Know how to tell when a team’s roster is really loaded?

[Rams43]

It’s when legit battles for starting positions are few and far between. By this definition, Rams are indeed loaded.

Here are the only legit starting positions that are considered at all up in the air.

By a process of elimination and in no particular order:

Backup RB. Not even as starter, if Gurley is healthy. Can Henderson prove himself in pass pro? If yes, then he could get significant snaps ahead of the talented Brown. Still tbd, of course, and might be a reach to call a battle, besides, it’s for backup.

Blythe at RG seems to be the only even remote battle for OL starter and I think Blythe is the definite consensus favorite. The other 4 are locks, I think. Heck, might be another reach to call this a battle.

I think Everett has secured the “starter” position at TE, so that isn’t really a battle anymore, IMO.

Okay, I have to admit that I have to really strain to find a legit battle for starting position anywhere on the O. Lol.

A few battles on D, though.

Gaines or Joseph-Day next to AD? One will be the starter, but the other will surely have many snaps in rotation. This one might be the most competitive for starter of all.

Brockers or JFM? Don’t laugh. Brockers is not an absolute lock to start and must come back healthier and more effective if he wants to stave off the improving JFM. Not the biggest battle in camp, but a battle nonetheless. Kinda.

Edge looks like a rotation situation but only when Matthews, the starter, either moves inside or gets a breather, and he will likely need quite a few breathers. Ebu or Obo? Or someone else that steps up? Technically, this is a battle for backup but it’s still about significant snaps. Here’s a thought. What if Kiser excels on first 2 downs? That would mean Matthews would be able to stay at Edge except for breathers, right? Wouldn’t that be best case scenario for the Rams? I think that this could actually happen.

I see no legit battles in the secondary for starting positions. That starting 5 is set.

So, how many legit starter battles are there, really? Two, maybe 3?

That sounds like a loaded roster to me. Elite even.

 

[snackdaddy]

Gotta admit, this team is stacked. The most overall talent since the GSOT days. More talent than any LA team I've watched in my lifetime.

 

[Ram65]

Rams are counting on a lot of youth and aging veterans. They have been able to make the roster deeper from backup QB to backup CBs. I'm excited to see how the playing time shapes up. The Rams have most starters penciled in but, they will be splitting up some playing time. Sub packages and rotations should be much better this year which shows more depth too.

How will McVay divide the Running Back carries?

How will the Defensive Line split snaps?

Will we see more Everett over Higbee or will it be equal?

Two TE sets or One?

How many two RB sets this year?

How much impact will the rookie defensive players make?

In the first two off seasons the Rams have managed to change and completely upgrade their offense. It took years two and three to change and upgrade their defense. Now, it all comes together in year three with more players picked by the current coaching staff.

 

[Loyal]

Super Bowl bound, baby!:rockon:

 

[nighttrain]

biggest battle i see is BU RB, and i'm going to call it for Henderson over Brown out of the gate. The kid from Wisconsin who played injured all his last season could possibly have a shot to displace Blythe at RG
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[nighttrain]

David Edwards with 50/50 shot to replace Blythe at RG
train

 

[Merlin]

I think Everett has secured the “starter” position at TE, so that isn’t really a battle anymore, IMO.

Based on OTAs???

I think you need to cool your jets on that one 43. Let's wait for camp, because the starting job at TE (i.e. getting the lion's shares of snaps) is going to require good blocking. That is one area Higs is superior to Everett and elevating Everett over him based on OTAs is silly talk.

Patience grasshopper.

 

[Rams43]

Based on OTAs???

I think you need to cool your jets on that one 43. Let's wait for camp, because the starting job at TE (i.e. getting the lion's shares of snaps) is going to require good blocking. That is one area Higs is superior to Everett and elevating Everett over him based on OTAs is silly talk.

Patience grasshopper.

Some have said that Everett kinda took over that starting TE position late last year, Merlin.

I’m a Higbee fan, btw, but there is little question that Everett has the much higher playmaking ceiling.

 

[jjab360]

Some have said that Everett kinda took over that starting TE position late last year, Merlin.

I’m a Higbee fan, btw, but there is little question that Everett has the much higher playmaking ceiling.

Everett didn't start any games last year, though.

I would like to see it happen because I don't think there's much more there with Higbee tbh.

 

[fanotodd]

A) remember when we were signing guys off the street during the spags era? They were basically getting free $$. They were cut the first year (or 2) by fisher and they never received an NFL paycheck again. Then we starting releasing players that other teams thought, "maybe with some coaching...".

B) to be fair, some of the guys we now release or have released were here before McV. That being said, when we cut a guy loose he gets signed. We are now one of the teams who will supply the league...or at the very least, kill their cap space.

 

[Merlin]

Some have said that Everett kinda took over that starting TE position late last year, Merlin.

I’m a Higbee fan, btw, but there is little question that Everett has the much higher playmaking ceiling.

Yeah and we've known about that ceiling for some time now. But he's gotta make a move in order to jump Higs, and my point is going off of OTA reports is kinda silly when the area he needs to improve most on is blocking.

 

[Soul Surfer]

The only battles I see are; (winners in parentheses)
Center (Allen)
Right Guard (Blythe)
Left Guard (Noteboom)
TE (Everett)
Backup RB (Brown then Henderson)
NT (Joseph-Day and Gaines rotate starts)
ILB (Kiser)

 

[Rams43]

Yeah and we've known about that ceiling for some time now. But he's gotta make a move in order to jump Higs, and my point is going off of OTA reports is kinda silly when the area he needs to improve most on is blocking.

Define “some time now”, Merlin.

Everett has only been a Ram for 2 years. And most observers say that it typically takes 3 years for a TE to assimilate the NFL game.

He’s right on schedule, if you ask me, especially coming from a small school where he reportedly received inferior coaching, at that.

 

[Mojo Ram]

Know how to tell when a team’s roster is really loaded?

When the talking heads say you have no depth.

 

[dang]

2019 Pluses:

- I trust the Rams have the horses to solidify the OL even if it takes a couple games to settle in.
- I am actually excited about the prospect of a 2 (or 3) headed monster in the backfield. I like the element of surprise, keeping Gurley fresh later into the season and a change of pace (using Brown to pound and Henderson to flash).
- I KNOW Everett will improve so that adds to the arsenal.
- The one question mark I have is whether Kupp will get back to 100%. He can take his time and ease into full force by mid-season as far as I am concerned. I just hope he isn't more tentative or prone to another injury
- McVay and Goff will improve with another year of experience under their belts

2019 Negatives:

- Rams were so healthy last year its hard to believe they wont have some key injuries this year
- Saffold's leadership and excellent play will be missed (especially at the beginning of the season)
- I hope Goff worked out some of his floater pass issues from last year - at its worst it cost us a TD in the Super Bowl

With a little luck and some patience the Rams WILL be a top 5 offense by game 4. That along with the defense picking up where they left off and new key contributors (Weddle, Matthews, Kiser, Gaines, Trapp, JFM and SJD) coming together over the first 4 games to become a top 5 defense. I was cautiously optimistic last year but the sky is the limit for us Rams Homers this year!!!

 

[Merlin]

Define “some time now”, Merlin.

Everett has only been a Ram for 2 years. And most observers say that it typically takes 3 years for a TE to assimilate the NFL game.

He’s right on schedule, if you ask me, especially coming from a small school where he reportedly received inferior coaching, at that.

We've known about his potential since he was drafted 43. It's not a new thing. He has potential to give us the type of weapon in the passing game that McVay had in Washington.

But you know very well that he's going to need to improve his blocking to jump Higs. And that it's a valid point that reacting to OTA buzz when it's the physical side he needs to improve on is a bit much.

You said there was no competition. I think you're jumping the gun.

 

[oldnotdead]

I think it's exceedingly optimistic to think David Edwards will replace Austin Blythe. If the choice was just between those two I'd take Blythe. Edwards has a lot of technique related issues to work out. I doubt one season is really enough to accomplish that. He dropped to the 5th round for that reason. He's also a bit tall for a OG. The sweet spot for an OG is 6'4"-6'5" and it may seem like a single inch shouldn't be that big of a factor but it can be especially on the taller end. OG can't afford to play high or they loose leverage. He has issues with his body placement and control, meaning he might have a problem playing lower and his hand usage is poor. Most of all he lacks the functional strength to play the position especially if asked to absorb the rush of a DT instead of the lighter DE's he played against in college. He's a 2 year project player who might end up inactive all year on game day. Give him time to learn and grow physically and in his craft and he will probably be a good backup OT next season with two TC's under his belt.

I don't see position battles at starting LG and C. Both Noteboom and Allen saw snaps last year and showed they can play. IMO the only oline position in question is at RG. Everett has improved each year. I see no indication to expect otherwise this year. On a lot of teams he would be the unquestioned starter now. The TE is under utilized in McVay's offense because of the quality of the WR's, especially Kupp out of the slot. Remember the slot receiver runs Y receiver routes as does the TE. Everett began to emerge when Kupp was lost to injury. Gerald could have a breakout year.

Henderson only needs to be a complimentary back at this point as Brown showed he's a capable backup with a power running style. At ILB Kiser doesn't have to immediately be "the man" at ILB because he's going to share snaps with Mathews and both will be pulled when the defense goes to their nickel. At NT it will be a competition between a motivated backup and a talented 4th round draft pick. I don't see how the team can lose. The Rams will play the best guy.

The only place I see a possible issue is at DE with an under performing starter in Brockers. The forgotten man in that debate has been Obo. If anyone should replace Brockers perhaps it should be him. He's 6'2" but has very long arms at 33.75" and 253 lbs. He's comparable in some respects to Fowler and would seem to make for a good bookend player on the opposite side. He's an inch shorter, and not quite as fast as Dante, but he has the same long arms.

JFM is no slouch and has shown flashes in his rotational play with Brockers. But when I watch him play to this point he's been a one trick pony. He has shown difficulting in disengaging his blocker and plays too upright in his rush. Things that stood out in his pre-draft evaluations. Obo looked better in those areas among others in his pre-draft evals. My point being is that Obo has come in with a more polished game and has had a year to develop as well. IMO when both these guys were drafted in 2018 it was before the acquisition of Fowler. I think they were drafted to be bookends with Obo to be the WIL and JFM to be the DE. The WIL is normally viewed as the better pass rusher of the two positions. If Dante asks too much next year I think the Rams will go back to that 2018 plan. But I think they will opt to keep Fowler as he's a step up as a pass rusher than either of the other two. So I think if Obo shows promise it would behoove the Rams to consider him as the DE next year when Brocker leaves. That will allow them to float JFM as the rotational player between the two positions.

So yeah if these are the kinds of decisions a team has to make, as opposed to needing someone to fill a glaring hole, then the team is loaded. Elite level starting talent and quality depth at most if not all positions.

 

[nighttrain]

I remember reading that Edwards, tackle from Wisconsin, was graded as a second round pick before his senior season, which he played hurt. We got a hell of a deal getting him in the fifth round, now healthy with on off-season in the weight room I have high hopes
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[Soul Surfer]

This is the most talented roster with the most talented and high ceiling youngsters that we've had since our Greatest Show on Turf days.

Our coaching is just as good as well.

 

[nighttrain]

This is the most talented roster with the most talented and high ceiling youngsters that we've had since our Greatest Show on Turf days.

Our coaching is just as good as well.

Coaching overall is much better
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