NFL Draft.

Ironically, coaches who helped to lead the St. Louis Rams to a 1-15 season in 2009 are powering the Kansas City Chiefs to phenomenal success now.

As always, thanks for reading.

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