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It has been painful watching NFC West foes SF & SEA making their playoff runs this year (and last year). Watching all this playoff football (especially SF & SEA) has left me wondering what the Rams are missing and how far off they are from the playoffs. Is the coaching and scouting good enough? Are we just unlucky? Is it due to us playing in the toughest division in football?
These are all legitimate questions and concerns that numerous fans (myself included) have been asking since 2005. I think most of the problems that have plagued this team over the last decade are beginning to be fixed by this new regime. We have a younger team. Player development and scouting seems to be as good as its been since the Rams moved to STL. The Rams SHOWED in 2012 that they CAN hang with the west going 4-1-1. And this year they showed they could blow out playoff caliber teams home and away. They've also played much better home football these past 2 years going a combined 9-6 (I don't count a 20% Rams crowd at Wembley a "Home" game). This is compared to a Rams team that was 8-32 at home from 2007-2011.
Anyways let me cut to the chase, the whole reason for this post.
I was beginning to ask myself watching Seattle and San Fran these past two weeks as they move through the playoffs: what have they done/not done or what are they doing/not doing....that our Rammies haven't done or aren't doing?
I came away with a few easy ones like limiting the drive killing penalties on O or the drive extending plays on D. Both teams also dictated the LOS on both sides (something we need help with on the OL). Also TURNOVERS, both of these teams limit their offensive turnovers and seem to get defensive stops/turnovers at the most pivotal times in games.
But the most important issue for ANY team in the NFL is drafting QUALITY (scouting) players and DEVELOPING (coaching) them to the point where they MAXIMIZE their potential. This is no easy task and that's why we see about 1/4 of the head coaches fired in the league every year.
Here are the conclusions I've come to about the Harbaugh/Baalke led Niners, the Caroll/Schneider led Seahawks, and our very own Fish/Snead led Rams.
1. All 3 franchises are good at scouting AND developing talent.
2. Most regimes have a 3-5 year blueprint to win the Super Bowl. All 3 teams have executed those plans well. Here's the difference between the 49ers, Seahawks, and Rams:
a)Harbaugh inherited a roster littered with talent (most of it near fully developed). He only had to add a few pieces to complete the team, but the foundation was strong (Gore, Staley, Crabtree, Davis, Willis, Bowman, etc.). Harbaugh inherited a team in 2011 that, in my opinion, was already on year 3 or so of what I consider the "Super Bowl Blueprint." They were past the stage of rebuilding; they were like a football powerhouse like Alabama that doesn't rebuild, it just reloads. This is no knock on Harbaugh's ability to coach or scout. He can't help that he inherited a great roster, but I'm just trying to bring to people's attention what allowed him to have IMMEDIATE success in his first 3 years as head coach.
b)Caroll came into a complete REBUILD situation; these are the ones that truly take 3-5 years. He had some key cogs like Unger, Bryant, and Mebane to build around, but they were significantly less than what Harbaugh inherited. Caroll's Hawks went 14-18 his first two seasons as he continued to build the foundation with guys like Okung, Thomas, Chancellor, and Sherman through the draft. Year 3 he finally found his QB (Wilson) and he had the team around him that didn't force him to carry the team on his back. NOW this year (year 4) Seattle is making the playoff push right around the time expected.
The best teams like SF & SEA CONSISTENTLY draft well because you can't resign ALL of your young stars. The low salaries of rookies are also more cap friends and allow for quantity as well as quality.
c) Which bring me to the Rams... Fish & Co. are now entering year 3, of a true REBUILD. Like Caroll his young team has been competitive while hanging around the .500 mark his first to years as he continues to acquire talent and solidify the FOUNDATION. I'd say Quinn, Laurinaitis, Bradford, Long are a solid start, with plenty other potential stars and contributors making their names. In fact Fish's Rams were 1.5 games better than Caroll's first 2 years in Seattle at 14-17-1.
So if you really put things in perspective the Niners are on year 5 of a 5-year SB blueprint, the Hawks are on year 4, and the Rams just concluded year 2. I'm not trying to be an apologist for the opportunities the Rams did have to make the dance the past 2 years, just trying to come with alternative viewpoint with a more positive outlook for our team. Concerns on the o-line and defensive backfield are legitimate, along with other needs. I just want to highlight some bright spots in the past 2 years in regards to our Rammies.
For a more statistical breakdown on the above mentioned, here's what I found (I counted slot WRs, nickelbacks, and KR/PR as starting positions):
SF (since Harbaugh began in 2011 [On THIS years roster]):
-14 STARTERS were drafted by PREVIOUS regimes (RB Gore, WR Crabtree, TE Vernon Davis, LT Staley, LG Iupati, RG Boone, RT Antohony Davis, DE McDonald, OLB Brooks, ILB Willis, ILB Bowman, CB Brown, CB Brock, P Lee)
-6 STARTERS were drafted by HARBAUGH (QB Kaepernick, FB Miller, OLB Aldon Smith, FS Reid, LS McDermott, KR/PR James)
-7 STARTERS were FAs (WR Boldin, C Goodwin, DE Justin Smith, NT Dorsey, CB Rogers, SS Whitner, K Dawson)
SEA (since Caroll began in 2010 [On THIS years roster]):
-3 STARTERS were drafted by PREVIOUS regimes (C Unger, DE Bryant, DT Mebane)
-14 STARTERS were drafted by CAROLL (QB Wilson, FB Coleman, WR Taint, LT Okung, RG Sweezy, OLB Wright, OLB Irvin, MLB Wagner, CB Sherman, CB Maxwell, NB Thurmond, FS Thomas, SS Chancellor, PR Taint)
-9 STARTERS were FAs (RB Lynch, WR Rice, WR Harvin, TE Miller, LG McQuistain, RT Giacomini, K Haushka, P Ryan, LS Gresham, KR Harvin)
STL (since Fisher began in 2012 [On THIS years roster]):
-6 STARTERS were drafted by PREVIOUS regimes (QB Bradford, RG Saffold, DE Quinn, DE Long, MLB Laurinaitis, LS McQuaide)
-14 STARTERS were drafted by FISHER (RB Stacy, FB Harkey, WR Givens, WR Bailey, WR Austin, DT Brockers, OLB Ogletree, CB Jenkins, CB Johnson, FS McLeod, SS McDonald, K Zuerlein, P Hekker, KR/PR Cunningham/Austin)
-8 STARTERS were FAs (TE Cook, LT Long, LG Williams, C Wells, RT Barksdale, DT Langford, OLB Dunbar, NB Finnegan)
*Note I count undrafted rookies as draft picks*
These are all legitimate questions and concerns that numerous fans (myself included) have been asking since 2005. I think most of the problems that have plagued this team over the last decade are beginning to be fixed by this new regime. We have a younger team. Player development and scouting seems to be as good as its been since the Rams moved to STL. The Rams SHOWED in 2012 that they CAN hang with the west going 4-1-1. And this year they showed they could blow out playoff caliber teams home and away. They've also played much better home football these past 2 years going a combined 9-6 (I don't count a 20% Rams crowd at Wembley a "Home" game). This is compared to a Rams team that was 8-32 at home from 2007-2011.
Anyways let me cut to the chase, the whole reason for this post.
I was beginning to ask myself watching Seattle and San Fran these past two weeks as they move through the playoffs: what have they done/not done or what are they doing/not doing....that our Rammies haven't done or aren't doing?
I came away with a few easy ones like limiting the drive killing penalties on O or the drive extending plays on D. Both teams also dictated the LOS on both sides (something we need help with on the OL). Also TURNOVERS, both of these teams limit their offensive turnovers and seem to get defensive stops/turnovers at the most pivotal times in games.
But the most important issue for ANY team in the NFL is drafting QUALITY (scouting) players and DEVELOPING (coaching) them to the point where they MAXIMIZE their potential. This is no easy task and that's why we see about 1/4 of the head coaches fired in the league every year.
Here are the conclusions I've come to about the Harbaugh/Baalke led Niners, the Caroll/Schneider led Seahawks, and our very own Fish/Snead led Rams.
1. All 3 franchises are good at scouting AND developing talent.
2. Most regimes have a 3-5 year blueprint to win the Super Bowl. All 3 teams have executed those plans well. Here's the difference between the 49ers, Seahawks, and Rams:
a)Harbaugh inherited a roster littered with talent (most of it near fully developed). He only had to add a few pieces to complete the team, but the foundation was strong (Gore, Staley, Crabtree, Davis, Willis, Bowman, etc.). Harbaugh inherited a team in 2011 that, in my opinion, was already on year 3 or so of what I consider the "Super Bowl Blueprint." They were past the stage of rebuilding; they were like a football powerhouse like Alabama that doesn't rebuild, it just reloads. This is no knock on Harbaugh's ability to coach or scout. He can't help that he inherited a great roster, but I'm just trying to bring to people's attention what allowed him to have IMMEDIATE success in his first 3 years as head coach.
b)Caroll came into a complete REBUILD situation; these are the ones that truly take 3-5 years. He had some key cogs like Unger, Bryant, and Mebane to build around, but they were significantly less than what Harbaugh inherited. Caroll's Hawks went 14-18 his first two seasons as he continued to build the foundation with guys like Okung, Thomas, Chancellor, and Sherman through the draft. Year 3 he finally found his QB (Wilson) and he had the team around him that didn't force him to carry the team on his back. NOW this year (year 4) Seattle is making the playoff push right around the time expected.
The best teams like SF & SEA CONSISTENTLY draft well because you can't resign ALL of your young stars. The low salaries of rookies are also more cap friends and allow for quantity as well as quality.
c) Which bring me to the Rams... Fish & Co. are now entering year 3, of a true REBUILD. Like Caroll his young team has been competitive while hanging around the .500 mark his first to years as he continues to acquire talent and solidify the FOUNDATION. I'd say Quinn, Laurinaitis, Bradford, Long are a solid start, with plenty other potential stars and contributors making their names. In fact Fish's Rams were 1.5 games better than Caroll's first 2 years in Seattle at 14-17-1.
So if you really put things in perspective the Niners are on year 5 of a 5-year SB blueprint, the Hawks are on year 4, and the Rams just concluded year 2. I'm not trying to be an apologist for the opportunities the Rams did have to make the dance the past 2 years, just trying to come with alternative viewpoint with a more positive outlook for our team. Concerns on the o-line and defensive backfield are legitimate, along with other needs. I just want to highlight some bright spots in the past 2 years in regards to our Rammies.
For a more statistical breakdown on the above mentioned, here's what I found (I counted slot WRs, nickelbacks, and KR/PR as starting positions):
SF (since Harbaugh began in 2011 [On THIS years roster]):
-14 STARTERS were drafted by PREVIOUS regimes (RB Gore, WR Crabtree, TE Vernon Davis, LT Staley, LG Iupati, RG Boone, RT Antohony Davis, DE McDonald, OLB Brooks, ILB Willis, ILB Bowman, CB Brown, CB Brock, P Lee)
-6 STARTERS were drafted by HARBAUGH (QB Kaepernick, FB Miller, OLB Aldon Smith, FS Reid, LS McDermott, KR/PR James)
-7 STARTERS were FAs (WR Boldin, C Goodwin, DE Justin Smith, NT Dorsey, CB Rogers, SS Whitner, K Dawson)
SEA (since Caroll began in 2010 [On THIS years roster]):
-3 STARTERS were drafted by PREVIOUS regimes (C Unger, DE Bryant, DT Mebane)
-14 STARTERS were drafted by CAROLL (QB Wilson, FB Coleman, WR Taint, LT Okung, RG Sweezy, OLB Wright, OLB Irvin, MLB Wagner, CB Sherman, CB Maxwell, NB Thurmond, FS Thomas, SS Chancellor, PR Taint)
-9 STARTERS were FAs (RB Lynch, WR Rice, WR Harvin, TE Miller, LG McQuistain, RT Giacomini, K Haushka, P Ryan, LS Gresham, KR Harvin)
STL (since Fisher began in 2012 [On THIS years roster]):
-6 STARTERS were drafted by PREVIOUS regimes (QB Bradford, RG Saffold, DE Quinn, DE Long, MLB Laurinaitis, LS McQuaide)
-14 STARTERS were drafted by FISHER (RB Stacy, FB Harkey, WR Givens, WR Bailey, WR Austin, DT Brockers, OLB Ogletree, CB Jenkins, CB Johnson, FS McLeod, SS McDonald, K Zuerlein, P Hekker, KR/PR Cunningham/Austin)
-8 STARTERS were FAs (TE Cook, LT Long, LG Williams, C Wells, RT Barksdale, DT Langford, OLB Dunbar, NB Finnegan)
*Note I count undrafted rookies as draft picks*
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