The St. Louis Rams are hoping their path to rebuilding their roster and making the NFL playoffs is shorter than expected, but there are still plenty of areas where the team doesn't appear to stack up to the competition. Ryan Van Bibber of SB Nation recently ranked the linebacker crops around the NFL, and he has the Rams pegged with the fifth-worst group of linebackers in the NFL:
The Rams' inability to provide middle linebacker James Laurinaitis with any help is criminal. This season they will try again, under a new coaching staff, with veterans Jo-Lonn Dunbar and Mario Haggan.
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As the editor of Rams blog Turf Show Times and a contributor to SB Nation's NFL hub, nobody knows the Rams' roster better than Van Bibber. Free agent signings like Rocky McIntosh, Jo-Lonn Dunbar, and Mario Haggan could be the answer, but the lack of experience and production in that group is why they come in so low on the rankings.
As for the rest of the NFC West, the San Francisco 49ers are No. 1, the Arizona Cardinals are No. 20 and the Seattle Seahawks come in at No. 24.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more in-depth coverage, be sure to check out Rams blog Turf Show Times. And for more from around the league, visit SB Nation's NFL news hub.