Things I like and things I don’t like about various Rams position groups...

[Rams43]

Groups that I really like:

QB. Goff is good enough to win a SB if surrounded by sufficient talent. I like Wolford as his backup next year, btw.

WR. Love our top 4 guys. Might be best top 4 in the league.

TE. Love this ‘new’ Higbee. I predict Higbee/Everett could be a helluva tandem next year.

CB. Ramsey plus one of Hill, Williams, Long make this a great unit. NRC is no slouch, either. Kudos to Snead.

S. JJ and Rapp should be a top tandem. If Wade retires, new DC may want to continue using Rapp as a hybrid LB, then may go with Christian or may draft a S.

‘The above is a helluva lot of things to like on a team seeking to return to the playoffs.


Groups that I kinda like but are not yet where they need to be:

OL. I kinda think that we’ve got starters in Edwards and Evans come September. I like Boom at LOT when he’s healthy, but not 100% sure he’ll be healthy by September. I’m on the fence about Corbett as a starter and I think we need to let Blythe walk and either draft or sign a FA stud C. I’ve lost confidence in Allen. In short, C looks like our biggest ‘hole’ And deserves serious off-season attention.

ILB. I think they extend Littleton and I think we have adequate player depth next to him.


Groups that I’m worried about that will need off-season attention:

RB. Hate to say it, but we’re in need of upgrade here. Gurley is a shadow of his former self, Brown has disappointed, and where the hell has Henderson been? Not ALL of our running problems are the fault of our OL. We need more than these 3 guys at RB to be serious SB contenders again.

DL. I think Brockers is a cap casualty. I also think AD needs more help on that DL. Let’s face it, other guys should be feasting while AD is constantly being double and triple teamed. We’re kinda wasting AD’s prime years, dammit! Hope Snead can work some magic there.

Edge. I think we lose Fowler to the cap and Matthews is almost a one trick pony as a pass rusher anymore so he’s probably gone. Do we have their replacements on the roster? Not at all sure and it could be the difference between making or missing the playoffs, so they better get this decision right.

Should they extend GZ or let him walk? Tough question, but I will say this. IF they let GZ walk I would understand.

So, lots of good things, but several possible storm clouds on the horizon, too. Then again, maybe only 3-4 position groups to bolster this off-season. Very doable, IOW.

Sigh...

 

[fearsomefour]

AD has song DPOY....not wasting his talent, maybe just not maximizing.
I know who I want the Rams to add to the DL, but, would probably cost $16M for the two guys.

 

[Flint]

I agree on the stuff you like but on the stuff you kinda like I’m concerned. I have no clue where the oline is or is going to be. They were inconsistent as you might expect young players to be but were they good when they were good or were they just scheming their ass off? The run game wasn’t that good even in the victories and the last place Goff wanted to be was in the pocket on pass plays.
Blythe is ok I guess, but he struggles against better competition. The young guys played well considering, but there were a lot of penalties and missed assignments. And who knows what boom and allen look like going forward
I’m with you on rbs, I thought having Brown and Hendy would be able to let TG sit without losing mich.

on the DL, I thought everyone made a contribution,Fowler, Mathews,Ebukam. And others. The team already beat last years sack totals so they they are trending up, the only thing is, is rwere terrorizing Garapalo last week.
anyway I think they’re in good enough position to get back in the mix Next year.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

OLine is still the biggest concern with RB a close second. Gurley became a pounder and is no longer a receiving threat apparently. That is a huge detraction for the offense. I like Henderson's speed and acceleration, but worry that he wasn't able to force himself into the mix this year.

This is a big problem because it forces the staff to either take a leap of faith in Gurley, Henderson and Brown, or they admit there's a potential problem and choose/sign a replacement. Gurley hasn't been Gurley but he's been decent. But if he gets injured it could get bad fast. Both of his backups seem to have their own share of injury risk. Bare minimum I'd draft or sign a potential/former feature back to replace Brown. Keep Henderson in the change of pace role and Gurley as the starter, but then he has quality backing him up.

 

[CGI_Ram]

Good recap.

One quick comment; sign GZ pls.

I don't want to join the other teams cycling thru guys.

 

[Ramstien]

Guys like Brockers are not playing up to their contract need to redo their contacts or go! Weddle and Matthews were not the players we expected to get and need to go. Also, I don't want to see them over pay to get Fowler. As far as RBs go, I think Gurley's lack of production is more on McVay then Gurley. Brown looks like he would be easy to replace and Henderson needs more time for an accurate evaluation.

 

[Malibu]

All povs are spot on. Oline imo is #1 priority period. The reason we looked better towards the end of this season is the additional rollouts and more guys staying in to block not that the guys were solving it upfront. Gurley can't run, because the oline can't block to create holes and running lanes. Keeping extra guys in although Goff has more time to throw there are less guys out in the pattern which creates a miss match advantage to the defense.

We need Scherff at RG and a upgrade at Center minimumly possibly LT. The experiments are over we need 5 strong linemen not guys we hope will be good.

The other area we must fix is our run D. We got killed by the really great run teams SF, Balt and Cowboys this either gets fixed my a monster ILB or maybe a better DC but my guess a combo of both.

Lastly but just as important we need a better DC. With the talent we have we should be better period. We have never broken the top 10 and Wade has had 3 years to get his guys. We have spent a ton of FA and draft capital on the Defensive side of the ball now it is time to revamp the coaching staff. What I don't want is hiring from within. I want the #1 candidate on the market. I don't want us to change to a 4-3 because that will take too much time. We have the horses minus a needed upgrade at ilb. I would try and keep Littleton and Fowler if possible. But a new DC is priority #1.

 

[Oregonram]

Hey Den, thought your points were very thoughtful as usual for you. There seems to be somewhat of a split on whether Todd is ok to continue as our feature back or not. There is one stat that concerns me about Todd. He hadn’t made it to the second level much, but when he has, he was unable to break one loose. His longest run of the season was 25 yards. Maybe he never got into rythym?

 

[FrantikRam]

No matter how you paint it, Goff was not good this year. I don't know how any Rams fan can feel "good" about him at QB going forward. We're all just hoping he's the guy from last year and not this year.

 

[Tano]

No matter how you paint it, Goff was not good this year. I don't know how any Rams fan can feel "good" about him at QB going forward. We're all just hoping he's the guy from last year and not this year.

I disagree.

There were games this year where you give Goff time and better play calling where he was awesome.

Then there were other games where he stayed in the pocket with very little time and he sucked.

It took McVay 11 games before he realized - you know what - we have a tight end that can get open and catch the ball. Let's give him some plays. Goff to Higbee was awesome the last 4 games.

In addition, McVay finally realized the keeping Goff in the pocket with very little time wasn't working.

Let's give him plays where he rolls out.

All of a sudden, Goff is making plays.

Did you watch the Dallas game? McVay did not have Goff roll out very much in the first three quarters and our offense went back into a standstill. It wasn't until the 4th quarter where Goff started throwing to the tight end again.

I agree that Goff is not very good when he stands in a pocket where he has less than 2 seconds to get rid of the ball. Most quarterbacks aren't. I see a very good QB when the coach gives him plays to succeed. McVay wasn't very good at that the majority of the time in the first 11 games.

 

[Rams43]

About Henderson...

There have been veiled comments that hint that Henderson might not be smart enough to assimilate this O.

Just saying...

 

[Ram65]

My concern is with the defense more than the offense. The defensive line and LBers could be big problems. AD needs help and Brockers will be gone. Gaines and SJD should get better but, Rams need more beef upfront. If Littleton isn't resigned the IBLer position will be very questionable. I keep reading possible changes to a 4-3 defense but, the Rams have more undersized OLBers. I don't know if Ebu, Obo and Polite can make it as DE's. I think they have a good chance to take over for Fowler as OLBers. I like Polite and hope he gets a little bigger and stronger in the offseason. The secondary should be solid with the Ramsey extension. They need to be on the same page. Wade or his replacement needs to get to work on that.

Fix the offensive line and the offense can be very effective. We've had many different scenarios of who will play where. At this point, I think there will be competition in camp to determine the best starters. I'm in on Whitworth coming back as Noteboom needs to get healthy, One upgrade free agent or early draft pick at OC/OG would go a long way to improving the line. Replacing Blythe would also be a big improvement.

Gurley can still be effective in both the run game and the passing game. He and Goff need to work on the passing game. They were out of sync the entire year. McVay needs to commit to Gurley as his main running back. I still think Henderson will be a difference-maker. I still have confidence in Goff. He needs better protection and needs to read the defense a little better. I think he decides where he is throwing the ball too soon at times. That could be because of the pass rush is forcing him to make faster decisions. He needs to run when he doesn't have an open WR/RB and not force a pass.

I don't think the play calling was all that bad. The execution wasn't there. I hope McVay has learned that he can use multiple offenses. He has the option of 11 and 12 personnel. With some more power upfront in the run game from an improved offensive line the Rams can dictate to defenses as they did in the past.

 

[Kevin]

About Henderson...

There have been veiled comments that hint that Henderson might not be smart enough to assimilate this O.

Just saying...

By whom? Coaches or sportswriters?

 

[FrantikRam]

I disagree.

There were games this year where you give Goff time and better play calling where he was awesome.

Then there were other games where he stayed in the pocket with very little time and he sucked.

It took McVay 11 games before he realized - you know what - we have a tight end that can get open and catch the ball. Let's give him some plays. Goff to Higbee was awesome the last 4 games.

In addition, McVay finally realized the keeping Goff in the pocket with very little time wasn't working.

Let's give him plays where he rolls out.

All of a sudden, Goff is making plays.

Did you watch the Dallas game? McVay did not have Goff roll out very much in the first three quarters and our offense went back into a standstill. It wasn't until the 4th quarter where Goff started throwing to the tight end again.

I agree that Goff is not very good when he stands in a pocket where he has less than 2 seconds to get rid of the ball. Most quarterbacks aren't. I see a very good QB when the coach gives him plays to succeed. McVay wasn't very good at that the majority of the time in the first 11 games.

And I disagree with this.

We've had relatively open WRs all year long. Goff hasn't hit them.

And his sack percentage is third best in the NFL.

There were games where the OL got beaten, for sure - but there were games where Goff had plenty of time too. He was still inconsistent even when he had plenty of time.

It's too easy to defend a QB like this. Throughout the course of a game, a team can easily apply pressure to a QB - it's what they're giving up on the back end to do so.

So there can be a game where Goff had time for most of the game, and I can point out a bad play and then someone can say "well on that play he didn't have time". Okay. If a QB needs that, then he shouldn't be making $35 million.

I definitely agree that the OL was bad. But so was Goff. And Gurley for that matter.

"All of a sudden Goff was making plays" is oversimplifying. They come up with a game plan based on the strengths and weaknesses of the defense they're playing against.

 

[bluecoconuts]

McVay being a former TE coach makes be think he’s going to do some significant upgrades to the playbook in terms of involving Higbee and Everett now that he knows he has a two headed monster there too.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Groups that I’m worried about that will need off-season attention:

RB. Hate to say it, but we’re in need of upgrade here. Gurley is a shadow of his former self, Brown has disappointed, and where the hell has Henderson been? Not ALL of our running problems are the fault of our OL. We need more than these 3 guys at RB to be serious SB contenders again.

Disagree here.

What's the real difference between the 2018 and 2019 Rams offense ?

Same personnel at WR
Same personnel at TE
Same personnel at #1 and #2 RB positions, Henderson was drafted & the two regular season games of CJ Anderson were exchanged.

Then there's the OL ...
Saffold, arguably one of the best OG's in the league replaced by Noteboom, and the undersized rookie Bryan Allen taking over for the grizzled vet John Sullivan. Not only are Noteboom & Allen playing side by side, but Allen also has the weakest link from 2018 in Blythe on his other side. When Noteboom & Allen go down to injury, who replaces them ? Not veteran reserves, but 2 rookies who have never taken an NFL snap prior. The interior OL is a mess in 2019, thankfully we did as well as we did.

The Rams rushing attempts in 2018 were 459 for 2231 total yards at an average of 4.9 per with 23 TD's.
In 15 2019 games, rushing attempts are down to 368 for 1386 total yards at an average of 3.8 per with 19 TD's.
Sure, some of this is on McVay, but i'd argue his reasoning is due to the interior OL lacking the functionality it possessed a year earlier.
Our passing attempts numbers remain nearly the same, so we aren't passing more, we are rushing less.
Goff's total yards are down, his TD's have gone from 32 to 19, and his interceptions have gone from 12 in 16 games to 17 in 15 games.
Again, some of this is on Goff, but you must also attribute partial blame to being under more pressure from a shaky OL.

Gurley is not the problem, not yet anyway.

 

[Rams43]

By whom? Coaches or sportswriters?

Both, Kevin.

Had to read between the lines a little bit, granted, ‘cause nobody wants to come right out and say it plainly.

Unfortunately, I don‘t have links or quotes.

 

[Giles]

And I disagree with this.

We've had relatively open WRs all year long. Goff hasn't hit them.

And his sack percentage is third best in the NFL.

There were games where the OL got beaten, for sure - but there were games where Goff had plenty of time too. He was still inconsistent even when he had plenty of time.

It's too easy to defend a QB like this. Throughout the course of a game, a team can easily apply pressure to a QB - it's what they're giving up on the back end to do so.

So there can be a game where Goff had time for most of the game, and I can point out a bad play and then someone can say "well on that play he didn't have time". Okay. If a QB needs that, then he shouldn't be making $35 million.

I definitely agree that the OL was bad. But so was Goff. And Gurley for that matter.

"All of a sudden Goff was making plays" is oversimplifying. They come up with a game plan based on the strengths and weaknesses of the defense they're playing against.

Using sacks as a way to grade a oline is "oversimplifying" The oline was pure trash all year and goff and Gurley regressed from it. Sorry to tell you all pocket passer need time to throw and goff is no different. Look at Brady for a perfect example.

 

[Merlin]

About Henderson...

There have been veiled comments that hint that Henderson might not be smart enough to assimilate this O.

Just saying...

Maybe so 43. Or maybe he's a rookie who has a former MVP candidate ahead of him on the depth chart. I think it has a lot more to do with that not to mention his protections, which when combined with the OL play is not something the staff wants to risk.

I see a lot of opinions like that being thrown around. But I can show you his snaps where it's clear it's not his fault. Kid got into the game early on vs SF and had a good run where the line blocked well for him, followed by a breakdown on the right side the next play. IMO Hendy is going to be fine. Rams need to block more consistently.

Another area where FANS are missing IMO is the run scheme. Rams seem to get beat a lot due to defenders not being where they are supposed to be irt their scheme. OL seems to have a lot of reach block assignments too, which, given the defensive formations would be very hard to execute. Scheme is a problem IMO. Don't hear one word being thrown around about our run game coordinator though hrm so strange when we have experts who know Wade's done on defense eh?

Here's an example of what I'm talking about... Late first quarter we have a 2nd and 2 that we need to sustain a drive (that ends up being converted by Goff the next play). This is a classic run down. Rams dial up a run to Gurley and he's stuffed for 1 yard gain. Fans be like "Gurley isn't the same guy" and start firing up the flamethrower. But here's what happened:

Pre-snap Rams are loaded up on the right side:

At the snap we see a fake jet motion (when the Rams do run the jet it tends to be toward the wide side hash which it would be here) intended to spread the defense. They don't budge. Also the handoff is to the weak side, which completely depends on that jet motion selling the action:

At the handoff 20 is already keying on Gurley. That's the book on our offense: ignore the jet action. We see it over and over and over on film:

20 blows it up. Gurley will still get it outside but by then it's over:

We needed 2 yards there. You can't tell me that scheme was well drawn up when everyone knows teams disregard the jet action.

IMO the issue here is Kromer is not up to snuff coordinating the run game. Stack that concern on top of the talent problem we already have, and the inconsistencies we see due to young players learning on the job.