The St. Louis Rams notched 39 sacks in 2011, tied for 15th in the NFL. Coach Jeff Fisher is raising the bar for 2012.
In his first season guiding the team, Fisher is asking the St. Louis defense to chase down the opposing quarterback 73 times, according to CBSSports.com. That figure would break the NFL record of 72 sacks set by the 1984 Chicago Bears.
That's a tall order for a roster that might not be up to the task, but the Rams' 4-3 scheme flashes some potential along the defensive line. Chris Long recorded a team-best 13 sacks last season, and Robert Quinn is an emerging pass-rusher who totaled five sacks as a rookie in 2011. End James Hall had six, but he's currently a free agent.
Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports chronicled the organization's desire to land defensive tackle Michael Brockers in the draft after Justin Blackmon vanished off the board. Brockers is a big, run-stuffing inside man who will help St. Louis shore up a run defense that allowed too many big plays on the ground last season (Football Outsiders had the Rams D-line ranked 23rd against the run in football last season).
We don't see where 34 more sacks would come from (14 teams totaled 33 or less in 2011), but why not aim high, Mr. Fisher?
