nERD: -14.96
Record: 1-15, 4th in NFC West

First-year head coaches have it hard. They are usually inheriting a bad team -- as most predecessors aren’t fired when the team is winning -- not to mention getting acquainted with new players, some to a brand-new first-time coaching job, and even moving to a new city. So, let’s cut Steve Spagnuolo some slack for this one. Still, between 2007 and 2009, the St. Louis Rams accrued just six wins. Total. That’s the worst record over a three-year span since the Cardinals were in Chicago in the World War II era.

It’s no wonder why Rams fans aren’t that bothered by a perpetual .500 win percentage under head coach Jeff Fisher these days. The alternative is much worse.

Let’s start with the offense. With the 12th-worst offense since 2000, these Rams actually had a better Adjusted Offensive NEP per play than the 2008 iteration. The reason? Only a marginally better rushing attack, headed by Steven Jackson, who ranked 36th among the 59 qualifying running backs in Rushing NEP per attempt.

The passing attack was just as laughable, however, with Marc Bulger once again at the helm, as well as backup Kyle Boller. Among qualifying passers, Boller’s -0.34 Passing NEP per drop back is the eighth-worst since 2000 and it ranked 39th among the 41 passers in 2009. Bulger wasn’t much better at 33rd. Worse, the Rams threw just 12 touchdown passes total this season, and one of them was tossed by kicker Josh Brown on a fake field goal against the similarly atrocious Lions.

The defense was slightly worse for the 2009 Rams, who came in with a 0.10 Adjusted Defensive NEP per play rate. Even the additions of free agent cornerback Ron Bartell and safety James Butler, not to mention the draft selection of linebacker James Laurinaitis or cornerback Bradley Fletcher could help this team stay afloat this season -- though releasing their leading tackler from 2008, Pisa Tinoisamoa, probably didn’t help.

So why are the 2009 Rams our worst team in the last decade? nERD rated them slightly lower than the 2008 Lions due to the teams they played. The Rams’ schedule this year was even easier than the Lions’ in 2008, playing 10 games against the then-weak NFC West and NFC North, and thus their one unconvincing win doesn’t keep them from the title.