Paper thin depth has me pessimistic

[Boston Ram]

Brissett played 3 NFL games in his career and started 2 of them. He had the win against the Dolphins in relief of Grappolo, then started the following week in a 27-0 thrashing of the Texans #1 defense but injured his thumb. He lost the next week to the Bills but he was playing injured since Grappolo was hurt and Brady was suspended. He had an 83.9 passer rating in that span.

All the Patriots RBs are unconventional because they are all dual-threats instead of pure runners. I think James White proved his worth in last year's Super Bowl and Mike Gilislee/Dion Lewis will surprise people.

Danny Amendola and Chris Hogan are basically Edelman clones. They would be fine if he went down, especially with Brandon Cooks now in the mix.

You are definitely right that they lack Oline and LB depth. The only team that has a deep offensive line is the Cowboys that I know of.

I wouldn't sleep on the D-line though. The rotation of Alan Branch, Malcolm Brown, Kony Ealy, Trey Flowers, Lawrence Guy, and now Derek Rivers is definitely formidable.

I'm not saying NE is deep at every position but relative to the rest of the league, they can afford the most injuries without sinking.

Lots of good counterpoints. As for D line its fine but thin at DE not DT.

DEs: Ealy and Flowers. Rivers is a rook and the rest is garbage. Guy, Brown and Branch are DTs.

I disagree on the WR situation. Hogan and Cooks are outside receivers. Amendola is not the player we knew before and is a big drop off when Edelman is out......but too much Patriot talk is never good lol.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

That's a common assumption I do not agree with. Garoppolo won't ever do anything meaningful in this league. I expect Belichick will flip him to some poor team and fleece them for a pick or two then draft his next "future hall of fame" guy the media can salivate over while he plays behind Brady and do it all over again.

They have done it in the past. Backups play well for the Pats for good reason. And I think you are wrong about Garapolo. He has a very quick release and processes quickly. I have always thought he could be a good NFL QB. The Pats could have gotten a first for him and rolled with Brissett. Instead they hung onto to Jimmy. So either they think he is better than the average backup and could carry them to a title, if called upon, or Brady is retiring this year and they are going to offer Jimmy the starting job to keep him out of free agency. Brady claims to want to play another five years, so I guess Belichick prefers the one year of insurance to the first round pick.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Depth isn't good until it comes in and succeeds in starting or if it's a veteran that's come over to be a backup which almost never happens. Veterans come over to play. Until depth gets a chance to play it's depth the same as what everybody else has. You may have a perception of what our players worth is or how good they'll be if they're thrust in the lineup but until that happens it's just guess work.

The Rams have 3rd, 4th, 5th and later rounds as backups as well as UDFA. Just like every other team. Some teams have backups that have started multiple games but that's only because the previous year or two they've had to get in to start for injured players. Rams have those guys on the bench just like other teams. Again this comes down to two very simple things. Some people here don't like or agree with the drafts and free agency that the Rams have had. They therefore discount the players on the roster's ability without having even seen them on the field in most cases. People also rate other teams backups higher than our own even though they've never played or if they have played the quality of play is over stated.

You mention the depth that Kromer had in Buffalo yet he was there for 2 years just like the Head Coach at the time. They didn't draft the depth it was coached up. Just like Wade Phillips in Denver, who was in that DC job for 2 years also. In the 2015 draft the Bronco's drafted 5 defensive players. Two are still on the roster one is Shane Ray their 1st round pick the other is the 3rd string RCB. In 2016 they did a little better they drafted 3 defensive players. All three are backups. Those 5 players have started 3 games! Again you don't know how good depth is unless they're forced to start for injuries. People are just blowing off the Rams bench without seeing most of them on the field. It's fun we draft 8 players in 2017 and nobody gives them a chance they're all just wasted bench space that we need to upgrade.

You really think it is guess work? I disagree. We get a good sense of who is on the Rams roster through a season. At some point we see most of them play in pre-season and in season due to injuries. I am not impressed with most of the Rams depth. I don't know how you can't have an opinion on it. The OLine depth is not good. I have seen most of them at one point or another. Another way to know they aren't good is because the starting OLine was terrible, until they brought in two vets to go along with Saffold and Havenstein. The Dline depth took a hit switching schemes. LTP starting? Seattle can lose a Dlinemen and still have a good pass rush. I am not excited with the Rams depth. Westbrook isn't that good. If Donald goes down there is no pressure. They are still churning the pot for receivers too. That tells me the receiving corps aren't that good. The Rams depth isn't good right now. Hopefully it improves with McVay.

Good teams have better depth. Good teams depth are starters on bad teams when they become free agents.

 

[Soul Surfer]

Good teams have better depth. Good teams depth are starters on bad teams when they become free agents.

Often but it is not a rule.

 

[So Ram]

We Ram fans have yet to witness a pre-season game and already the roller-coaster has begun. The high of acquiring a top notch coaching staff was expected to overcome a young roster with the youngest starting QB in the NFL. Then we witness Austin deal w injuries that mitigate his development as a deep threat while Thomas will miss the first four weeks and Reynolds is listed as fourth string so Gurley gets to be greeted with stacked boxes once again (SJax...does this sound familiar)? As Kupp and Woods give us hope that the ball will actually be caught more often than not, Hav and Brown are getting flipped because Goff may not see the time necessary to get the ball to them. While Donald will eventually get signed...the perceived strength of this team (D-line) lets go of Hayes and then Easley is injured, lost for the season, leaving us w Westbrooks and LTP taking starter reps in camp.

Seriously, give me ONE positional group that is deep enough now to suffer an injury to a starter and not suffer a significant downgrade with the "next man up"? (DB's maybe?) Now, how likely is it that such an injury won't occur?

While I truly believe this is a better team with far better coaching than what we suffered through the last several years, the likelihood of a playoff run is remote at best. While the starters could form a terrific nucleus for success, there are very few second stringers that inspire my confidence.

WR & TE

 

[So Ram]

You really think it is guess work? I disagree. We get a good sense of who is on the Rams roster through a season. At some point we see most of them play in pre-season and in season due to injuries. I am not impressed with most of the Rams depth. I don't know how you can't have an opinion on it. The OLine depth is not good. I have seen most of them at one point or another. Another way to know they aren't good is because the starting OLine was terrible, until they brought in two vets to go along with Saffold and Havenstein. The Dline depth took a hit switching schemes. LTP starting? Seattle can lose a Dlinemen and still have a good pass rush. I am not excited with the Rams depth. Westbrook isn't that good. If Donald goes down there is no pressure. They are still churning the pot for receivers too. That tells me the receiving corps aren't that good. The Rams depth isn't good right now. Hopefully it improves with McVay.

Good teams have better depth. Good teams depth are starters on bad teams when they become free agents.

Hard to say. The Rams depth is better now than it has been.
Case Reynolds,Rhaney,&Bradley all just got cut . I said all of last year , until these guys go it shows the lack of depth.

Nick Robey is looking good. Joyner is out so Cody Davies is an excellent back up at FS. John Johnson.

Tru & Webster look solid. There is a lot of young depth at CB. Even Hatfield is looking good. Troy Hill has stepped up. Not sure about EJ Gaines. Didn't keep eye on him much today.

LBer's ? Will see. Quinn& Barwin will add serious pressure of opposing QBs.

Westbrooks is good. Donald will play DE.

RB depth ? Malcom Brown is looking real good. Surprising hands out of the backfield.

 

[So Ram]

Hard to say. The Rams depth is better now than it has been.
Case Reynolds,Rhaney,&Bradley all just got cut . I said all of last year , until these guys go it shows the lack of depth.

Nick Robey is looking good. Joyner is out so Cody Davies is an excellent back up at FS. John Johnson.

Tru & Webster look solid. There is a lot of young depth at CB. Even Hatfield is looking good. Troy Hill has stepped up. Not sure about EJ Gaines. Didn't keep eye on him much today.

LBer's ? Will see. Quinn& Barwin will add serious pressure of opposing QBs.

Westbrooks is good. Donald will play DE.

RB depth ? Malcom Brown is looking real good. Surprising hands out of the backfield.

Hemingway' growth is fun to watch. He is a stud. Harkey I believe makes the team. He can always be used as an extra blocker .

Donnal has been hurt , but I think The RAms go light on the offensive line. I think that is a strength,but Saffold scares me injury wise.
Whichmann,Donna,Pace Murray,Eldrenkamp.

Tavon is going to fit in good once healthy.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Hard to say. The Rams depth is better now than it has been.
Case Reynolds,Rhaney,&Bradley all just got cut . I said all of last year , until these guys go it shows the lack of depth.

Nick Robey is looking good. Joyner is out so Cody Davies is an excellent back up at FS. John Johnson.

Tru & Webster look solid. There is a lot of young depth at CB. Even Hatfield is looking good. Troy Hill has stepped up. Not sure about EJ Gaines. Didn't keep eye on him much today.

LBer's ? Will see. Quinn& Barwin will add serious pressure of opposing QBs.

Westbrooks is good. Donald will play DE.

RB depth ? Malcom Brown is looking real good. Surprising hands out of the backfield.

And other key areas are very thin. It will take at least three years for McVay and Phillips to get the roster the way they want.

 

[fanotodd]

And other key areas are very thin. It will take at least three years for McVay and Phillips to get the roster the way they want.

That may be true, but there is enough talent on this roster to win some games now, and be a legit contender by next season...if Goff steps up.

1) the secondary is deep and talented
2) if Quinn can return to form playing a new position, the LB corps is formidable. Though his name hasn't been getting mentioned lately, there's a guy named OTree in the middle who's pretty good.
3) DL. When Donald gets back, it will be top notch.
4) we have weapons. This time last year there was a lotta defending of players and hoping for something/anything from certain guys. This year the competition is fierce. Much improved.
5) TEs. Anybody worried here?
6) OL. Whitworth is the best LT since Pace the Rams have had. Saffold is solid when healthy. Sullivan is the wild card. If healthy, he will be an upgrade over barnes. If not, the Rams have problems. Havs at RT could be one of the better ones out there. His rookie season was stellar. Brown/RG will be the weak link in all this, but there could be enough talent around him.

...but none of this matters if Goff looks like he did last year. He simply has to step up or else this roster will be wasting talent like the previous regime did.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

That may be true, but there is enough talent on this roster to win some games now, and be a legit contender by next season...if Goff steps up.

1) the secondary is deep and talented Not really
2) if Quinn can return to form playing a new position, the LB corps is formidable. Though his name hasn't been getting mentioned lately, there's a guy named OTree in the middle who's pretty good. Huge if on Quinn and Ogletree has never been good at shedding blocks, he is better in a 4/3
3) DL. When Donald gets back, it will be top notch. Easley is a huge loss, depth is thin
4) we have weapons. This time last year there was a lotta defending of players and hoping for something/anything from certain guys. This year the competition is fierce. Much improved. I am elated with Watkins trade. There was no number one type threat at receiver
5) TEs. Anybody worried here? Higbee's drops, and a small school rookie are reason enough for concern
6) OL. Whitworth is the best LT since Pace the Rams have had. Saffold is solid when healthy. Sullivan is the wild card. If healthy, he will be an upgrade over barnes. If not, the Rams have problems. Havs at RT could be one of the better ones out there. His rookie season was stellar. Brown/RG will be the weak link in all this, but there could be enough talent around him. Depth is pathetic

...but none of this matters if Goff looks like he did last year. He simply has to step up or else this roster will be wasting talent like the previous regime did.

Too true

I am not trying to be gloom and doom here. I predict nine wins, which is better than we have seen for 12 years. There are signs of hope. The coaching is reason for excitement. The roster still needs work, especially in the depth department, but that can't be fixed in one year.

 

[Soul Surfer]

I was thinking 8-8 but now I'm thinking 9-7 maybe.

Watkins will demand double-teams.

That could open up some running lanes for Gurley.

That could open up some underneath stuff to Tavon, Cooper, Kupp.

If they're concentrating on stopping Watkins that could also open up stuff for Mike Thomas and Reynolds.