Rams have a ticking time bomb on their hands...

[Rams43]

Namely, AD will turn 30 next May.

Yeah, he’s still at the top of his game right now and his conditioning is without peer. But Father Time is undefeated.

My point? Isn’t it obvious?

Rams have been kinda fiddling and wasting invaluable prime AD seasons. Not on purpose, but still.

We still haven’t fixed Edge long term, in fact, we’ll probably lose the one good one that we have in Floyd.

Our ILB situation is kinda so-so, too.

Yeah, our D was statistically rated #1 last year, but it sure didn’t look like it against the Packers. Or 6 other teams during the regular season.

Our O has been regressing for 2 1/2 years right before our eyes. Big question mark at QB and our OL is merely ‘pretty good’ and only effective against mediocre teams.

Even McVay has been stumbling while trying to get his team up for each week’s opponent. I mean, losing to the Jets? C’mon...

Of course Snead/McVay are ‘trying’. But ‘trying’ isn’t good enough, dammit. They have to DO it and PDQ while the clock keeps ticking on a transcendent future HOF’er in AD.

It will be a travesty if AD never gets to raise at least one Lombardi. Sigh...

 

[Merlin]

The Rams have put him in the playoffs 3 out of 4 years to include a SB run. They are holding up their end.

 

[Allen2McVay]

I got to respectfully offer a different opinion here Rams43.

There was a stat put up in one of the nationally televised games on interior DL being named All Pro to start their careers. I think Mean Joe Greene and Aaron Donald were tied for second at six seasons each (there may have been someone with seven or eight).

Merlin Olsen was first ... Fourteen!

Merlin never won a Championship or even played in a Super Bowl.

Over the past four seasons, Aaron Donald has been the best defensive player in the NFL, and his team has a 43-21 record with three playoff appearances, three postseason victories and a Super Bowl appearance.

It would be great if he was on a Super Bowl winner but I would not label it a ‘travesty’ should that not happen.

I also disagree with the ‘fiddling and wasting’ comment. The Rams ownership, Front Office and Head Coach have spent $ and been aggressive in making moves and changes to be successful.

Certainly, not all have worked. However, this organization has not sat back and settled. And that’s not something Rams’ fans have always been able to say.

It’s just really tough to win a Super Bowl.

 

[tempests]

Rams wasted Steven Jackson's career. At least Donald plays for a winner.

Even if AD99 never wins a SB, the HOF is not a bad consolation prize. Some would say it's better.

 

[thirteen28]

I also disagree with the ‘fiddling and wasting’ comment. The Rams ownership, Front Office and Head Coach have spent $ and been aggressive in making moves and changes to be successful.

Certainly, not all have worked. However, this organization has not sat back and settled. And that’s not something Rams’ fans have always been able to say.

This ^.

It isn't like they haven't tried to win or have just sat around and stood pat.

Also, luck has a say too. Injuries, for one, is something you can't account for.

 

[RamFan503]

I got to respectfully offer a different opinion here Rams43.

There was a stat put up in one of the nationally televised games on interior DL being named All Pro to start their careers. I think Mean Joe Greene and Aaron Donald were tied for second at six seasons each (there may have been someone with seven or eight).

Merlin Olsen was first ... Fourteen!

Merlin never won a Championship or even played in a Super Bowl.

Over the past four seasons, Aaron Donald has been the best defensive player in the NFL, and his team has a 43-21 record with three playoff appearances, three postseason victories and a Super Bowl appearance.

It would be great if he was on a Super Bowl winner but I would not label it a ‘travesty’ should that not happen.

I also disagree with the ‘fiddling and wasting’ comment. The Rams ownership, Front Office and Head Coach have spent $ and been aggressive in making moves and changes to be successful.

Certainly, not all have worked. However, this organization has not sat back and settled. And that’s not something Rams’ fans have always been able to say.

It’s just really tough to win a Super Bowl.

Agreed. Think Marino and Fouts on offense.

The Rams have not been wasting ADs talent. They don't sit back and wait or get rid of key players in their prime. If they do get rid of key players, they do it aggressively and for good reason.

Mistakes have been made, we have lost several key coaches, etc... But we don't sit back, waste talent, and make decisions out of desire to save money and put it in the pockets of ownership anymore.

 

[Ram Ts]

Yeah we need to spend all our cap and trade draft picks for immediate help for AD to win now.....oh wait, that’s exactly what we’ve done the past 3-4 years.

 

[PhillyRam]

Namely, AD will turn 30 next May.

Yeah, he’s still at the top of his game right now and his conditioning is without peer. But Father Time is undefeated.

My point? Isn’t it obvious?

Rams have been kinda fiddling and wasting invaluable prime AD seasons. Not on purpose, but still.

We still haven’t fixed Edge long term, in fact, we’ll probably lose the one good one that we have in Floyd.

Our ILB situation is kinda so-so, too.

Yeah, our D was statistically rated #1 last year, but it sure didn’t look like it against the Packers. Or 6 other teams during the regular season.

Our O has been regressing for 2 1/2 years right before our eyes. Big question mark at QB and our OL is merely ‘pretty good’ and only effective against mediocre teams.

Even McVay has been stumbling while trying to get his team up for each week’s opponent. I mean, losing to the Jets? C’mon...

Of course Snead/McVay are ‘trying’. But ‘trying’ isn’t good enough, dammit. They have to DO it and PDQ while the clock keeps ticking on a transcendent future HOF’er in AD.

It will be a travesty if AD never gets to raise at least one Lombardi. Sigh...

See a funny thing about the NFL, only one team wins their last meaningful game each yr.

The fact that they made the playoffs 3 of the last 4 yrs and appeared in SB, I don't think they are "wasting him".

He was being wasted under Fisher. Geno Atkins was being wasted in Cincy, but cant say that about Donald now.

Is Russell Wilson being wasted in Seattle? I mean he won a SB when their defense carried them, but since then he got back to one, but not much else.

 

[Psycho_X]

As long as AD doesn't have a freak injury we can get another good 5-6 years out of him in top form with the way he works out. Obviously there will be some diminishing factors the closer to 40 he creeps but if anyone can beat back father time it's AD with his dedication. Plenty of time to win multiple super bowls.

 

[Rams43]

Just to be clear. I’m not saying that Rams haven’t ‘tried’ to surround AD with best available talent. Of course they tried. All 32 teams ‘try’ hard every year.

I’m reminded of that scene in the movie The Rock where Sean Connery says to Nickolas Cage, “Try? Try is for losers! Winners get it DONE and then go home and fuck the prom queen!”

I love Snead/McVay to death but I want better results during this AD window. We’re so close...

 

[jap]

There are ticking time bombs every year. Winning a Super Bowl is a combination of great coaching, great player execution - usually in all three phases, and great luck. That AD99 cartilage damage was thoroughly unexpected and came from one of the most improbable sources. Russell damaging The Kraken!?! Who would have thunk it? AD is normally Russell's green kryptonite, and somehow Russell manage to flip roles that one time. Did Russell load his back pockets with the green stuff?

That playoff loss to the Pack was the most human I ever saw Aaron be. Tears from The Kraken, indeed! Let the NFL beware: The Leprechaun's revenge tour is being extended, and The Kraken is climbing aboard the revenge express train. Hell, he may even be driving the train next season. I want to believe Sean can see he needs to push the OL to top five status. How can he look at the Pack's OL and see how much time ARod had and not envision Jared behind a similar OL? Taking away a speedburner to stretch the field vertically hurt Jared's performance. Our QB has one of the best deep balls in the business, and he rarely employed it last season due to lack of time and lack of true Warp Five speed.

I expect Cam and Van to be principle passengers on that revenge train. Whether McSnead stays the course with Jared (most likely) or opts to go in another direction (unlikely but consistent with Snead's blockbuster deals) remains to be seen. However, the offense needs to be on fire once more; the defense needs to remain on fire, and the special teams needs some serious resuscitation.

 

[RamDino]

Everyone wants future hall-of-famer Aaron Donald to win a super bowl. Unfortunately, he can only carry a team so far. He has had a great career so far though. He's played in big games, makes big bucks, gets universal praise, and he plays in a brand new, state-of-the-art stadium in LA (and wait till it has fans-lol). Good luck to him though... we'd all love to see it.

 

[Gandalf]

A lot of great players never even sniff the super bowl in their careers. It's not easy to win the superbowl. There can only be One.

 

[Mojo Ram]

Just to be clear. I’m not saying that Rams haven’t ‘tried’ to surround AD with best available talent. Of course they tried. All 32 teams ‘try’ hard every year.

I'm pretty sure this is exactly what you said with your thread starter.

Rams have been kinda fiddling and wasting invaluable prime AD seasons.

It's kind of nonsense. AD was drafted in 2014(?) Even during the Fisher years AD was surrounded with some high tier defensive guys.

The last four years have seen a number of big trades, solid FA acquisitions on offense and defense...to the tune of four straight winning seasons and playoff wins.

If the message is simply it'd be awesome to win a championship with AD on the team i agree.

 

[Mojo Ram]

dot dot dot

 

[FrantikRam]

This is a good example of how the Rams, despite being young, are ready to win now.

This means that if the FO can upgrade ANY position, they should, in order to maximize ADs window. Waiting on someone to start playing better does risk what the OP is talking about

 

[Loyal]

Just to be clear. I’m not saying that Rams haven’t ‘tried’ to surround AD with best available talent. Of course they tried. All 32 teams ‘try’ hard every year.

I’m reminded of that scene in the movie The Rock where Sean Connery says to Nickolas Cage, “Try? Try is for losers! Winners get it DONE and then go home and fuck the prom queen!”

I love Snead/McVay to death but I want better results during this AD window. We’re so close...

You really think all 32 teams try to win every year? There are years where I doubt that about the Renters, Raiders, Bills, Lions, Jets, Miami and cerytainly the Bengals. I understand you are frustrated we didn't get a Super Bowl, but Aaron Donald is incredibly durable and thats why it shocked us when he was injured by Ooomp Lumpa. This is a blip. AD will be good for years, imho. There is time to win at least one Super Bowl....

 

[IBruce80]

Rams wasted Steven Jackson's career. At least Donald plays for a winner.

Even if AD99 never wins a SB, the HOF is not a bad consolation prize. Some would say it's better.

100%.
In a team game, some individuals really stand out.
Dan Marino is synonymous with truly great players never to win the Super Bowl.
One wonders how our very own S. Jackson would have been on a winning team.
Barry Sanders, the same.

Donald still has a chance.
He is the benchmark for DL greatness, and will be for at least a generation.

No doubt the Super Bowl is the ultimate prize for players, but for everyone else, fans, peers, press, an individuals performance week in week out, season after season, is the player they really are.

 

[badnews]

Injuries, for one, is something you can't account for.

This is so true... and a legit reason why I like Goff.
If the guy can play winning football with a broken thumb on his throwing hand, and that's literally the only injury to hold him out... that's worth something. That's not coachable.

 

[dieterbrock]

Rams were in the SB 2 years ago, playoffs 3 of 4 years. Donald has 5 prime years left
A ticking time bomb?
My lord....