"F" Tight Ends, 12 Personnel, and Wideouts

[So Ram]

Interesting thoughts! Agree with you that losing Cooks changed the O. Also imo neither Reynolds nor Everett stepped up enough make up for it, and certainly not to McVay's standards. I'm a big fan of the DSJ signing, but there is a risk of injury there. And Hopkins is still an unknown.

The bottom line is we still need some juice on the receiving front. But if that's what McVay thinks too, it still remains to be seen whether it might be a big WR who can get the ball but also block, another fast guy who can open up the field, or another TE. Also whether it's the draft or even still in FA.

Like I said above,I see that vision & have less of a concern with DJ11.His body is right & he is in a position to succeed.Mcvay has that cool relationship with him.He was one of the Players to endorse him as a HC with The Rams.
Hopkins just seems undersized to me.He is getting stronger & will be ready to step up.The Rams will certain sets for him.They run a lot of Zeros. HENDO will get his shots as well. Les likes the Main RB cowbell type though.Can Hopkins run that HBack like Everett ?

 

[snackdaddy]

Hendo and DJax are explosive players. But how much time will they spend on the field as opposed to the trainers table?

 

[Ram65]

Interesting thoughts.

I don't the Penn State TE that well but, the scouting report sounds interesting.

The thing for me is I don't think the Rams staff has given up on Hopkins at all. I wee him stepping in at number two F TE. How much would dep[end on his development? I like the idea of changing up between 11 and 12 P. Either way this year with Jackson and Jefferson the Rams have great 11P WRs. Should Hopkins become what the Rams envisioned him being I think he adds the needed dimension at F TE. Rams have more pressing needs for this season.

 

[So Ram]

Hendo and DJax are explosive players. But how much time will they spend on the field as opposed to the trainers table?

With DJ11 it has been his ankle a couple of times.Mcvay said they saw his speed in December against Dallas and his speed was there getting open.Mcvay will put him in time for success.
HENDO ran for as many yards as Akers last season.He just needs to have better eyes when hitting the holes.He is a tough guy.

 

[LA_Rams_#29]

Solid points....

I'm of the school of thought that the "blame" for our offense not continuing to be explosive lays in the perceived limitations of McVay with Goff........and McVay's inexperience as a play-caller to adjust to what defenses were doing to thwart our 11 heavy sets. McVay was a play caller in Washington for 1 season I believe before he got the Rams job, so we are not talking about a seasoned veteran play caller as much as we have a very young, talented play call who is learning as he gains experience in the role. Running 11 formation so much more than any other team, to me, was a sign of that inexperience even when it was working well. Now I also believe that McVay felt he was limited with what Goff could do, but I still say we were slow to adjust.

I'm always going to believe we had the deep threat on our roster in Josh Reynolds, and the Everett was a talent that we didn't utilize as we should have. Again, McVay and Goff to me have a lot of responsibilty in that, more than I believe that those guys lacked talent. They both made big plays for us when given the opportunity, but they didn't get as many opportunities as they should have, and our dead money meant that we weren't going to see them in an offense with a QB like Stafford.

I think that between Hopkins and Kendall Blanton, we should be fine at the TE position and I wouldn't be surprised if Blanton passed Mundt on the depth chart with a real preseason with preseason games. Blanton's size and skillset makes him really valuable if he can take advantage of his opportunity...we kept him on the practice squad for 2 years for a reason...and I could actually see Hopkins becoming more of a hybrid WR/TE and filling that "big WR" spot that we no longer have after Reynolds left. Reynolds said after leaving it will be nice to run more than just the hitches the Rams had him running his last year.

I'd also add that Cooper Kupp's early success in the slot got McVay too locked in on the 11 formations, and in hindsight led to some predictability with us. To be perfectly honest, McVay's first year with the Rams saw him being a more diverse play caller than the last couple of years, and he got more predictable as the years progressed. A more varied approach, and a commitment to running the ball...using both Akers and Henderson, is more advisable, and I think we're likely to see that this year with Stafford who is more skilled and can read defenses and make adjustments better.

 

[So Ram]

Solid points....

I'm of the school of thought that the "blame" for our offense not continuing to be explosive lays in the perceived limitations of McVay with Goff........and McVay's inexperience as a play-caller to adjust to what defenses were doing to thwart our 11 heavy sets. McVay was a play caller in Washington for 1 season I believe before he got the Rams job, so we are not talking about a seasoned veteran play caller as much as we have a very young, talented play call who is learning as he gains experience in the role. Running 11 formation so much more than any other team, to me, was a sign of that inexperience even when it was working well. Now I also believe that McVay felt he was limited with what Goff could do, but I still say we were slow to adjust.

I'm always going to believe we had the deep threat on our roster in Josh Reynolds, and the Everett was a talent that we didn't utilize as we should have. Again, McVay and Goff to me have a lot of responsibilty in that, more than I believe that those guys lacked talent. They both made big plays for us when given the opportunity, but they didn't get as many opportunities as they should have, and our dead money meant that we weren't going to see them in an offense with a QB like Stafford.

I think that between Hopkins and Kendall Blanton, we should be fine at the TE position and I wouldn't be surprised if Blanton passed Mundt on the depth chart with a real preseason with preseason games. Blanton's size and skillset makes him really valuable if he can take advantage of his opportunity...we kept him on the practice squad for 2 years for a reason...and I could actually see Hopkins becoming more of a hybrid WR/TE and filling that "big WR" spot that we no longer have after Reynolds left. Reynolds said after leaving it will be nice to run more than just the hitches the Rams had him running his last year.

I'd also add that Cooper Kupp's early success in the slot got McVay too locked in on the 11 formations, and in hindsight led to some predictability with us. To be perfectly honest, McVay's first year with the Rams saw him being a more diverse play caller than the last couple of years, and he got more predictable as the years progressed. A more varied approach, and a commitment to running the ball...using both Akers and Henderson, is more advisable, and I think we're likely to see that this year with Stafford who is more skilled and can read defenses and make adjustments better.

I think Gerald Everett will be the guy who has the most success in 2021 compared to 2020 stats.