Major changes needed...

[Jacobarch]

I'm not here to say the sky is falling, Goff is a Bust, McVay has been figured out, Wade is over the Hill, and both Lines have major deficiencies. Ok well the last one is very true... but, I think the Rams are in for some major changes this coming off-season. Not just on the roster but in the coaching room as well. Lets start with the Defense...

I like Wade, I think he's a good coach and has a great resume, but I feel the game has somewhat passed him by and he's being not flexible enough to adapt to what the NFL is throwing at him. Lets take yesterdays game for example. Dak threw for only 212 yards and 2 TD's but they ran for 263 yards. Yeah 263 yards, that's not a typo. Yet Reader was only on the field about 50% of the time yesterday. Why would I have a LB on the sideline with a run heavy offense? They clearly saw they could run on us and didn't get away from it. Why would we play Nickle defense 60% of the time yesterday when all they did was run the ball??? Why is Ramsey in zone when you brought him here to play against the other teams best WR m2m??? Why is Ramsey dropping off coverage when Cooper was going into the slot??? It's so confusing to me. Are in-game adjustments a thing of the past? Or am I just crazy?
I think this pretty much sums it up for Wade. That will make 4 blowouts this season, on a defense with players like Donald, Ramsey, Weddle, Brockers, Fowler, Littleton, and Mathews. Not to mention Rapp and Hill have been pretty good this season as well. It's really unacceptable with the talent and 5 first round players we have on this defense. Someone has to answer for it and I think it's time for Wade to hang it up.

With the players, I can see it's scheme and consistency, they do some things well and other things they don't. We lack mass at Dline and LB. We lack Discipline at OLB with Mathews and Fowler. With those glaring deficiencies teams are going to take notice and exploit it when they can. And it's exactly what we saw yesterday.
To add insult to injury we are going to be strapped for $$$ and draft picks for the next two seasons. Giving Goff, donald, gurely, and now Ramsey (coming soon) their bloated contracts it's not going to leave much for guys like LIttleton and Fowler (who I'd like to keep). So it's going to be tricky. Even if we retain Littleton and Fowler we would still have to fill the holes around them. If the Rams stick with the 3-4 scheme, they need a big body in the middle of that D. We'd have to dump players like Brockers and Smart, and hope we can find someone to play stopgap until we draft a suitable replacement. Mathews, is still a great pass rusher but the guy is very undisciplined and often hurts the Rams more than he helps. His play yesterday demonstrated that to the fullest extent.
And I feel Littleton is playing out of position, He's not a pure MLB more of a hybrid type of player. If anything he should be playing WILB or playing Rapps role when he's down in the box. He's a great cover LB but not so great against downhill runners.
The Rams are going to have their work cut out for them this offseason, With a tight cap, players contracts due, declining DC, and possible departures it's going to take all hands on deck to get this handled. That's not even taking into consideration if Wade hangs it up, do we stick with the 3-4 defense??? That's a whole other issue.

You guys still with me??? lol

Now lets talk offense.

Lets start with the Coach. It's obvious to myself and some others that McVay needs some help. This is the NFL and boy genius can't do it all on his own. Lets take a look into the past when he was first hired in 2017. The guy had a great ...no, he had a fantastic coaching staff on his side of the ball. Matt LaFleur, Greg Olson, Arron Kromer, Shane Waldorn, Skip Peete, and so on.
The guy had two OC's on his team helping coach up his young QB and offense and the rest is history. The Rams took the NFL by storm for the next two seasons and were being compared to the GSOT. However, that's where the fairy tail story ends. In the upcoming seasons he lost both of his OC's, QB coach, and assistants to other teams and replaced them with unproven assistants. The proof is in the pudding as they say, since then we have become one dimensional, predicable, and schematically inept.
In my opinion the only way the Rams get back to former glory or close to it is by hiring needed help in that coaches room. McVay is obviously having a hard time scheming with the help he has now. Again, lets look at yesterdays game for further analysis.
11-Personnel - McVay thought it would be a good idea to go back to what worked for him against Dallas last year by running a 3WR 2TE 1RB grouping for most of the game. Why on earth would you run this grouping with all the Injuries up front on Dallas's Defense??? With Recent success running different groupings of 12 or 22 personnel the Rams had success running the ball which opened up everything else. Somehow McVay thought he knew better...
Unless McVay brings in needed coaching help things will not change, they will actually get worse.

Players, can be tricky. I think we have some deficiencies on our Offensive Line but honestly I don't think it's as bad as some think. Again it's scheme, and not adjusting to what the other team is doing. Dallas attacked our Guard bubble which we have been running for the last month with success, and we saw nothing to counter that. No sweeps, No power running, No reverses, no Jet sweeps, and very little outside zone. So what gives??? If it's not working why are you still beating your head against the damn wall? It's frustrating to say the least.
Getting back to the players...Blythe is limited at Center, Edwards and Evans are both young but promising, Corbett looks pretty good so far, and Whit will probably retire after this season because I doubt he'll stay thru a partial rebuild of the offense.
Gurely, I dunno with him. Sure he looks good at times, and then other times it seems like his head is in the clouds. Dropping passes, running lazy routes, acting like he doesn't give a damn. Is he aware or something we are not? Is his time in a Rams uniform limited? Maybe we'll finally get some type of answer this off season and I hope the Rams make the right decision for the team, not for the player because he got paid enough to live his life anyway he wants to.

And Mr. Goff needs to step up. Plain and simple, the dude got lazy with all the early success. He was so used to WR's being open and having so much time to throw the ball he never learned to read a damn defense. Now he just throws it up hoping his guy will catch it without checking safety and LB positioning. It's frustrating to watch because he's done it in almost EVERY game this year. Even against Cincinnati in the 2nd half he threw what would been 2 bad INT's, because the Bengals knew exactly where he was going with the ball. Two words, Scheme and Goff. Good thing for the Rams the Bengals have paws for hands and dropped both of them. I only used the Bengals for reference, but look for yourself most of Goffs INT's have come in the 2nd half of games.
Look, I'm not calling Goff a bust, and I'm not calling for McVays job but these guys need to change their approach both in coaching and preparing for the games. Only way that's gonna happen is if they hire outside help to get some fresh eyes on these problems. It's a bummer because nothing was really done from last year when it came to our late season issues that has plagued us this year as well. Hopefully this is a learning experience for McVay and he makes the right decisions going forward.

 

[tomas]

Not resigning Rodger Saffold and signing a free agent center was a major blunder. Goff needs an overpowering O-Line(inside-out) and a rushing attack to be successful. Fix that and it solves a lot of problems.

 

[KJD_Ram]

and was it me or did it seem like the times Reeder was on the field his was missing tackles...He wasn't the only one but man...Phuckin TACKLE someone...I'm sure my neighbors got sick of hearing that yesterday...

 

[KJD_Ram]

wonder if Ron Rivera would be interested in a D Coordinator gig?...Panthers always seemed to be pretty stout on D...

 

[oldnotdead]

After watching both Wade and Rivera in San Diego I can categorically say that Ron isn't worthy of licking Wade's boots.

Wade only designs and calls the defense. The problem is, that the players have to execute. The secondary running into each other and SJD missing tackles aren't in the playbook. Because he's only got one man coverage CB in Ramsey he's still having to play way more zone than he likes. They have Young and Long on the team and both appear to be the type of players he needs but they aren't playing them for whatever reason. Next year he will have the players he needs to play the way he wants to play.

 

[oldnotdead]

Oh yeah people want to replace Phillips and his 8th ranked defense with Rivera and his 13th ranked defense? Get real. Rivera's defense is bland and predictable and he plays a 4-3 and with a very predictable zone scheme almost all the time. QB's have no problem reading it.

 

[Jacobarch]

and was it me or did it seem like the times Reeder was on the field his was missing tackles...He wasn't the only one but man...Phuckin TACKLE someone...I'm sure my neighbors got sick of hearing that yesterday...

Everyone missed tackles yesterday, everyone. It was absolutely an abysmal performance on both sides of the ball.

 

[Jacobarch]

Oh yeah people want to replace Phillips and his 8th ranked defense with Rivera and his 13th ranked defense? Get real. Rivera's defense is bland and predictable and he plays a 4-3 and with a very predictable zone scheme almost all the time. QB's have no problem reading it.

I don't like Rivera over Wade either. However, with the players we have on this D they are either vastly under performing or not able to execute Wades scheme. Coaching 101 is have the right players in place for what you're trying to do on offense or defense.

 

[oldnotdead]

Wade players are young. People think that college players can come in and immediately be impactful. That is nonsense for the most part. People have no idea how much more technique heavy the NFL is. So it really depends upon the level of college program that these players come from.

Case in point is Rapp came out of a very good program in Washington which had a very sophisticated secondary, at one point viewed as one of the top programs in the country. Rapp and Budda Baker showed how much a program can make. David Long came from Michigan, but was asked to do less there. He was basically used in press man coverage in often times a 2 deep shell with the safeties. So the technique he used was geared to that. Here in the NFL he faces a whole new level of competition in terms of WRs he's going to face. In Wades' cover one scheme, Long needs to play knowing he's not going to always have that over the top help. So his technique has to be good. He's a bit shorter than you might want these days for a boundary CB, so it simply means his technique needs to be spot on as his play radius is shorter when facing long WR's. On the upside Long showed a very good 39" vertical which certainly expands his play radius. Jalen Ramsey by comparison is 2" taller with arms 3" longer giving him a larger play radius. Both timed well with Long running a 4.45 and Ramsey timed at 4.41.

Now compare to Troy Hill, who is only 5'10" with 29"arms, but with a good 32" vertical has a marginal play radius especially as a boundary CB. Also marginal is his long speed which is 4.55 with average acceleration. He's basically a nickel or dime DB. He's a backup level talent that isn't worth the $3.7M he's scheduled to make next year.

I think Donte Deayon has a better than average chance to be the nickel DB next year. NRC has a cap of $6M which is way too much for a nickel DB. But he carries a $4.5M dead cap so they would have to make him a post June 1 release to split that number over 2 years or trade him. IMO he is prime trade bait this coming offseason.

This is why Snead and McVay try to limit their rookies play time to basically give them a red shirt year to be coached up and for the game to slow down for them. Wade will have the guys he needs next year, but until then he's trying to be competitive with the guys he has. In that regard I can tell you he's done a very good job...better than Rivera could have. Rivera struggled in SD so which used the same defense Wade runs. Which is why upon becoming HC in Carolina he returned to his roots the 4-3 and cover 2 zone. It's what Seattle runs and why the Rams are a very tough matchup for them. IMO if the Rams don't beat themselves with turnovers and mistakes, the Hawks can't beat them.

My point in all this is that there are changes in the making for next year. This is truly a transition year for this team. They will have a lot of changes coming, and for the most part they have most if not all the guys they need to make the changes on the roster right now. Personally I don't agree with how they are using some of the personnel right now but overall I can't disagree with their long term plan.

 

[HellRam]

Pretty damn accurate post of what plagues the Rams this year. Hard to argue any of those points.

 

[SteveBrown]

Not resigning Rodger Saffold and signing a free agent center was a major blunder. Goff needs an overpowering O-Line(inside-out) and a rushing attack to be successful. Fix that and it solves a lot of problems.

I LOVED Saffold...but drafting Edwards/Evans to replace him is good enough for 2020....(yes, I know Corbett is there now, but he ain't so good). Ya, we lost this year, but that was going to happen anyway even with Saffold and a great center anyway---just look at the other factors. The rams have to re-load....and without Saffold in 2020 is ok for me...

Sometimes you can't sign guys like Saff so you can get players like Ramsey who is a game changer, while replacing Saff with a B+ (in Eddwards/Evans). Why Ramsey is off coverage all the time, I will never know lol.

 

[CGI_Ram]

Not resigning Rodger Saffold and signing a free agent center was a major blunder. Goff needs an overpowering O-Line(inside-out) and a rushing attack to be successful. Fix that and it solves a lot of problems.

I think we DO miss Saffold, but the offensive inconsistency started last year, about the Lions game, when Saffold was still here.

 

[Flint]

Maybe Zac Taylor will be looking for a gig and can help get the offense straightened out.

 

[badnews]

Now compare to Troy Hill, who is only 5'10" with 29"arms, but with a good 32" vertical has a marginal play radius especially as a boundary CB. Also marginal is his long speed which is 4.55 with average acceleration. He's basically a nickel or dime DB. He's a backup level talent that isn't worth the $3.7M he's scheduled to make next year.

You make it sound like it's a mathematical formula to find a good player. You may have been too busy looking down at Hill's measurables to notice he can ball.

People play the game with their heart and their mind, not just the physical attributes they possess in a controlled environment.

 

[Noregar]

I would like to see McVay bring in Jay Gruden if possible.

 

[Flatlyner]

I liked Saffold too, but, by all accounts, he is not having a good year in Tennessee and is getting paid a lot. I think we may have dodged a bullet there myself. I certainly can't say that he made the entire difference in our line. Havenstein has been awful, thats likely the most glaring difference from last years line.

 

[Jacobarch]

I think we DO miss Saffold, but the offensive inconsistency started last year, about the Lions game, when Saffold was still here.

Good point. Really our Offensive problems started when Gurely got hurt. We've never really been the same since. Even when CJ came in and ran well our passing game was still shaky at times.
Realistically I expected that to eventually happen, it's just the drop-off in which it happened. And to be fair to the Rams, it's not like we went from 1st to worst, and not to mention the NFC is stacked like no other this year. Any other year we'd have a couple more wins and a playoff berth. Things will come back down to earth for the NFC and I believe we'll still be in the thick of it.

One thing I am extremely worried about is Goff, McVay has to get him playing better. He's just not seeing the field.

 

[VegasRam]

One thing I am extremely worried about is Goff, McVay has to get him playing better. He's just not seeing the field.

Me too, and I'm a total JG homer. I don't know that he can't see the field, he just makes awful throws way too often, like the first throw of the Dallas game. Just inexplicably bad throws fore a guy who is fairly accurate. Think you're right, McVays initial schemes may have spoiled him.

Speaking of McVay, you nailed it regarding the negative impact of losing Lefleur, Olsen and Taylor,
not only game-wise, but in significantly negatively impacting Goff's development. I don't know anything about Jay Gruden (or if he'd be interested), but he needs to find someone he can rely on for help, especially in in-game adjustments.

Defensively, in no particular order, Wade is a keeper, don't get the lack of love for Ebukam, Weddle is past it, Suh did a lot more than we (I) realised, Hill is a baller worth his pay, Rapp's the best tackler on the team (with Littleton a very close second), don't know why Smart is still on the team, sixes on Fowler, like Matthews but should be kept (cheaply) for depth, DRC is expendable, look forward too seeing what we have in Long, and agree with you, we are going to see a lot more from the young players on the D side next year.

(Just out of curiousity origin of @Jacobarch?)

 

[Jacobarch]

Me too, and I'm a total JG homer. I don't know that he can't see the field, he just makes awful throws way too often, like the first throw of the Dallas game. Just inexplicably bad throws fore a guy who is fairly accurate. Think you're right, McVays initial schemes may have spoiled him.

Speaking of McVay, you nailed it regarding the negative impact of losing Lefleur, Olsen and Taylor,
not only game-wise, but in significantly negatively impacting Goff's development. I don't know anything about Jay Gruden (or if he'd be interested), but he needs to find someone he can rely on for help, especially in in-game adjustments.

Defensively, in no particular order, Wade is a keeper, don't get the lack of love for Ebukam, Weddle is past it, Suh did a lot more than we (I) realised, Hill is a baller worth his pay, Rapp's the best tackler on the team (with Littleton a very close second), don't know why Smart is still on the team, sixes on Fowler, like Matthews but should be kept (cheaply) for depth, DRC is expendable, look forward too seeing what we have in Long, and agree with you, we are going to see a lot more from the young players on the D side next year.

(Just out of curiousity origin of @Jacobarch?)

Maybe I should have explained my lingo a little, When i said seeing the field, I meant that he's not reading the defense. He's throwing the ball into coverage often against teams that are familiar with our route trees or tendencies. He's seems to do it quite often in fact and that's really the most concerning thing to me. Before he started struggling if you watch the film you'll see WR's are completely wide open, so wide open that almost any QB standing back there could have done the same thing he did. I'm not saying Goff isn't a good QB but lately he's been regressing because teams are guessing where he's going with the ball and he's not checking it down or throwing it away. I will say he's gotten better about it lately but I expect McVay to get that handled this offseason. If he doesn't it could mean his and Goffs Job.

And I think you're right as well when it comes to our coaching staff. I think it's obvious we need some help. I just hope McVay is not going to be a pain in the ass like Fisher was when it comes to how he wants things done. It might by why he hasn't replaced them with other experienced OC's. JMO

Wade's D confuses me. One week it's a top 5 defense, the next it's 2003 vintage rams Defense lol. It's either all or nothing. I think there are glaring needs on D that have not yet been addressed and that's concerning because it's the end of Wades 3rd year. That D should be humming by now. Esp with some of guys we have on it.

 

[RamDino]

IF I knew what to do, I would be a GM somewhere. But advice is cheap so here goes... the O-line has young, talented players on it with plenty of upside. Kromer will now have the luxury of having experienced guys to choose from ... wherever they play. Personally, I thought Evans and Edwards were both out of position, but I'm only going by their size. Big Rob will be fine, even if he doesn't start, and left tackle will get sorted out when Andrew Whitworth makes up his mind. Snead and McVay will definitely draft another lineman or 2, just like they do every year.

Gurley is an enigma. Is he limited or not? I actually wanted to start a thread on this topic. The season is basically over, and we have 14 games of real data to evaluate Gurley's knee, since the Rams still won't reveal what's wrong. And if he has an arthritic knee, how come he played so much? Why were his touches down, yet he was still being asked to block? I would sit him for the rest of the year and save him for next year (his last?). Give Henderson the carries and let's see what the kid's got. Gurley is a great blocker, and maybe that doesn't bother the knees as much as cutting, but the Rams need more of a running back by committee anyway. I'm a huge Gurley fan, and he has been the bell cow and Offensive MVP for the past 4 years, but other teams are very successful at this, and there is no reason why the Rams should rely on just 1 guy at this point.

Of all the receivers, Cooks is gone first. Maybe he comes back, but he did not look like the same guy as before. If he comes back, we may have the best trio of receivers in the league again next year. Keep Woods and Kupp, and pay Kupp when Cooks can be released in 2021.

I completely agree that the Rams need defensive line help. Brockers is gone, and hopefully Gaines can take his place... at least in terms of big bodies. Draft another big d-lineman or 2. Build from the lines out... how many times have we heard this?

The team is all set at linebacker. Release Fowler and Mathews, and Littleton will probably be too expensive. Maybe a free agent pickup here, but we could also use a run-stuffing inside linebacker. Kiser? I don't think so but who knows.

I believe the secondary is set. Release Weddle and NRC, draft another corner and safety for depth.

The one thing that completely surprised me this year was the inconsistency in the team. I believe the Rams have a lot of talented players, so was it the coaches fault? There were several games this year when they could not complete a pass, or stop the run. Good teams don't play like that, and good players don't play like that. When the Rams have a bad game... ALL of the Rams have a bad game, and that's on the coaches!! (I think-lol)

I am still hoping for a miracle this year... but what an opportunity the team wasted last weekend. How does a team made of 22 guys all play lousy? It has to be on the coaches.

Even though I get upset with the Rams, they are still my team, and have been for 50 years. Out of all my predictions above, the only thing I am sure about is that Snead and McVay will shock me again next year.

And hello new stadium... next year will be awesome. Go Rams!