Contextualizing the talent on this team

  • 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.
A great weakness last year that got exploited over and over was middle of the field passes.

Maybe with Lake back healthy and Mcduffie there is a plan there, but if Mcduffie rolls inside who’s covering the outside WR1.

Neither Landman or Speights are good coverage linebackers.
Isn't that why we will eventually re-sign Troy Reeder? /s

*ducks*
 
I don't think Alaric comes close to Whit even when he was at the end. We have to do much more with plays and formation to protect Alaric then we ever had to do with Whit. Even at the end we were having him single block guys in pure pass blocking situations with a line slid to the other side and no blocking help from pass catchers nor backs.

And Hav a couple years ago was much better than McClendon who was protected quite a bit by a tight end aligned at Y and often one on the wing.

This line was very good last year but 13 personnel really helped them in blocking by limiting schemes defenses used, we use much more play action than when Stafford came on which helps the blockers and we've played with way more leads last year than we did in the superbowl year (I'm pretty sure).
I think that's mostly fair on the tackles... but I think the guards are a whole step above the Super Bowl tandem.. kinda balancing things out. The interior run game is so much better now.
 
  • High Five
Reactions: WestCoastRam
I've been thinking about this team relative to our Super Bowl team, and I think it is truly insane how good this team is, so I wanted to stack it up player to player:

Stafford - Stafford - Matt, if anything, seems to be getting better

Kyren/Corum - Michel/Henderson/Akers - the Kyren/Corum are tiers above those guys

Puka/Davante - Kupp/Woods - Kupp went off this year, but IMO Puka is better, and Davante better than Woods

Parkinson - Higbee - I'll say a push, but we are using our TEs much better

Alaric - Whitworth - Whitworth was better, but I don't think the gap is huge

Avila - Edwards - Edwards was solid, but I think Avila is better

Shelton - Allen - ironic that both are/were not popular here, but I think Shelton is a smidge better

Dotson - Corbett - not even close, Dotson

McClendon - Havenstein - IMO this is a wash with how well Warren played last year



Kobie - AD - obviously AD

Poona - Gaines - I liked Gaines, but Poona was better

Fiske - A'Shawn - again, I liked A'Shawn, but this is Fiske

Garrett - Von - obviously MG here

Young - Floyd - Young is better

Landman - Jones - Jones was a rookie, I think Landman is better here for how good Jones was at the time

Speights - Howard - Speights is better

McDuffie - Ramsey - I think Ramsey was a smidge better, but he also played pretty poorly in the playoffs overall

Watson - Williams - I was a big fan of Darious, and he played well, but I think Watson is a touch better

Lake - Deayon - our third CB spot was ROUGH that Super Bowl year

Kinchens/Curl - Rapp/Fuller/Weddle - yiiiiiiiiiikes


This is an overly simplistic way to view it, but by my estimation, the 2026 Rams are better at 8/11 key spots on offense, worse at one spot, and a push on two

For defense, better at 10/12 key spots, worse at two - one of those is Ramsey/McDuffie which may be arguable.

And then this teams depth is light years better - backup QB, TEs, DL depth, secondary depth.

And that 2021 team won the Super Bowl....
Quick reax.. A'Shawn was better than Fiske. Not really even close when looking at Fiske last year, specifically.

I love Puka.. LOVE.. but, dude.... Kupp was on another plane that year.. let's be real. one of the very best seasons ever put on tape by a WR.

TE situation now is MUCH better, imo.

Jones was a HELL of a blitzer, even as a rookie.. and that was the difference-maker down the stretch. He's better.. it's not a massive margin.. but Jones is better.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JonRam99
Quick reax.. A'Shawn was better than Fiske. Not really even close when looking at Fiske last year, specifically.
Don't think it can always be a player-for-player comparable; and this is a good example.

Robinson's role was to stuff-the-run and control blockers, allowing other defenders to make the tackle ... and he was absolutely great in that role in the 2021 post-season.

Fiske's role has not primarily to be a run-stuffer. Currently, that's Ford and Davis; and, now, Keenan.

Robinson was rarely on the field in passing situations ... it was Gaines (also, not a pass rusher) with Donald, Floyd and Miller in the Playoffs. Think the 49ers' final possession in the NFCC. Robinson was not out there.

Fiske was almost always on-the-field in passing situations the past 2 seasons, with Turner, Verse and Young.
 
Quick reax.. A'Shawn was better than Fiske. Not really even close when looking at Fiske last year, specifically.

I love Puka.. LOVE.. but, dude.... Kupp was on another plane that year.. let's be real. one of the very best seasons ever put on tape by a WR.

TE situation now is MUCH better, imo.

Jones was a HELL of a blitzer, even as a rookie.. and that was the difference-maker down the stretch. He's better.. it's not a massive margin.. but Jones is better.
I'd take Landman over a rookie Jones. You can see from the stats that Landman is all over the place and always near the ball.

Tackles, TFLs, Forced Fumbles, PDs, Fumble Recoveries, Sacks, QB hits, etc. Landman had superior numbers in All of these categories over the rookie Jones and in most of these categories over the current Jones.

Jones is a better blitzer but he had one sack in the playoffs (and only one in the 21 regular season.) And again, Landman had more sacks and QB hits.
 
Eh, our tackles now are actually significantly worse than our SB run.

Whitworth and Hav were a top 2-3 tandem in the NFL at that time.

And…McDuffie is good don’t get me wrong..but he’s not a “smidge” worse than Ramsey lol that’s just fan speak/wishful thinking. Ramsey was by far the best CB in football at that time and was playing on a borderline hof level lol..
 
If you replaced McDuffie on our current defense with PRIME Ramsey I don’t think our defense would give up more than 10 points a game..
 
Me too. I dreamed Sydney Sweeney was my mom but I was a bottle baby.
200.gif