Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Expected improvements to the Rams' defense weren't enough for the team to avoid a predicted fourth-place finish on our season preview page. Coach Steve Spagnuolo appears to have the team headed in the right direction, panelists generally thought, but significant concerns remained problematic.

Seth Wickersham of ESPN The Magazine was the only one of 14 panelists to foresee anything better than a No. 4 finish in the NFC West. He picked the Rams third and said, "A talented front seven coupled with Marc Bulger's knowing he's gone if he doesn't produce this year will put the Rams in the 6-8 win category."

The preview page features:

• Strengths and weaknesses, by Scouts Inc.
• Scouts Inc. video with Jeremy Green
• 14 predicted division finishes with explanations
• Draft class watch
• Best of the Rams
• Scouts Inc.'s Fabulous Five
• Fantasy stars
• SportsNation Poll: Will Marc Bulger resurrect his career after two subpar seasons?

My take: "It's tough finding more than four or five likely victories on the Rams' schedule. They open with three of their first four on the road, circumstances hardly conducive to Marc Bulger reviving his career."