HOPE THE RAMS HAVE A PLAN!!!

[Ramstien]

I know Jon Kelly has been buried on the depth chart but he is a talented back who showed what he is capable of while in college, at Tennessee. We never really saw what Henderson could do last season but now he will have to step up and show something. You never know what these guys can do until they are given a chance, are they as good as Gurley in his prime, No. The question is can they be more productive then the 2020 version of Gurley, me thinks so.

 

[Flatlyner]

My thought is Henderson is going to be very productive this season. He has considerably more acceleration and explosiveness then Gurley last year. Really was bummed when he got hurt late in the year when he would have had more opportunities. I'm kind of excited to see him get a full work load. Gurley was not a home run hitter last year and really only got the yards that were given to him, save a few solid runs. Really no long runs, which was a key part of his game initially. We will see Henderson hit some home runs this year, mark my words (provided health).

 

[snackdaddy]

I don't get all this talk about the team being a shell of its former self. Gurley is the only change on offense. And he was a only a shell of his former self in that offense. A team that was top ten statistically and 11th in scoring. A far cry from the previous two years, but not bad considering the regression of Gurley and the injuries to the line. And Cooks injury limiting him the second half of the season.

But maybe that is the thing. The previous two years have spoiled us. We want to get back to that. Just being a playoff contender isn't enough. The way I see it, its damn near impossible to field a Superbowl contender every year. If you field a consistent playoff contender and a Superbowl contender every few years, that is pretty darn good. I think that is what our team will be over the years. And that my friends, is a far cry from the days of "Dude, its the Rams".

 

[FrantikRam]

Sometimes fans just need to admit they were wrong - Gurley looked awful last year. Cutting him is confirmation that the staff thinks it'll get worse before it gets better. I know that we're all still thinking of Gurley as the OPOY guy, but he's not. What we just did is realize that we were paying an average RB like he was the best in the NFL.

The plan seems to be retooling, but guess what? If the OL and Goff improve, were still contenders. AD and our secondary can field us an average D.

 

[Malibu]

This is a tough thread for me, why bc such a high rate of MAJOR turnover of star quality players, Gurley, Littleton, Fowler, Brocker, NRC, and to a lesser extent Weddle/Mathews.

My point is the 2 players no disrespect to them they seem like minor downgrades not upgrades. Floyd has played with alot of talent around him and his sack rate hasn't improved. Armstrong a less consistent Brockers? We are short one at safety we are hoping that the young talent we have will fill in at ILB and OLB. Our Run D was awful last year what have we done to shore that up? We are short at ILB and our coverage out of that spot will show up next year.

Our OL is the same as last year with no current upgrades which we desperately need. Whit is a year older. Boom and Allen are coming back from bad injuries. We need to shore up the RG and Center.

Now we are short at RB Henderson didn't seem like the answer.

Draft I was automatically thinking prior to FA going for the top Center not sure now with such shortage at ILB, OLB. We need an upgrade at RG.

Cooks on the block even though his contract is high,ko he will bounce back if our OL gets fixed. We should keep him this year. We need to trade players when we have the advantage not when they have one bad year like Cooks.

I am sure FA is not over. I would have tagged Fowler and gotten a great player or draft pick in return. I would have tried to keep Littleton. Minimally keep NRC he was solid and cheap for the cost.

Not sure how to approach the draft bc a top C, RB and a good OLB will be available IMO. Not sure where to go. As a WR goes I would use a 3 on Pittman out of USC he is fantastic tall, fast and great 50/50 ball go getter. Love the RBs several are fantastic Dobbins and the RB from Wisconsin that maybe available in the 2nd. As for the C position there are 4-5 options in the 2nd or 3rd round the issue I have, there never seems to be any consensus between Muti, Biadiaz, Ruiz etc everyone is listed as #1 at some point which scares me.

I feel if we could get Melvin Gordon we solve the RB issue. I wish we could get Clowney then we could focus on the OL and ILB. Or make a offer for Scherff or Thuney maybe Cooks for either we need a solid upgrade on the OL.

 

[Malibu]

I guarantee the Rams have a plan. Will the plan work? That is the question.

They had a plan when they let Saffold and our Center leave and that didn't work out. Based on what I see current as of today we are weaker all over the team when we need to be getting stronger. The only hope we can get is finding a couple gems in the draft and that the current players on the roster are going to grow.

I like moving on from Wade, hopefully Staley/Snead/McVay's overall vision for the Defense will be more aggressive. What worries me we have a DC who has never handled the position and there is a learning curve no matter what.

I trust the team, but if we can improve the OL we will thrive.

 

[RamFan503]

Lol with no threat in a running game and no Gurley pass protecting. I don’t see how the first part of your sentence even happens

So no other RB can pass protect or learn it OR become a threat? The O-line got better late in the year. They can't improve more with the amount of youth and key players knicked up last year in that group?

Yeah we did he was a threat that’s why teams stacked the box. Don’t forget the work he put in for the team

I don't remember teams "stacking the box". They knew they could play straight up and not only stop the run but maintain coverage.

Well I wanna wait till after the draft before I agree with that statement

Yet, you don't wait to say how bad we'll be.

Look. I get the questioning of moves. I was a HUGE Gurley fan. But the guy was playing like a shell of why I became a fan of his. Young backs explode onto the scene every year and other "great" backs go to other teams to become average.

We have some new pieces and some new coaches. We have a returning O-line unit that is young other than Whit with a year more experience under their belt. We have a QB that if given time IN THE POCKET can light it up, Kupp, Woods, possibly a healthy Cooks, Reynolds is no slouch, an unknown potential at RB with both Kelly and Henderson, Higbeast who went off last season, Everett still under contract, etc...

We have a new DC and still a pretty solid group on defense that just switched out a couple players for likely ones that fit more in the plan. We saw what our new CB could do almost immediately. We have a new big body inside.

I don't share your pessimism because we clearly still have a lot of key pieces. We will likely see a new plan on both sides of the ball. McVay is a year wiser (we hope). I just don't get where doom and gloom gets some people but that's just the way I am. I get that people handle things differently. I'll hope for the best and wait to see the product.

 

[Flatlyner]

First, I think getting Boom back will be an upgrade itself on our Line. Edwards, Evans, Allen, Corbett should improve, even if marginally. Question is, will Havenstein play like 2019 or 2018? In '18 he was one of the best RT in the league. Second, we only starting really using Higbee as a weapon later in the year. The connection with him and Goff is real and should be fully implemented this next season, which should be huge for us. Third, our run defense was putrid last year. We lost Brockers, Littleton, and Mathews up front. They were part of the putrid run defense. Sure, it wasn't only their fault, but they contributed. Kiser is going to be an improvement on our run defense and we can potentially rotate in Howard or Young on passing down if Kiser isn't up to speed on it. A'Shawn Robinson is an improvement on the DLine in this regard as well. I actually think we are fairly deep on the edge as well and want to see a lot more of Obo, Lawler, and Patrick. Even guys like Polite and Holland have a ton of potential.

Its not all doom and gloom from me. I might be alone, but I think Henderson is an improvement on what we got from Gurley last year also. I still think our weapons are amongst the best in the NFL: Cooks, Woods, Kupp, Higbee, Everett, Henderson is a really solid and dangerous group. What I'm not certain about is Goff. If he doesn't not show improvement, no matter our weapons or D, we are not going to do much.

 

[fearsomefour]

We're not giving up on the 2020 season.

No way.
I prefer vet players with a track record, but, in no way does unproven mean bad.

 

[Dxmissile]

So no other RB can pass protect or learn it OR become a threat? The O-line got better late in the year. They can't improve more with the amount of youth and key players knicked up last year in that group?

I don't remember teams "stacking the box". They knew they could play straight up and not only stop the run but maintain coverage.

Yet, you don't wait to say how bad we'll be.

Look. I get the questioning of moves. I was a HUGE Gurley fan. But the guy was playing like a shell of why I became a fan of his. Young backs explode onto the scene every year and other "great" backs go to other teams to become average.

We have some new pieces and some new coaches. We have a returning O-line unit that is young other than Whit with a year more experience under their belt. We have a QB that if given time IN THE POCKET can light it up, Kupp, Woods, possibly a healthy Cooks, Reynolds is no slouch, an unknown potential at RB with both Kelly and Henderson, Higbeast who went off last season, Everett still under contract, etc...

We have a new DC and still a pretty solid group on defense that just switched out a couple players for likely ones that fit more in the plan. We saw what our new CB could do almost immediately. We have a new big body inside.

I don't share your pessimism because we clearly still have a lot of key pieces. We will likely see a new plan on both sides of the ball. McVay is a year wiser (we hope). I just don't get where doom and gloom gets some people but that's just the way I am. I get that people handle things differently. I'll hope for the best and wait to see the product.

When did I say we were gonna be bad??! That never was mentioned. It ain’t no doom and gloom but it surely isn’t rainbows and sunshine either. And as far as the running backs go if they could have done it they would have done it but they haven’t not saying they can’t just that everything we have seen has shown that as of yet they have failed to be able to do that. And my statement about the draft is optimistic because I’m waiting to see the rest of the moves being made

 

[Dxmissile]

Lo

Sometimes fans just need to admit they were wrong - Gurley looked awful last year. Cutting him is confirmation that the staff thinks it'll get worse before it gets better. I know that we're all still thinking of Gurley as the OPOY guy, but he's not. What we just did is realize that we were paying an average RB like he was the best in the NFL.

The plan seems to be retooling, but guess what? If the OL and Goff improve, were still contenders. AD and our secondary can field us an average D.

If average gets you 14 touchdowns with minimal carries poor offensive line play poor coaching and poor qb play then man let’s hope these new guys can do the same. I just don’t wanna sign another running back let’s go with the guys we have

 

[SeminoleRam]

I keep waiting for a Press Conference from the Rams (Snead, McVay, Demoff, etc) to sort of explain some of the deals they have and have not made but as of now I have not seen or heard anything. Have I just missed it or am I hoping for something that just won’t happen?

 

[MachS]

If we're really being objective and looking at the facts, its not hard to see how this season will go. $20.2M in dead money from cutting Gurley, that's what we did to ourselves. $11.8M this year and $8.4M next year. Wonder who else we could sign if we had that cap space? We have no first rounder for two years. We still need to sign Ramsey which will be one of the biggest CB contracts in history. We've lost a lot of talent and productive players on defense from last year that have not been replaced. Not to mention the Cooks contract situation and the questionable production we'll get from him. No o-line upgrades at all.. and this was universally stated as the Rams biggest issue last year. New defensive scheme, new special teams coordinator. Zero talent at ILB. Not to mention the locker room affect of losing TG3, arguably our best leader, Bones, and Wade.

To me it seems pretty logical we wont be able to compete this year. I mean look at our own division. By now we know Goff isn't going to take over games and carry us into the playoffs. Worst part is even if we have a bad season we dont have our 2021 1st rounder.

 

[Ram65]

There is always a plan.
Sometimes they work....bringing in Whitworth and Sullivan to stabilize the line....

And sometimes they don’t.....
Bringing in Noteboom and Allen to replace Whitworth and Sullivan.....

I have zero doubt there is a plan.
Plans have to work to keep coaches and GMs from becoming ex coaches and ex GMs.

I gave you a laugh because you are right there is always a plan. Silly to think there isn't. The plan didn't work out completely last year.


Looks to me that the Rams have followed s thought out plan with the resignings of Whit and Blythe for a low cost. They add two defenders that play the run well. They stayed within their cap limitations as well. It's a plan that I think can work.

 

[Merlin]

Dog looking over this thread....

 

[Psycho_X]

I keep waiting for a Press Conference from the Rams (Snead, McVay, Demoff, etc) to sort of explain some of the deals they have and have not made but as of now I have not seen or heard anything. Have I just missed it or am I hoping for something that just won’t happen?

California is under stay at home orders. Football isn’t essential business so they can’t hold press conferences even if they wanted to.

 

[SeminoleRam]

California is under stay at home orders. Football isn’t essential business so they can’t hold press conferences even if they wanted to.

Thanks for the Information!!!

As much as I LOVE the Rams I know there currently are much more important issues going on in the U.S. & the World right now!!!

 

[Merlin]

We cut Clay Matthews and Gurley - two players who had a smaller impact on team play last year than Fowler and Littleton.

The more I look at the moves thus far in total the more I think it would have been better to keep Matthews (who at this stage of his career is very similar to Floyd in that he's more a run edge setter) because with that $2M or whatever cap hit recouping his $5M wasn't too meaningful. And that would have allowed for signing McGovern while still having room for another move like locking up GZ.

That aside if Blythe plays well it mitigates that a bit. But the bigger issue is we go into the draft still needing Center not to mention edge since both Blythe & Floyd were one year deals. McGovern would have removed an important need which is why I feel it would have been a better use of resources.

Just a stream of consciousness here btw. I don't expect perfection in a FA season. But those two moves ate a lot of cap space and didn't really move any needles plus left us with needs at both positions.

Robinson meanwhile was a very good move in that we improved the 5T spot and managed to do it cheaper.

 

[iamme33]

amazing that right after gurley and Mathews were let go most fans were doom and gloom then a day or two later those two were not very good anyway. if we give it another week or two most of us well think were sb bond. ok that is a slight exaggeration but we do seem to find a bright side to almost every thing

 

[FrantikRam]

Lo

If average gets you 14 touchdowns with minimal carries poor offensive line play poor coaching and poor qb play then man let’s hope these new guys can do the same. I just don’t wanna sign another running back let’s go with the guys we have

Those TDs belong more to the passing game. Look at our offensive numbers - we passed the ball down the field and Gurley ran in several 5 yard TDs. I don't take that for granted - it was a huge weakness for SJ - but it's still not worth what we were paying, and yes, I'd say an average RB can do it