fearsomefour
Legend
Reading that a sort of having a "yeah!!" moment reading Garrett and McDuffies' names....it warmed the cockles of my heart....that is to say, my cockles are warm....
OFFICIAL 2026 Rams Offense Thread
- Thread starter Tumak61
- Start date
-
To unlock all of features of Rams On Demand please take a brief moment to register. Registering is not only quick and easy, it also allows you access to additional features such as live chat, private messaging, and a host of other apps exclusive to Rams On Demand.
fearsomefour
Legend
Yeah, that single leg work is nuts.The first part of that video - all I thought of was a twisted ankle. That’d be me right away. Then again, I’m not a professional athlete
Yeah pretty much everything he's doing in that video I'd get one step into and my knee would be "nope!".The first part of that video - all I thought of was a twisted ankle. That’d be me right away. Then again, I’m not a professional athlete
It would be good if someone emerged as the 3rd top dog, but why is it necessary?
Last year, they had no distinguishable 3rd guy - the TEs were all productive with numbers in the same range - and still had the #1 offense. I see no reason why this year can't be the same.
WestCoastRam
Legend
I low key agree with this as I think the greater but related issue is we really need a WR to develop so that if Adams and/or Puka go down for an extended time we can keep up the pace.
Yeah that's the main concern. Puka and Adams both get dinged up a lot and will likely miss a game or two here and there. Need someone to step up a little bit when needed.
Because our top 2 are prone to injury and missing time. Last year was last year. One player can take a step forward while another takes a step back, decline etc.
Because our RB’s aren’t much involved in the passing game. Because our QB is an elite passer but can’t create with his legs.
I think your argument is why not have the #3 target be a committee. Fine. My argument is why not have a single guy emerge as a target that has to be accounted for on every play like Nacua and Adams.
I prefer mine.
Definitely agree that we need the depth if one of the top two go down.
But provided they're healthy, my argument is more, why is it necessary to change from the #1 offense last year? I don't care if it's a committee or if a single guy emerges. I'm essentially saying that neither option is necessary.
As stated, I'm never against a single guy emerging as a more dominant force, but one bullet point for having a committee is Stafford is at his best when he's spreading the ball around. There were points last year when I thought he performed better when he couldn't just lock on to Puka.
WestCoastRam
Legend
It never hurts to have someone step up and take control of a position. It adds quality depth. Plus it gives Stafford more comfort knowing another guy can be the guy. I think that even though the Rams had the #1 offense they disappeared when needed a few notable times. There is always room for improvement. Also Defenses catch up. So you can't just say, hey we were #1 last year, we will be this year. If you aren't improving your are getting worse.
I know. That’s always been your and others argument. IMO it’s a mistake to go in with “We’ll duplicate last year.”
Teams are too good with adjustments. I keep going back to the NFCCG and throwing to the back of the end zone in the biggest moment to Fergs and there was no chance.
Defenses will adjust to the plod squad.
Always have to keep it fresh. Even the GSOT got stale. Had Vermeil stayed he talked about getting more physical on offense, but that never really happened. Not that they were soft, but only on occasion did Martz focus on pounding the rock. 2nd half of Philly NFCCG comes to mind.
Fair point on your last couple of sentences. They should always be looking to improve.
You realize, though, that the improvement doesn't have to be one person stepping up, right? The TE room as a whole added talent and depth. Pair that with anticipated improvement from Ferg, the innovative adjustments McVay is cooking up, and I'm confident we'll still have enough to stay ahead of defenses.
I agree that it never hurts to have a more dominant force emerge. I hope Ferg turns into Brock Bowers.
But there is a downside to that. Stafford and/or McVay do have a tendency to lock in on the options that they are more comfortable with. The offense then becomes more predictable, efficiency declines. I want Stafford to have the level of comfort that he had last year when Puka and Adams went down. Offensive efficiency did not decrease. He actually began playing better, spreading the ball around.
My argument is thus: having numerous quality weapons is roughly equivalent to having one more good weapon emerge. Now, if that good weapon was elite instead of just good (like Ferg turning into Bowers), I'd tilt towards your position.
No worries. I don't think they'll merely be trying to duplicate last year.
I suspect with McVay leaning more into 13 personnel, there will be plenty of innovation that exceeds last year.
My real suspicion is that McVay is at the forefront of a trend, and after this season, the league will start reacting to it.
To adjust to the "plod squad," they will need different personnel on defense, which will take some time to accumulate.
But whether my suspicions are right or not, my point is much simpler: there is more than one way to skin a cat. A bevy of quality pass-catching weapons will be at least the equivalent of one good 3rd WR emerging.
I Can't see how having a clear #3 capable of coming in and playing well if an injury happens or when 11 personel is called, makes the O worse off. It gives more options, not less. It puts more pressure on the opponent's D. I don't like your logic on this, but I am sure if it turns out the way your discribe, the Rams will make due just like last year. Especially with our new D
There's a lot of opinions about McVay and how his offense has morphed. We've discovered 13P, or at least discovered how with the proper personnel in 13P, it can be a dominant offense. There's the TE receiving. The blocking and running. The lone WR getting chunk plays because the defense is watching 3 giants and also looking for the run. As we know, it's all connected.
Last year is the first time in McVay's offense 3 TEs finished in the top 6 in receptions. It's that 13P right? Well, last year was the first time since 2018 the RB room ran at a pace better than 4.3. The Rams had a 4.6 avg last year and a 4.9 in 2018. Nothing better than 4.3 (3 times) in the other 7 years.
McVay's offense used to feature rushing attempts in the top 10 yearly.....#10 in 2017; #8 in 2018; #7 in 2020 (#18 in 2019). Nothing higher than #12 (2023) since 2020. They were #16 last year. #18 in 2024, #25 in 2022, #23 in 2021 (and #18 in 2019). But the ypc really took off with that 13P. I'd like to know how the rushing yards were dispersed in 11P, 12P, 13P packages.
We're talking about TEs but McVay's offense always had a good TE. The often times underappreciated Tyler Higbee. He was #3 on the team in receptions in 2019, #4 in 2020, #2 in 2021, #2 in 2022 and #3 in 2023 before being injured vs Detroit in the postseason. The problem is we had a good TE McVay inherited but because of his time in Washington with 12P, we seemed to be looking for TE2 since the beginning. Everett was McVay's first draft pick. He's made 4 more selections at TE once it was apparent Gerald Everett wasn't the guy. Now he's got his old vet Higbee, Parkinson, who was signed after Higbee went down vs Detroit in 2023 and 3 of his draft choices from 2023, 2025 and 2026 and a couple more UDFA's for good measure.
In his 9 years as head coach, McVay's offense has been #1 twice, #2 a third time, #7 and #8. Five top ten finishes in 9 years. He just missed it in 2019 (#11). In 6 of the 9 years, he's had a top 10 scoring offense. But last year was the first year he had the Rams #1 in both. This offense has had subtle changes in both personnel and in theory, sort of. I think he's always wanted to run the ball enough to take the pressure off the pass, get those nasty 3rd or 4th and 1's and break off a long run from time to time. We haven't seen much of that last one since Gurley.
And speaking of Gurley, the only position he seemed to be hunting for more than TE is RB. Kelly (2018), Henderson (2019), Akers (2020), Funk (2021), Kyren (2022), Evans (2023), Corum (2024) and Hunter (2025). I gotta believe if we had another pick or two this last draft, he might have added another. Bottom line is this......he always looking to improve and right now he's got the best TE and RB room he's ever had (since Gurley and maybe even counting him).
Next year is it on to WRs?
Last year is the first time in McVay's offense 3 TEs finished in the top 6 in receptions. It's that 13P right? Well, last year was the first time since 2018 the RB room ran at a pace better than 4.3. The Rams had a 4.6 avg last year and a 4.9 in 2018. Nothing better than 4.3 (3 times) in the other 7 years.
McVay's offense used to feature rushing attempts in the top 10 yearly.....#10 in 2017; #8 in 2018; #7 in 2020 (#18 in 2019). Nothing higher than #12 (2023) since 2020. They were #16 last year. #18 in 2024, #25 in 2022, #23 in 2021 (and #18 in 2019). But the ypc really took off with that 13P. I'd like to know how the rushing yards were dispersed in 11P, 12P, 13P packages.
We're talking about TEs but McVay's offense always had a good TE. The often times underappreciated Tyler Higbee. He was #3 on the team in receptions in 2019, #4 in 2020, #2 in 2021, #2 in 2022 and #3 in 2023 before being injured vs Detroit in the postseason. The problem is we had a good TE McVay inherited but because of his time in Washington with 12P, we seemed to be looking for TE2 since the beginning. Everett was McVay's first draft pick. He's made 4 more selections at TE once it was apparent Gerald Everett wasn't the guy. Now he's got his old vet Higbee, Parkinson, who was signed after Higbee went down vs Detroit in 2023 and 3 of his draft choices from 2023, 2025 and 2026 and a couple more UDFA's for good measure.
In his 9 years as head coach, McVay's offense has been #1 twice, #2 a third time, #7 and #8. Five top ten finishes in 9 years. He just missed it in 2019 (#11). In 6 of the 9 years, he's had a top 10 scoring offense. But last year was the first year he had the Rams #1 in both. This offense has had subtle changes in both personnel and in theory, sort of. I think he's always wanted to run the ball enough to take the pressure off the pass, get those nasty 3rd or 4th and 1's and break off a long run from time to time. We haven't seen much of that last one since Gurley.
And speaking of Gurley, the only position he seemed to be hunting for more than TE is RB. Kelly (2018), Henderson (2019), Akers (2020), Funk (2021), Kyren (2022), Evans (2023), Corum (2024) and Hunter (2025). I gotta believe if we had another pick or two this last draft, he might have added another. Bottom line is this......he always looking to improve and right now he's got the best TE and RB room he's ever had (since Gurley and maybe even counting him).
Next year is it on to WRs?
Last edited:
X-factor NFL players who can swing the season for Super Bowl contenders: From Rams TE to DBs in New England
Here's what will matter most for teams like the Rams, Bills, Ravens, Texans, Chiefs, Chargers, 49ers and Patriots to try to knock off Seattle for the title next season.
Los Angeles Rams
TE Colby Parkinson
I mentioned a tight end when talking about the Rams! Drink!In all seriousness, as much as the quantity of tight ends on the field for the Rams has been talked about, the particular tight ends they deploy should be emphasized just as much. Yes, the number of tight ends on the field will impact how defenses treat offenses, but each tight end's particular skill set affects defenses as well. If a tight end isn't fast enough to attack vertically or stout enough to hold up as an in-line blocker, then defenses will start disregarding them as threats and keying in on the offense in other ways.
Advertisement
Terrance Ferguson (and this year's second-round selection Max Klare) are players who can provide the athletic element that defenses have to honor when the Rams remove their wide receivers. But it's Colby Parkinson who makes these Rams multi-tight end looks hum. Parkinson is an ace blocker who can block from in-line positions and legitimately hold up against edge defenders in the run game. That blocking ability keeps the run-game menu open for Sean McVay and the Rams coaching staff. It also helps open the passing game, particularly the vertical passing game, as well.Watch No. 84 on this three-play sequence against the 49ers.
View: https://x.com/Nate_Tice/status/1988367768367022476?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1988367768367022476%7Ctwgr%5Ea9d4796da461073ea1dfb0c8b9adae8396e7696b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsports.yahoo.com%2Fnfl%2Farticle%2Fx-factor-nfl-players-who-can-swing-the-season-for-super-bowl-contenders-from-rams-te-to-dbs-in-new-england-193558462.html
Parkinson is in the "Y" position as the in-line tight end on every one of these snaps. And he's the (or one of the) player(s) who helps unlock each concept. He's asked to block in pass protection on the first clip. With Ferguson working out to the slot, the Rams run a long-developing play action that has Parkinson and another tight end staying in to protect. On the next play, he runs across the formation on a bootleg (which he gets the target on). And that space is helped created because it's a legit run-formation look and action from the Rams on that play. Because Parkinson is a valid blocker, and the Rams run behind him, the 49ers defenders bite hard on the backfield fake since it's an actual run look they've seen before. And then, to cap off the drive, Parkinson run blocks at the point of attack on a zone run to cap off the drive. His work on his block with fellow tight end (Davis Allen) keeps multiple lanes open for Kyren Williams to cut on.
Advertisement
Those three plays are a nice microcosm of why those 13 personnel (three tight end) looks can work so well for the Rams; it gets Ferguson in space against a backup linebacker because the 49ers match with 4-3 personnel. And it has the added bonus of two tight ends working in unison to shore up the protection. The run formation and action on the next play have to be honored as well, because it's something the Rams will run out of. And on the touchdown run, the extra set of sturdy hands helps create new points of strength and leverage for the offense.
Colby Parkinson (84) and his versatile skill set helps unlock a lot of the Rams' potent mix of concepts on offense.
(Ronald Martinez via Getty Images)
This is what McVay always strives to do with his offense: make defenses constantly have to prepare for multiple plays that are based out of the same, or similar, looks and personnel groupings. He makes rock, paper, and scissors all dangerous. And Parkinson is the player who epitomizes that triple-threat aspect of the Rams offense. Whether it's his own statistics — Parkinson ranked second among 48 qualifying tight ends in successful targets per route run and fourth in first downs per route run last year — or with how the Rams operate and perform. The Rams' designed run rate in 2025 on early downs (outside of the final 2 minutes of each half, garbage time removed as well) last year when Parkinson wasn't on the field was 42.8%, which would rank 29th in the NFL. When Parkinson was on the field in those same situations, the Rams designed run rate jumps to 47.8%, just a smidge above the league average of 47.7%. I didn't share those numbers, and the eye test, to say the Rams become a service academy offense when Parkinson is on the field, but more to illustrate that the Rams become more balanced, with every type of attack at the ready, when Parkinson is on the field.
Even the play-action rate of the Rams when Parkinson is on the field jumps up, from high (24.1% when Parkinson was off the field, which would rank fifth) to ridiculously high (30.8%, which would have led the league and been the third-highest rate since 2019, which is the further TruMedia's data goes back for play-action rates). It's kind of fitting their run rate is almost exactly in the middle, because of the balance of run, pass, and the actions off of those plays, whether it's play action, bootlegs, or screens, are all called upon in equal measures in the Rams offense. Which means defensive coordinators have to prepare for that much more every time they play Los Angeles, and defensive players have to be aware of every type of attack coming at them. The Rams' offensive production was outstanding last year, and it only became more remarkable when Parkinson was on the field (6.7 yards per play, a top-10 number since 2013). And more explosive, too. That extra blocking in the run and pass games allows for longer developing plays to happen. And there's proof in the numbers with this: without Parkinson, the Rams had a 10.4% explosive play rate, which would have ranked 14th in 2025. With Parkinson, they had a 14.5% explosive play rate, which would have easily led the NFL and been tied for the 13th-highest by an offense since 2013. The Rams' use of tight ends gets constantly talked about, so let's give a shoutout to the Arn Anderson of NFL tight ends in Colby Parkinson.
.
This is what McVay always strives to do with his offense: make defenses constantly have to prepare for multiple plays that are based out of the same, or similar, looks and personnel groupings. He makes rock, paper, and scissors all dangerous.
And this, in my opinion, is why he Drafted the Quarterback with the best BRAIN and dedication to facilitate and run this Offense after Stafford.
And this, in my opinion, is why he Drafted the Quarterback with the best BRAIN and dedication to facilitate and run this Offense after Stafford.
Parkinson is the new Higs. That all arounder who is easy to overlook but he can do a bit of everything. This time last year there weren't a lot of expectations for him, but he clearly worked his ass off to improve and master this offense and it paid off.
I love the competition we're going to have in that room. There's a lot of different ways it can go, but whoever wins the roles the production should be better than last year due to that competition.
Rams still have a speed problem overall I think, on offense. They are loaded with chain movers basically. But those chain movers include some of the better players in this league, and through depth of options we should be able to get favorable matchups somewhere vs every defense.
I love the competition we're going to have in that room. There's a lot of different ways it can go, but whoever wins the roles the production should be better than last year due to that competition.
Rams still have a speed problem overall I think, on offense. They are loaded with chain movers basically. But those chain movers include some of the better players in this league, and through depth of options we should be able to get favorable matchups somewhere vs every defense.