With a Quarter of the Season Played - Observations and Opinions

[Noregar]

At the quarter pole of the season we are starting to see what kind of team we have. I was curious what general opinions and observations my fellow Ram fans on this forum have formed about our current Ram’s squad after watching the first four games? I have seen some some prevailing opinions about the team and certain players emerge in just the day to day forum discussions but it I wanted to combine some of these opinions in one place so here are a few of mine......

Even though it is early, I think McVay is the real deal as a head coach. I hope I am right and my optimism is not misplaced.

For me, my biggest disappointment has been the defense in general for the amount of points they have allowed. I have full confidence in Phillips as DC. I put much of the blame on the players overplaying things putting themselves out of position or getting misaligned to impact he play. Three defenders in particular have disappointed me and have not played up to what I had expected. Those three are Quinn, Olgetree and Alexander. With Quinn being the biggest disappointment by far. In Quinn’s defense he has played against some of the better left tackles in three of the four Rams outings and he looks rusty after not suiting up in any of the preseason games. However, if Quinn cannot not feast on Seattle’s depleted offensive line playing beside the likes of Donald and Brockers then he may be washed-up in my book. For Olgetree I think he is undersized for a 3-4 MLB and he is getting blocked out of plays too much especially since the Rams do not have that space eating DT to eat up blockers. Tree has great range and speed so I expect him to continue to improve but to date he has not warranted a fat 2018 contract extension from the Rams.

On the flip side Joyner has been a pleasant surprise for me at FS and Brockers is doing better with the 3-4 transition than I expected. I actually thought Baron might struggle because he is undersized for a 3-4 ILB. To Barron’s credit he is leading the team in tackles and he has made some really nice plays like the screen saving tackle against the 49ers but he has also been badly out of position on some of the big runs the defense has given up.

On offense I have been pleasantly surprised by their production. I felt they could be a much better unit but still I had tempered my expectations just because last year’s offense left such a bad taste in my mouth. I surely did not expect the offense to be averaging 31.5 points per game. I was hoping Gurley could bounce back but after last season’s struggles but I was not certain he would. Now any concerns I had about Gurley have finally been put to rest.

I am actually not surprised by Goff. So far he is who I thought he could be and I think he is not even close the being the finished product we will see three to four years down the road when I think he will be considered one of the top 5 QB’s in the league.

I am really impressed by the young talent the Rams have assembled at WR and TE. The WR group has a lot of upside if they can stay healthy.

Kromer was a great hire and he has greatly been helped by Whitworth who looks like he could be is one of the best FA acquisitions the Rams have ever made.

 

[Ramstien]

Coaching does make a difference.

 

[leoram]

So far the Rams have played two depleted defenses and two underrated defenses and have excelled against all four. The progress is obvious but the next four games will be much tougher sledding. The Hawks, Jags, Cards, and Texans all have better defenses than any of our first four contests. Most reactionary fans and media will claim this start was a mirage and the entire NFL suddenly caught up with McVay and Goff. But the truth is that they could score half as many points this next quarter and still be making progress.

Defensively, while the Colts could’ve made any defense look good that first game without Brissett or Luck, the Niners, Skins, and Cowboys exposed our weaknesses. Any team that abandons the run against us does us a huge favor. Wade’s defense places a premium on the linebackers and safeties executing the game plan by making decisions based on the offense. The DLine and corners have relatively simpler responsibilities but have to win athletically. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the linebackers and safeties have struggled to adapt to the system but that should actually be a comforting thought as we can expect improvement as the season progresses.

The truly fortunate thing about this schedule is that as we start to see tougher defenses and can expect less offensive production this quarter, we will be facing two of the worst OLines in all of football (Hawks and Cards) and two schitzoid offenses that sometimes look unstoppable and other times can’t get out of their own way (Jags, Texans). I forsee another 3-1 quarter with us destroying the Hawks and Cards while we get shocked by either the Jags or Texans.

 

[DaveFan'51]

Here are our Offensive Ranking thru the 1st Quarter:
* 5th in total Yards 1535!
* 5th in Yards per game 383.8!
* 4th in Passing yards 1081!
* 5th in passing yards per game 270.3!
* 15th in Total rushing Yards 454!
* 15th in rush Yards per game 113.5!
* 1st in points scored 142!
* 1st points per game 35.5!
And
the Team is Tied for 4th in the Takeaway Dept. w/ 7! 15th in giveaways (5) and Tied for 8th with a +2 Diff.!
Not too shabby for the 32nd rand Offence in 2016!! And we are going to get better!!

 

[JonRam99]

Great post. Here's my thoughts:

Goffense:
Goff will be not just top 5 but top 3 QB in 2-3 years. Rogers & Brady & Rothlisberger & Rivers & Brees will all be retired by that point. I'm questioning Carr's durability. Cam will be a top 5 QB, not sure about any of the other "young guns". Wentz doesn't have it in my opinion, he may still be top 10 QB but not top 5. With time to throw, Goff is very accurate, and leads his recievers well for great YAC potential. He overthrew a few players last week but who doesn't? I think his production will be impacted by whoever replaces Whitworth, not sure if we can luck out like this again, getting a top tier healthy probowl LT in FA. Goff is still incredibly young -- is he even 24 yet??
Gurley will be a top 3 RB for the next 2-3 years at least. His production will only get better in a balanced offense with D's not stacking the box & a better OL. His chops as a receiver I never doubted -- have you seen his mitts??? he'll catch anything in his radius. I worry about all the hurdles, he's gonna get hurt.
The TE's are growing up before our eyes, I even like the Carrier kid. The WR's are suddenly a great group, with each one offering production at their position (x/y/z/slot etc.). I think Reynolds could replace Sammy W. -- but why would you want to??? I hope we can extend him somehow. that basket catch was insane. Even Austin has been getting into the act lately, I really hope they continue working him into the plan -- he has just been rusty I think w/ all the time off in the preseason.
The OL's are what the biggest surprise has been. All are contributing, even Blythe & Hav & Brown who we all had concerns about. They aren't perfect, but it seems they're soaking up the teachings of Coach Whitworth -- I'm beginning to think he's the best OL coach we've had in 15 years. Kromer is good too I guess, lol. They need to clean up some of the red zone killing penalties though.
All told, I knew this unit had tremendous potential -- it just needed to get & get confidence, which I didn't think would happen right out of the gate with the beatdown of the Colts. So ridiculous to think now that many media types picked them over the Rams, then flip-flopped like jumping beans & dogged the Colts as the worst in the league, as if they somehow knew this in advance. The flip-flopping has grown into a full blown vat of asian carp, with every talking head eating their words on national TV, the very ones who were calling Goff a certified "bust" in the offseason, even after the preseason games were played, as one dufus said he was benched for Mannion, smh.

Defense:
We all remember the transition to Greg Williams, right? the season that "sack city" went 0-fer in the first 6 games? then exploded the rest of the year, including pitching a couple of shut-outs? I'm predicting a similar growth from this unit. We need to give them time to acclimate to the calls, scheme, etc., and Wade needs time to evaluate pieces. Whoda thunk Brockers would be our best DE?? Walker is a better NT, freeing Brockmonster to wreck havoc. AD just needs time to adjust & absorb hits & get used to the 3-4 scheme, and we need a space-clogging NT to allow him & Brock to tee off.
I'm concerned too about the mighty Quinn. He's a great 4-3 DE, but he's not going to slide inside -- who's place will he take? on the outside, he's washed out of plays too easily, trying to bend the corner. We need a guy w/ a spin-cycle move like Ware had who could spin inside. I'm seeing him traded at the end of the year. Price & Fox & the others need to step up their game. Barwin has been a disappointment, I thought he'd be plug-n-play, but maybe there's other consideratoins....
....such as the ILB's. I think AO, as the captain, is still adjusting to the 3-4 & learning the scheme & assignments. If he's still doing the MLB role, & calling out assignments, that could explain a lot of missed assignments.. As former safeties, he & Barron seem miscast as ILB's and the play so far confirms this. I feel better with Littleton in the backfield. Barron has come on, but again we need someone who won't get washed out by pulling guards & TE's, a true ILB who can shed blocks & wreck RB's & destroy TE's over the middle. I think they have potential in this D, just not sure where...could AO be a OLB?? not sure he can shed an LT or big TE. I just don't know guys.
CB's / FS / SS are not bad, but Mo needs to Go. J. Johnson will grow, I'd like to see him & Joyner together (if he can stay healthy). We really miss Joyner. Gotta get this kid healthy, a top FS when he's out there. As for TruJo.... I'm close to done. He really needed to step up for his contract year; I thought he'd be our best CB by far but so far he's been getting picked on. I really think we should've kept JJ, his contract couldn't have been any worse than the franchise tag $ we're paying now.
All told, this D will grow better as the season progresses & opposing OL'ers get dinged up & worn down. But I really see the need for upgrades at SS / CB / ILB. This could be draft or FA, I don't care, but Wade needs to wade into the discussion this offseason.

Special Teams:
Keep on rollin' boys. I think Austin again needs to get more reps in as a returner; he had no muffs this past week. By the end of the year I think he busts a few TD's out. Pharaoh has been great, but I think we miss Cunningham. Again, I think PC will grow into this.

Coaching:
McWOW. So impressed. One of the best hires since Martz, and I'm not kidding. The maturity & knowledge & attention to detail & organization & communication skills are all off the charts. I thought he'd be behind hot coach candidate Shanahan in terms of growth, but it's been the opposite. He went toe-to-toe with Shanahan & won. I did not expect that, I thought McVay would be out-coached in this but he wasn't. I think some of this is Shanahan buying his own hype & not delegating authority like McVay does. In fact, with Martz's penchant for control, I think McVay has the potential to be a HOF coach by the end of his career, if he doesn't burn out in a few years that is. He's gotta keep the fire & intensity going & not turn into a "player's coach" like Fisher did.
Wade is still working on training his players, switching a 4-3 team of players to a 3-4. He brought in Barwin & Webster & NRC & Walker to help the transition, which I think has helped some for sure. Once they gel as a unit, look out. I saw many plays so far that went for TD's that we were VERY close to completely disrupting. His halftime adjustments have been great, how long since we've seen coaches who could do this??? With some tweaks & coaching, I think we're going to get stronger & stronger. Top 10 unit by end of year. Top 5 by end of the next, if we can get some badly needed LB / secondary upgrades.
LaFluer, Kromer, etc. almost getting overlooked, but I think they're all top notch guys & fit well in McVay's system. Dunno about the D coaches, I'm sure they're ok but if the D doesn't improve by years end we may have to upgrade; if we roll on into the playoffs, we'll be a destination for hot candidates in the future.
All told, this staff has the potential to form a dynasty. POTENTIAL to. If Wade can stay with us another year, & he can groom his successor, I think we can stay relevant for the next decade.

 

[Rmfnlt]

Clearly, all the off-season changes have resulted in a totally different - much better - team!

Beating DAL in DAL was big for me. But, as always, there are caveats.. no Sean Lee, for example.

So, I'm going to remain cautiously optimistic for a few more games.

I love what I've seen thus far... I love it that I don't have that despair when they go down by 10 points.

But this is the NFL and things have a way of changing quickly.

Do I think they'll revert to a Fisher-like mess? Not at all.

But, the more games they play, the more film on them and the more opponents will be prepared.

Sunday is another excellent challenge that should get me closer to knowing what team this really is. SEA needs this game - desperately. They will be fired up unlike any other team the Rams have faced thus far.

Can they withstand SEA's best effort? It's gonna be a great game, IMO.

 

[DR RAM]

The defense still needs to take a huge step.

Kromer has been a genius.

McVay is better than advertised.

Goff, and Gurley have been magnificent.

WR's overall play has been the best in a decade.

 

[BonifayRam]

At the quarter pole of the season we are starting to see what kind of team we have. I was curious what general opinions and observations my fellow Ram fans on this forum have formed about our current Ram’s squad after watching the first four games? I have seen some some prevailing opinions about the team and certain players emerge in just the day to day forum discussions but it I wanted to combine some of these opinions in one place so here are a few of mine......

Even though it is early, I think McVay is the real deal as a head coach. I hope I am right and my optimism is not misplaced.

For me, my biggest disappointment has been the defense in general for the amount of points they have allowed. I have full confidence in Phillips as DC. I put much of the blame on the players overplaying things putting themselves out of position or getting misaligned to impact he play. Three defenders in particular have disappointed me and have not played up to what I had expected. Those three are Quinn, Olgetree and Alexander. With Quinn being the biggest disappointment by far. In Quinn’s defense he has played against some of the better left tackles in three of the four Rams outings and he looks rusty after not suiting up in any of the preseason games. However, if Quinn cannot not feast on Seattle’s depleted offensive line playing beside the likes of Donald and Brockers then he may be washed-up in my book. For Olgetree I think he is undersized for a 3-4 MLB and he is getting blocked out of plays too much especially since the Rams do not have that space eating DT to eat up blockers. Tree has great range and speed so I expect him to continue to improve but to date he has not warranted a fat 2018 contract extension from the Rams.

On the flip side Joyner has been a pleasant surprise for me at FS and Brockers is doing better with the 3-4 transition than I expected. I actually thought Baron might struggle because he is undersized for a 3-4 ILB. To Barron’s credit he is leading the team in tackles and he has made some really nice plays like the screen saving tackle against the 49ers but he has also been badly out of position on some of the big runs the defense has given up.

On offense I have been pleasantly surprised by their production. I felt they could be a much better unit but still I had tempered my expectations just because last year’s offense left such a bad taste in my mouth. I surely did not expect the offense to be averaging 31.5 points per game. I was hoping Gurley could bounce back but after last season’s struggles but I was not certain he would. Now any concerns I had about Gurley have finally been put to rest.

I am actually not surprised by Goff. So far he is who I thought he could be and I think he is not even close the being the finished product we will see three to four years down the road when I think he will be considered one of the top 5 QB’s in the league.

I am really impressed by the young talent the Rams have assembled at WR and TE. The WR group has a lot of upside if they can stay healthy.

Kromer was a great hire and he has greatly been helped by Whitworth who looks like he could be is one of the best FA acquisitions the Rams have ever made.

Rob Quinn has looked weak & non productive in the four gms thus far period. I hold no hope for any improvement. Quinn means there is always a win ongoing @ LT for our opponents.alm: It would be a great ideal to trade him to a 43 "D" for a inside LB'er who can thump (Mychal Kendricks) this is priority #1 to get done before the end of this month. Rams may end up eating some of the near 11 million cap hit Quinn has. Lonacre/ Ebukam & Price can easily fill the positive vacancy caused by Quinn departure.

Alec Ogletree is really having issues in this 34 defense Tree sure played near All Pro level last season as a MLB in a 43 "D". This season he is in Fail Mode. Not sure we can get Tree back to playing where he can make plays in the run "D". The best we can do for him @ the moment is give him a serious thumper beside him where Mark Barron Plays. Other than that I see BIG trouble in the run "D". I have been a big Tree fan too.

Mark Barron could shift back to the Strong Safety post without too much of a issue & turn that position into a hitting powerhouse & send Mo Alexander to the bench where he has played himself. Mo has shown he is no run enforcer where Barron can pick up the needed role & immediate help out on the run "D" we need to do this by during the bye. Keeping Barron @ ILB'er along with Tree is not good for either of them. Something has to give here.

Anyone find fault in these suggestions?

 

[DR RAM]

Rob Quinn has looked weak & non productive in the four gms thus far period. I hold no hope for any improvement. Quinn means there is always a win ongoing @ LT for our opponents.alm: It would be a great ideal to trade him to a 43 "D" for a inside LB'er who can thump (Mychal Kendricks) this is priority #1 to get done before the end of this month. Rams may end up eating some of the near 11 million cap hit Quinn has.

Alec Ogletree is really having issues in this 34 defense Tree sure played near All Pro level last season as a MLB in a 43 "D". This season he is in Fail Mode. Not sure we can get Tree back to playing where he can make plays in the run "D". The best we can do for him @ the moment is give him a serious thumper beside him where Mark Barron Plays. Other than that I see BIG trouble in the run "D".

Mark Barron could shift back to the Strong Safety post without too much of a issue & turn that position into a hitting powerhouse & send Mo Alexander to the bench where he has played himself. Mo has shown he is no run enforcer where Barron can pick up the needed role & immediate help out on the run "D" we need to do this by during the bye.

Anyone find fault in these suggestions?

All of these issues really bother me, and I've been holding out hope. I"ll give them two more games to figure it out. I agree with your points though.

Move Aaron Donald to MLB!!!!

 

[ljramsfan]

I forsee another 3-1 quarter with us destroying the Hawks and Cards while we get shocked by either the Jags or Texans.

These are my next two losses also

 

[cvramsfan]

Even though it is early, I think McVay is the real deal as a head coach. I hope I am right and my optimism is not misplaced.

I am right there with you, he just seems to get it. In fact when I seen and talked a little to Whitworth at Disneyland before the season started I told him how much I liked the new coach and that "he seemed to get it" and when Whitworth response to me was "oh he gets it" I knew they hired the right coach.

I love the WE not me of this team. They truly seem to not care who the star of the week is, they just want to win. Every addition added appears to be a fit, coach or player one and all.

This Sunday will be my first time to see them live, in fact my first NFL game live. I will have my old school Youngblood 85 jersey on and hope the RAMS reward me with a great game and "W".

GO RAMS!!!!!!

 

[leoram]

Rob Quinn has looked weak & non productive in the four gms thus far period. I hold no hope for any improvement. Quinn means there is always a win ongoing @ LT for our opponents.alm: It would be a great ideal to trade him to a 43 "D" for a inside LB'er who can thump (Mychal Kendricks) this is priority #1 to get done before the end of this month. Rams may end up eating some of the near 11 million cap hit Quinn has. Lonacre/ Ebukam & Price can easily fill the positive vacancy caused by Quinn departure.

Alec Ogletree is really having issues in this 34 defense Tree sure played near All Pro level last season as a MLB in a 43 "D". This season he is in Fail Mode. Not sure we can get Tree back to playing where he can make plays in the run "D". The best we can do for him @ the moment is give him a serious thumper beside him where Mark Barron Plays. Other than that I see BIG trouble in the run "D". I have been a big Tree fan too.

Mark Barron could shift back to the Strong Safety post without too much of a issue & turn that position into a hitting powerhouse & send Mo Alexander to the bench where he has played himself. Mo has shown he is no run enforcer where Barron can pick up the needed role & immediate help out on the run "D" we need to do this by during the bye. Keeping Barron @ ILB'er along with Tree is not good for either of them. Something has to give here.

Anyone find fault in these suggestions?

Good thoughts, but...
Trading Quinn is a pipe dream...
Who replaces Barron if you move him to SS?

Frankly, Wade’s D is simple for the DL and corners but complex for the LB’s and Safeties. It’s too late to change personnel...improvement can only occur if Son of Bum gets these guys coached up...plain yet not simple

 

[BonifayRam]

Good thoughts, but...
Trading Quinn is a pipe dream...
Who replaces Barron if you move him to SS?

Frankly, Wade’s D is simple for the DL and corners but complex for the LB’s and Safeties. It’s too late to change personnel...improvement can only occur if Son of Bum gets these guys coached up...plain yet not simple

Hard to argue with your Rob Quinn comment because I know he is really done as a elite pass rusher but I know some 43 D teams are always looking for pass rushers.

I gave an answer to your Barron question make a trade for an 34 "D" LB'er who has the experienced needed @ inside LB'er. I know of one that is on the trading block currently who fits this above description. He is starting in the 43 Eagles defense @ SSOLB'er. This should not be a hard find.

The comment of the complexity of Wade's 34 D for LB'ers might be correct then we should have seen a serious plan to get our LB'ers much more time in pre season. Fact is we never saw Quinn nor Barron in pre season & we got a small glimpse of Barwin & Tree. What we did see was a half dozen LB'ers get a ton of playing time who today are no longer playing in the NFL.....did Wade mess Up?

 

[yrba1]

On the flip side Joyner has been a pleasant surprise for me at FS

Not for me, he was a natural at the FS spot during his Seminole days. Williams's scheme just didn't have a true FS, glad Phillips's utilizing Joyner to his full potential

 

[Hey Man]

All you guys post really good descriptive articles. I can't even come close to write what you all can. All I can say is I agree with you all and I'm really enjoying watching this season so far. The team is clicking in a way that is winning game and is fun to watch agian.

 

[Tron]

Great post. Here's my thoughts:

Goffense:
Goff will be not just top 5 but top 3 QB in 2-3 years. Rogers & Brady & Rothlisberger & Rivers & Brees will all be retired by that point. I'm questioning Carr's durability. Cam will be a top 5 QB, not sure about any of the other "young guns". Wentz doesn't have it in my opinion, he may still be top 10 QB but not top 5. With time to throw, Goff is very accurate, and leads his recievers well for great YAC potential. He overthrew a few players last week but who doesn't? I think his production will be impacted by whoever replaces Whitworth, not sure if we can luck out like this again, getting a top tier healthy probowl LT in FA. Goff is still incredibly young -- is he even 24 yet??
Gurley will be a top 3 RB for the next 2-3 years at least. His production will only get better in a balanced offense with D's not stacking the box & a better OL. His chops as a receiver I never doubted -- have you seen his mitts??? he'll catch anything in his radius. I worry about all the hurdles, he's gonna get hurt.
The TE's are growing up before our eyes, I even like the Carrier kid. The WR's are suddenly a great group, with each one offering production at their position (x/y/z/slot etc.). I think Reynolds could replace Sammy W. -- but why would you want to??? I hope we can extend him somehow. that basket catch was insane. Even Austin has been getting into the act lately, I really hope they continue working him into the plan -- he has just been rusty I think w/ all the time off in the preseason.
The OL's are what the biggest surprise has been. All are contributing, even Blythe & Hav & Brown who we all had concerns about. They aren't perfect, but it seems they're soaking up the teachings of Coach Whitworth -- I'm beginning to think he's the best OL coach we've had in 15 years. Kromer is good too I guess, lol. They need to clean up some of the red zone killing penalties though.
All told, I knew this unit had tremendous potential -- it just needed to get & get confidence, which I didn't think would happen right out of the gate with the beatdown of the Colts. So ridiculous to think now that many media types picked them over the Rams, then flip-flopped like jumping beans & dogged the Colts as the worst in the league, as if they somehow knew this in advance. The flip-flopping has grown into a full blown vat of asian carp, with every talking head eating their words on national TV, the very ones who were calling Goff a certified "bust" in the offseason, even after the preseason games were played, as one dufus said he was benched for Mannion, smh.

Defense:
We all remember the transition to Greg Williams, right? the season that "sack city" went 0-fer in the first 6 games? then exploded the rest of the year, including pitching a couple of shut-outs? I'm predicting a similar growth from this unit. We need to give them time to acclimate to the calls, scheme, etc., and Wade needs time to evaluate pieces. Whoda thunk Brockers would be our best DE?? Walker is a better NT, freeing Brockmonster to wreck havoc. AD just needs time to adjust & absorb hits & get used to the 3-4 scheme, and we need a space-clogging NT to allow him & Brock to tee off.
I'm concerned too about the mighty Quinn. He's a great 4-3 DE, but he's not going to slide inside -- who's place will he take? on the outside, he's washed out of plays too easily, trying to bend the corner. We need a guy w/ a spin-cycle move like Ware had who could spin inside. I'm seeing him traded at the end of the year. Price & Fox & the others need to step up their game. Barwin has been a disappointment, I thought he'd be plug-n-play, but maybe there's other consideratoins....
....such as the ILB's. I think AO, as the captain, is still adjusting to the 3-4 & learning the scheme & assignments. If he's still doing the MLB role, & calling out assignments, that could explain a lot of missed assignments.. As former safeties, he & Barron seem miscast as ILB's and the play so far confirms this. I feel better with Littleton in the backfield. Barron has come on, but again we need someone who won't get washed out by pulling guards & TE's, a true ILB who can shed blocks & wreck RB's & destroy TE's over the middle. I think they have potential in this D, just not sure where...could AO be a OLB?? not sure he can shed an LT or big TE. I just don't know guys.
CB's / FS / SS are not bad, but Mo needs to Go. J. Johnson will grow, I'd like to see him & Joyner together (if he can stay healthy). We really miss Joyner. Gotta get this kid healthy, a top FS when he's out there. As for TruJo.... I'm close to done. He really needed to step up for his contract year; I thought he'd be our best CB by far but so far he's been getting picked on. I really think we should've kept JJ, his contract couldn't have been any worse than the franchise tag $ we're paying now.
All told, this D will grow better as the season progresses & opposing OL'ers get dinged up & worn down. But I really see the need for upgrades at SS / CB / ILB. This could be draft or FA, I don't care, but Wade needs to wade into the discussion this offseason.

Special Teams:
Keep on rollin' boys. I think Austin again needs to get more reps in as a returner; he had no muffs this past week. By the end of the year I think he busts a few TD's out. Pharaoh has been great, but I think we miss Cunningham. Again, I think PC will grow into this.

Coaching:
McWOW. So impressed. One of the best hires since Martz, and I'm not kidding. The maturity & knowledge & attention to detail & organization & communication skills are all off the charts. I thought he'd be behind hot coach candidate Shanahan in terms of growth, but it's been the opposite. He went toe-to-toe with Shanahan & won. I did not expect that, I thought McVay would be out-coached in this but he wasn't. I think some of this is Shanahan buying his own hype & not delegating authority like McVay does. In fact, with Martz's penchant for control, I think McVay has the potential to be a HOF coach by the end of his career, if he doesn't burn out in a few years that is. He's gotta keep the fire & intensity going & not turn into a "player's coach" like Fisher did.
Wade is still working on training his players, switching a 4-3 team of players to a 3-4. He brought in Barwin & Webster & NRC & Walker to help the transition, which I think has helped some for sure. Once they gel as a unit, look out. I saw many plays so far that went for TD's that we were VERY close to completely disrupting. His halftime adjustments have been great, how long since we've seen coaches who could do this??? With some tweaks & coaching, I think we're going to get stronger & stronger. Top 10 unit by end of year. Top 5 by end of the next, if we can get some badly needed LB / secondary upgrades.
LaFluer, Kromer, etc. almost getting overlooked, but I think they're all top notch guys & fit well in McVay's system. Dunno about the D coaches, I'm sure they're ok but if the D doesn't improve by years end we may have to upgrade; if we roll on into the playoffs, we'll be a destination for hot candidates in the future.
All told, this staff has the potential to form a dynasty. POTENTIAL to. If Wade can stay with us another year, & he can groom his successor, I think we can stay relevant for the next decade.

Nope, Goff not 24 yet, not even 23!!!! Still 22 till the 14th of this month! I think he is second youngest starter to Watson of the texans.

 

[Memento]

My observations:

I expected Jared Goff to be good. I didn't expect him to be this good right now. He's going through his reads, navigates the pocket well, doesn't make costly mistakes, and he's been throwing with touch and accuracy. I'm going to say it right now: most improved player of the year by far and a candidate for OPofY, along with Gurley.

Speaking of Gurley. Hot damn, he's been on fire. He's going to get over 2,000 yards from scrimmage if he keeps this pace up. Will he? I'm going to go out on a limb and say that he will.

Tavon has helped tremendously with Gurley, giving the Rams an effective decoy while essentially being a backup running back. Brown has been another solid back, and Justin Davis is good enough to be a backup as well. I'm also not going to forget about Sam Rogers, our fullback on the practice squad and Lenard Tillery, who is another running back that I've championed who is currently on IR.

Our wide receivers have finally fallen into place after signing Woods in free agency, drafting Cooper and Reynolds, and that shrewd trade for Sammy Watkins to add onto holdovers in Tavon, Pharoh, Thomas, and McRoberts (practice squad). It's given Goff a ton of weapons to choose from - and the scary thing is that none of them are older than twenty-seven. This is a very young group who is only going to get better. Essentially, teams can pick their poison when it comes to being torn a new asshole by Gurley on the ground or letting Goff tear them a new asshole through the air. And sometimes? Both of those things happen. I haven't seen this since the GSOT days. Teams try to stop us doing something, and we manage to do it anyway.

Add in our tight ends to this group. Higbee and Hemingway (I'm still holding out hope for Hemingway, but want him to stay on IR so that he can fully recover and so he isn't cut or something.) are the holdovers and after drafting Everett and trading for Carrier, our tight ends are still in the middle of development. I've seen flashes from both Higbee and Everett, and Carrier has been a solid blocker. There's room for improvement, and like the wide receivers, this is a very young group. Derek Carrier is the elder statesman at twenty-seven. Higbee is twenty-four, Everett is twenty-three, and Hemingway is twenty-four. And let's not forget about the rookie, Johnny Mundt, who showed a lot in preseason.

The offensive line. What can I say about these five studs that hasn't already been said? Whitworth is a beast and only allowing one pressure through four games is beyond anything that anyone could've expected. Saffold has settled into left guard and hasn't had his name called much - the greatest compliment you can give an offensive lineman. Sullivan has been a godsend because he calls the line protection scheme, and he's been a lifeline to Jared Goff. Blythe filling in for Sullivan has been good when his name is called as well. And Jamon and Havenstein. People were panicking about them. They thought that they would be a weakness. They've been anything but a weakness. They've formed their own synergy and have taken their games to another level. Without those five blocking, Goff and Gurley wouldn't have the success they've had.

Now for the defense. I know that things aren't where we're expecting, but there are bright spots.

Moving Brockers to 5-tech and letting Smart play nose tackle was one of the smartest moves I've seen. I know it's limited, but Brockers and Donald have been All-Pro caliber at their respective positions. Smart hasn't had his name called much, but he's been a very good reserve, and now that he's getting a chance to start, it'll be interesting to see how the rookie does. Fox, Walker, and Westbrooks form a nice reserve group, and I expect to see Omarius Bryant (practice squad) eventually take over for one of Walker or Westbrooks. It's a shame that Easley got injured.

Linebacker...well, there's good and bad. The good is that Longacre has been pretty good at outside linebacker. I love what Ebukam brings to the table. I really think that Ogletree is thinking more than reacting, and that will change when he gets more situated with the defense. And I have high hopes for Price. The bad? Quinn and Barwin are done. I'm sorry to say this because they really are good guys, but I expect them to be replaced after this season. They have been terrible. I like Barron, but he's too light for a 3-4 linebacker. I don't even know if moving him to strong safety is going to help because the guy failed as a strong safety in Tampa and wasn't really that good with us before we switched him to linebacker. As a linebacker, he's fantastic in coverage, but still...I expect us to go after a lot of linebackers in the draft. I still think it was a huge mistake to let Josh Forrest go.

Now for the defensive backs. I'll start with the good. Joyner, like I thought - and like others who also thought it - is great when he's playing free safety. JJ3 made a hell of a play at his safety position when the game was on the line in Dallas. NRC has been a revelation in the slot. Kayvon, in my opinion, is going to improve. Tru, when he's on, is good. Countess has made a few good plays on special teams. Now for the bad. I still don't like to see Troy Hill's face on this team. Tru, when he's off, struggles, and I don't think that we're going to re-sign him. Hatfield has been hit and miss. Christian made one of the stupidest plays I've seen from this year's team last game: a block in the back when the guy was already being blocked. I expect him to be cut. Peterson, when he's played, has been awful. And Mo. What can I say about Mo? I like the guy, I really do. Being a St. Louis kid scores points with me. He was very good last year. But he's played terribly at strong safety. I hope that he signs a one year deal with us as a backup safety (who can play both free and strong safety in a pinch) because I don't think that he's really that bad. But it's getting harder for me to justify it.

The special teams have been special. Legatron hasn't missed a field goal or extra point so far. Hekker has been the GOAT. McQuaide obviously wants to go to another Pro Bowl. Pharoh needs to learn when to take a knee, but he's improving, and that forty-plus yard run was fantastic. Tavon can improve with his punt returns, but you can probably chalk that up to being injured. Overall, I can't say much bad about special teams. Maybe clean up some of the penalties, but it's an improvement from Fisher.

Now for the coaching. Oh my fucking fate, the coaching. Sean McVay is a savant. I've never seen anyone's system work the way his does. He demands perfection, and yet he's a teacher, first and foremost. Son of Bum is going to get that defense straightened out. Bones has had a very good special teams, like usual, and I love that McVay kept him on and let him run the special teams. The position coaches have been teachers, and it's night and day from Fisher's coaching staff. And McVay kept Snead on as a GM. He could've gone his own direction, but he kept a great talent evaluator and worked with him to get the players who could succeed.

My evaluation - for the TL;DR crowd? Everything's beyond exceeded expectations, except for linebackers and some defensive backs. I'm sorry if some of this has delved too off-topic, but I had to get all of my thoughts down.

 

[JonRam99]

Nope, Goff not 24 yet, not even 23!!!! Still 22 till the 14th of this month! I think he is second youngest starter to Watson of the texans.

Oh man, we got him at least another decade if the FO plays its cards right. :yay:been waiting for a franchise QB since what, Warner?

 

[Tron]

Oh man, we got him at least another decade if the FO plays its cards right. :yay:been waiting for a franchise QB since what, Warner?

We can get him for much longer than a decade if all works out!! :cheers:

 

[OldSchool]

Thread winner @Memento well said agree with everything.