Now we know what McVay thought our biggest weakness was

[badnews]

There has been a consistent trait that every player the Rams have signed as FAs or drafted has.

From Whitworth and Woods to Kupp and Rogers and everyone in between -

Extremely hard workers who love football. That's it.
This draft wasn't about finding the pieces for building a football team, it was about finding the character for building a new culture.

It now seems obvious what McVay thought the Rams biggest problem was, and it wasn't "talent", it was character.
And I don't mean that we were full of bad character guys like Pac-Man Jones-types, which I feel Fisher was criticized a bit unfairly for while with the Rams.
The biggest reason why guys become "busts" is because they don't LOVE all of the game. They might love game days or the locker room but not getting up at 4am to do sprints in May...

Everyone brought in under the new regime has off-the-charts FOOTBALL CHARACTER.
That is what I think McVay and Co saw as this teams biggest weakness, so the first move was to change that.
Forget adding players, we're adding character.
Once you get this many guys who push THEMSELVES to do the work, you can create an atmosphere of hard work that sustains itself.

Maybe next year they draft a little differently... maybe they can go after some guys who might not fit that description... but first things first.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Well, they did draft to fill needs. He said they wanted to get Goff some talented weapons. But yes there was an underlying theme of going after tireless professionals. I couldn't be happier about that. I have been critical of Fisher looking past character and we heard from Lamarcus Joyner what kind of team he ended up putting together with his blueprint. A bunch of guys that only care about the money and the jewelry and stuff they have now. I say it every year, give us football players, not athletes playing football. I want guys that are football smart and professionals intent on honing their craft. The GSOT had several of those types...Warner, Faulk, Holt and Bruce. That team does not become great without those professionals.

 

[Soul Surfer]

Good post. I was just ready to make a similar post entitled "Common Traits in Our Draft Picks".

When you look at the tape on these guys every one of them is an extremely hard worker.

Rogers is a self-made player who was a walk on.

Others are four-year starters.

Others are natural athletes that ride other sports before finding their niche.

As far as them needing to be Coast up or developmental players at least we finally have the coaches that can develop them.

My mantra for the last 12 to 13 years has been O line O line O line. That is where I was our biggest weakness has been.

But last year it was just competitive balls that were missing.

I can't wait to see these young highly competitive rookies come in and light a fire in the belly of some of these bored veterans.

We might see some unusual cuts that are surprising to us.

Those could be the veterans that just don't get it.

You have to leave it all out there on the field.

 

[tomas]

 

[jap]

Kromer: "I'll whip these turkeys into shape, even if I have to threaten to castrate them!!!" :boxing::lifting::double::shooting::seizure:

 

[ReddingRam]

Saw the presser and there it is. Kromer is not panicking and neither should we. If he really felt that the guys in the draft are an upgrade and that he couldn't coach up what we already have, I'm sure he would have made his case to draft some ... and McVay would have listened. My guess? Kromer saw bad coaching and bad scheme. I'm going to trust his gut on this one.

 

[RAMBUSH]

I bet he loves g-rob.

 

[Zodi]

McVay said it best during the presser: "Ball skills." It doesn't matter what your 40 time is if you can't catch the friggin ball.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

McVay said it best during the presser: "Ball skills." It doesn't matter what your 40 time is if you can't catch the friggin ball.

It's such a simple concept, yet we haven't had a coach around that understood it since Marts took Kevin Curtis.

 

[kurtfaulk]

This is exactly why i don't understand the reason people start complaining during the draft. We have no idea what their plan is during the draft. But after they traded back with lamp there for the taking it was obvious they were gonna give the incumbents a chance to prove themselves before they invest more draft capital into the line.

.

 

[CanadaRam]

Hard workers who love football.

From the start with Mcvay this has been a consistent theme. heard it from coaches, players and front office.
Even a rookie who struggled mightily said it on a number of occasions. Saw Donald in game 1 losing his cool as his frustration showed that early.
We don't need hitters, we need tacklers.
As frustrating as Grob has been, he seems to work hard. I hope so if not bye to him.
I am always hopeful each year that the Rams will make the playoffs. This year may be a learning year. Learn who buys in and who will be gone.
The Rams do have talent on the roster, but how quick will they become a team and who will be dropped along the way.

 

[Dan Poplawski]

Well said OP, I couldn't agree more. Fisher was too laid back and relied too much on his coaches. Discipline was absent (except for Deon Long), the Fisher regime was definitely a case of the tail wagging the dog.

 

[Memphis Ram]

It would be next to impossible for such a young coach to make it without a bunch of high character players.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

It would be next to impossible for such a young coach to make it without a bunch of high character players.

Maybe but I really don't think that is his reason for choosing high character players.

 

[Ants]

This is exactly why i don't understand the reason people start complaining during the draft. We have no idea what their plan is during the draft. But after they traded back with lamp there for the taking it was obvious they were gonna give the incumbents a chance to prove themselves before they invest more draft capital into the line.

.

Boom! There it is. I should probably use that as my tag line. :yess:

 

[CGI_Ram]

I think Fisher grossly underestimated culture, and he always did (before the Rams).

It doesn't mean Fisher is a bad coach, he KNOWS football. But unless the roster talent is far superior and capable of taking over a game on just that (which is nearly impossible to do in this league) the roster continually let him down.

Culture has a self sustaining life to it. It takes over and drives the pieces to be their best. Without it? Well, just the opposite.

It's VERY exciting to see this regime embrace culture.

 

[IowaRam]

I think it shows what mcvay thought of the current receiving corps

 

[OC_Ram]

I am actually excited to see what the new staff brings to this team.

 

[radjohns]

I thought it was interesting that they're ok with current young guys on the o-line, but not as confident about the young guys at receiver and TE. I'm still hopeful that either Higbee or Hemingway develop into decent options at TE, but I'm not optimistic.

 

[CGI_Ram]

I thought it was interesting that they're ok with current young guys on the o-line, but not as confident about the young guys at receiver and TE. I'm still hopeful that either Higbee or Hemingway develop into decent options at TE, but I'm not optimistic.

I'm not sure drafting Everett is a sign they don't have confidence in Higbee or Hemingway... we did lose Kendricks. I think they like this unit and want to run some 3 TE sets.

As far as WR's; once you get past Austin, Woods, and Cooper there were a lot of question marks.