The St. Louis Rams are coming into the 2013 season with high expectations after going 4-1-1 against the NFC West last season and after being undefeated in two games against the champion 49ers, the team is ready to gun for the playoffs themselves.
This offseason and in training camp the biggest issues for head coach Jeff Fisher were to get the defense in order and the offense more balanced and with the loss of former star Steven Jackson, that might be difficult. Jackson was one of the most consistent running backs in the league since he was drafted at number 24 by the team in 2004 and now that he is gone, young stars like Daryl Richardson and Isaiah Pead must step up.
So far in camp, it appears that Richardson is the likely starter heading into the season, but that could change depending on how the preseason goes. Richardson has over 2,300 carries during his time with the Rams and he was very consistent, rushing for over 1,000 yards in eight straight seasons and now the team must find that again. Richardson had a solid year in 2012 with 475 yards rushing and now he likely will get his chance to start.
Richardson ended up with 11 carries of 10-plus yards and as a speedster he should be able to open things up for Sam Bradford in the passing game. Pead ended up with 10 carries for 54 yards and he will also get the chance to prove himself. In the passing game, Bradford will have an explosive rookie in Austin and will also be looking to Brian Quick to step up after losing Danny Amendola to the Patriots. Last season he had 11 catches for 156 yards and two touchdowns and will join Austin and Chris Givens as options in the offense.
"I think Daryl comes back as our starter because he played significantly more last year than anybody," Fisher said. "And so Isaiah is working himself up and competing with Daryl. And you've got the rest of the guys that are just going to battle it out, and we haven't ruled anybody out from that matter. But we're going to try to get as many carries as we can."
