Nate: Every season it seems as though the Rams carry a certain amount of expectations, but last season things didn't pan out much for the Rams. What happened, and what did they do to fix those problems going into next season?

Eric: This season, it looks as if the Rams are trying to fix their horrendous run defense. Last season they were 31st in the league stopping (or should I say attempting to stop) the run. The rams drafted Adam Carriker to help with this problem. Lets hope he's everything he's been claimed to be.

In the off season Marshall Faulk retired after sitting out all last season. Can Steven Jackson fill his shoes, and what can we expect this season from the RB corp?

Steven Jackson is the perfect replacement for Marshal Faulk. He has both great acceleration and overall quickness. Scott Linehan did a great job of getting the ball into Jackson's hands last year, and I expect the same this year. The Rams did a good job of digging through all of the possibilities this off-season and managed to sign Travis Minor. Minor is not one of those guys that will get the ball a lot. However, I do think he's a positive influence on the offense in that he will be a great back up to Stephen Jackson. I'm expecting great things from those 2 this season. 1650 yards rushing from Jackson, coupled with 1000 yards receiving and I think Jackson is capable of breaking Faulk's single season record for yards from scrimmage. I may be homerish in my prediction for Jackson, but I believe he is more than capable

It seems as though the Rams have been really quiet this off season, what was their biggest off season move so far outside of the draft?

This one is rather obvious in my opinion. Signing TE Randy McMichael to a 3-year contract. McMichael is one of those tight ends who is more than capable of accumulating some yards. In the previous three seasons, he had seasons of 791, 582, 640 yards respectively. Granted, there are better tight ends in the league. However, I believe this adds a 3rd dimension to the rams passing attack that they were missing last season.

As of right now, what holes are still remaining to be filled?

I'm going to have to say corner back. Many fellow St. Louis fans will disagree with me. We have Fakhir Brown and Tye Hill. Hill still has a lot to learn in the NFL, and has yet to really impress me. Fakhir Brown was suspended for the first 4 games of the season. That leaves us with Rookie Jonathan Wade and Mike Rumph to fill his shoes while he's gone. Neither of those guys are who I'd want in that position quite yet. "Having no proven corner-backs for the first four games of the season could prove disastrous"

What are your expectations heading into this season for the Rams?

As a fan my expectations are high. 12-4 with a Super Bowl appearance. However, being more realistic and looking at the schedule, I'm seeing more of a repeat 8-8 or possibly a 9-7 season and barely making it to the playoffs. The biggest thing for me is that we fix our run defense. If we give up nearly 2300 yards rushing as we did last season, there's no way we make the playoffs. If that problem is fixed, and we can still maintain a semi-decent pass coverage, I think we can make the post-season.

Who is going to be the toughest team in your conference this season?

I think all teams are on a level playing field. Probably for the first time in several years. Seattle has been the powerhouse of the NFC West for the past few seasons. However, SF and Arizona are both starting to make their presence known. SF made some huge draft picks, while Arizona and the likes of Warner, Boldin, and Fitzgerald are definitely going to make some noise. That being said, the toughest team for the rams to face this season in the NFC West is probably going to be Seattle. Seattle possesses the second best running attack in the division with Shaun Alexander. Alexander was injured for a portion of the season, but still averaged 90 yards per game. With the Rams history of crappy run defenses combined with Seattle's ability to also pass the ball, the two games against the Seahawks will be tough.

What will it take for the Rams to make the Playoffs?

Dedication. My favorite quote is "Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." For the Rams to make the playoffs, it will take a lot of hard work in practices. We need to keep ourselves out of trouble, and keep our goals in sight.

I think the success of this season not only relies on the players abilities to adapt to every day game play, but also it lies in the hands of the coaches. A couple predictions I have this year involve the coaching staff. 1) Haslett actually has a successful season as a defensive coordinator. 2) Linehan proves that he was meant to be a head coach by leading us to the playoffs. The Rams will be a much better team this year. Y'all have my word!