My uneducated opinion on our Rams and McVay

[RamUK]

Although I'm in my 40th year as a Rams fan and watched hundreds of games, I'm no Xs and Os expert.

So my take comes from a layman's perspective rather than analysing the shit out of play calls or individual performances.

Firstly, I'm totally bemused by people diving on McVay over individual plays, calling him Boy Wonder, and saying his decisions are low-intelligence .

Some people were also predicting he'd blow it last night when they got the ball back.

Fuck me, the guy is the best coach in franchise history and called thousands of thousands of plays.

Expecting him to get it right on every call, or even most calls, is ridiculous. And a casual glance at his W-L record will show you he's not prone to blowing games.

It's like expecting a golfer to sink every putt, a boxer to land every punch, or Gronk occasionally not look like fucking idiot. It's not humanly possible.

But the thing is, we forget all the calls he gets right unless they're unusual or exploit weaknesses that we ourselves saw because it's what we expect.

McVay is a fabulous HC and play-caller, and his record over a sustained period of time makes that unarguable.

What I love about this team is that it's doing what many people were complaining hadn't happened in the past.

Playing aggressively.

The D is flat-out nasty, and they love hitting people.

It's young and makes the kind of mistakes (sometimes dumb ones) you'd expect from a young team. You cannot have it both ways.

But I bet this that no fucking QB is excited at facing Chris Shula's D. The very Chris Shula, who a few would have run out of town earlier in the season.

Who'd have said that at the end of last season with no AD?

And our O can explode when things click.

I don't agree with people who say Kupp and Puka are too similar to get the best out of them.

You can never have too much talent or too many tough and smart football players.

I'm not saying I'd not swap out one for Holt in his prime, but there are a few WRs (and none sat around waiting by phone) who would make this team better by taking over from one or the other when fit.

Both fit the mindset of this team and organization. The mindset that McVay is/was the leading creator of.

A couple or more people said in the match thread that we are a middle-of-the-pack 5-5 team.

It's hard to disagree with that because we are 5-5, and we are in the middle of the pack.

But, and it's a big but, I think we have much higher upside than most 5-5 teams.

We have the ability to go off in a game on both sides of the ball.

I think this team can win the Lombardi, but I also think it's capable of missing the playoffs.

If we can make the playoffs and the O and D start to sync, we'll be more of a concern to teams than we were last year.

I'm not saying that will happen, it probably won't. But I love what McVay continues to do with this entire organization.

My only long-term concern is Stafford. I even trust McVay and Snead to find a Kupp replacement because, for the last two years, they have been the NFL's best drafting tandem (I'm guessing that because I don't study other teams, but I bet it's true).

How we replace Stafford is another matter.

One thing I also found amusing in the thread was when Puka grabbed the TD at full stretch; not one, but two people said it was a terrible pass from Stafford.

Was it fuck.

It wasn't ideal, nor was it on the money.

But it still put the ball in a place where only the WR could catch it and it ended up in a TD.

 

[hotanez]

Although I'm in my 40th year as a Rams fan and watched hundreds of games, I'm no Xs and Os expert.

So my take comes from a layman's perspective rather than analysing the shit out of play calls or individual performances.

Firstly, I'm totally bemused by people diving on McVay over individual plays, calling him Boy Wonder, and saying his decisions are low-intelligence .

Some people were also predicting he'd blow it last night when they got the ball back.

Fuck me, the guy is the best coach in franchise history and called thousands of thousands of plays.

Expecting him to get it right on every call, or even most calls, is ridiculous. And a casual glance at his W-L record will show you he's not prone to blowing games.

It's like expecting a golfer to sink every putt, a boxer to land every punch, or Gronk occasionally not look like fucking idiot. It's not humanly possible.

But the thing is, we forget all the calls he gets right unless they're unusual or exploit weaknesses that we ourselves saw because it's what we expect.

McVay is a fabulous HC and play-caller, and his record over a sustained period of time makes that unarguable.

What I love about this team is that it's doing what many people were complaining hadn't happened in the past.

Playing aggressively.

The D is flat-out nasty, and they love hitting people.

It's young and makes the kind of mistakes (sometimes dumb ones) you'd expect from a young team. You cannot have it both ways.

But I bet this that no fucking QB is excited at facing Chris Shula's D. The very Chris Shula, who a few would have run out of town earlier in the season.

Who'd have said that at the end of last season with no AD?

And our O can explode when things click.

I don't agree with people who say Kupp and Puka are too similar to get the best out of them.

You can never have too much talent or too many tough and smart football players.

I'm not saying I'd not swap out one for Holt in his prime, but there are a few WRs (and none sat around waiting by phone) who would make this team better by taking over from one or the other when fit.

Both fit the mindset of this team and organization. The mindset that McVay is/was the leading creator of.

A couple or more people said in the match thread that we are a middle-of-the-pack 5-5 team.

It's hard to disagree with that because we are 5-5, and we are in the middle of the pack.

But, and it's a big but, I think we have much higher upside than most 5-5 teams.

We have the ability to go off in a game on both sides of the ball.

I think this team can win the Lombardi, but I also think it's capable of missing the playoffs.

If we can make the playoffs and the O and D start to sync, we'll be more of a concern to teams than we were last year.

I'm not saying that will happen, it probably won't. But I love what McVay continues to do with this entire organization.

My only long-term concern is Stafford. I even trust McVay and Snead to find a Kupp replacement because, for the last two years, they have been the NFL's best drafting tandem (I'm guessing that because I don't study other teams, but I bet it's true).

How we replace Stafford is another matter.

One thing I also found amusing in the thread was when Puka grabbed the TD at full stretch; not one, but two people said it was a terrible pass from Stafford.

Was it fuck.

It wasn't ideal, nor was it on the money.

But it still put the ball in a place where only the WR could catch it and it ended up in a TD.

Don't let it worry you @RamUK , I was in the GDT and read many of the the post you just mentioned. Not all but some of those posters aren't really Rams fans. They show up with pure negativity when team is doing bad but disappear when the team starts kicking ass. I have no issue with someone disagreeing with McVay's game plan, but the ones that take one play and conclude that McVay has lost it and he has to step down is ridiculous. I mean where would we be without him?

 

[Liberator]

anyone seriously having a go at mcvay is out of touch

I get people being frustrated in a game and emotional tho, but if you’re still questioning him after a game idk what to say

 

[So Ram]

Although I'm in my 40th year as a Rams fan and watched hundreds of games, I'm no Xs and Os expert.

So my take comes from a layman's perspective rather than analysing the shit out of play calls or individual performances.

Firstly, I'm totally bemused by people diving on McVay over individual plays, calling him Boy Wonder, and saying his decisions are low-intelligence .

Some people were also predicting he'd blow it last night when they got the ball back.

Fuck me, the guy is the best coach in franchise history and called thousands of thousands of plays.

Expecting him to get it right on every call, or even most calls, is ridiculous. And a casual glance at his W-L record will show you he's not prone to blowing games.

It's like expecting a golfer to sink every putt, a boxer to land every punch, or Gronk occasionally not look like fucking idiot. It's not humanly possible.

But the thing is, we forget all the calls he gets right unless they're unusual or exploit weaknesses that we ourselves saw because it's what we expect.

McVay is a fabulous HC and play-caller, and his record over a sustained period of time makes that unarguable.

What I love about this team is that it's doing what many people were complaining hadn't happened in the past.

Playing aggressively.

The D is flat-out nasty, and they love hitting people.

It's young and makes the kind of mistakes (sometimes dumb ones) you'd expect from a young team. You cannot have it both ways.

But I bet this that no fucking QB is excited at facing Chris Shula's D. The very Chris Shula, who a few would have run out of town earlier in the season.

Who'd have said that at the end of last season with no AD?

And our O can explode when things click.

I don't agree with people who say Kupp and Puka are too similar to get the best out of them.

You can never have too much talent or too many tough and smart football players.

I'm not saying I'd not swap out one for Holt in his prime, but there are a few WRs (and none sat around waiting by phone) who would make this team better by taking over from one or the other when fit.

Both fit the mindset of this team and organization. The mindset that McVay is/was the leading creator of.

A couple or more people said in the match thread that we are a middle-of-the-pack 5-5 team.

It's hard to disagree with that because we are 5-5, and we are in the middle of the pack.

But, and it's a big but, I think we have much higher upside than most 5-5 teams.

We have the ability to go off in a game on both sides of the ball.

I think this team can win the Lombardi, but I also think it's capable of missing the playoffs.

If we can make the playoffs and the O and D start to sync, we'll be more of a concern to teams than we were last year.

I'm not saying that will happen, it probably won't. But I love what McVay continues to do with this entire organization.

My only long-term concern is Stafford. I even trust McVay and Snead to find a Kupp replacement because, for the last two years, they have been the NFL's best drafting tandem (I'm guessing that because I don't study other teams, but I bet it's true).

How we replace Stafford is another matter.

One thing I also found amusing in the thread was when Puka grabbed the TD at full stretch; not one, but two people said it was a terrible pass from Stafford.

Was it fuck.

It wasn't ideal, nor was it on the money.

But it still put the ball in a place where only the WR could catch it and it ended up in a TD.

I’m only going to take the first part of it,and my only issue with Mcvay. Well a couple of things actually.

First when everyone can see a player not playing to a certain level he needs to be taken out at some point.That is my opinion.
-Football is totally different than say baseball or baseball.Offense vs. defense as well.
-My only issue has been over The YEARS w/ Mcvay is the O’Line !! Growing up everyone would yell at coach to put in a certain QB ! It was easier to blame .

Part 2 is play calling-Which is actually another part to this,is Mcvay has had OC’s.Many are very good NFL Headcoaches.Raheem being the first DC.

1. Control freak as it comes to play calling.Which is why Matt left.Mike might be the issue,but who knows ? Mcvay is in charger.
Stafford misses plays,but that Kupp TD .So your right about blaming every call.
-I don’t think most of us are doing that.We could break down that call & why it worked or didn’t work.Why it was a good call vs a bad one.Why NE might have been not trusting the speed of The Rams WR ?There is a lot that does into play calling & plays.The defenses change all the time presnap as well.

My thing is just general.You have to be able to close out games & score TD’s in the Red Zone.

We can go back to all that.WHAT MAKES Mcvay The Best RAMS HC in History is he is All About WE,not ME.He holds players & coaches act.
His Coaching Staff’s have been EXCELLENT!!!

Mcvays player buy in,because at the end of the day The Rams & he are there for them.
-If a player wants out the door,they hold it open & look for The Best Place for that PLAYER.Sacrificing most times to do so.

Mcvays CULTURE is Barnone! They might not have had the best facilities(voted by players),but those players give it there all.

 

[Tano]

Gronk occasionally not look like fucking idiot. It's not humanly possible.

That got me laughing

 

[RamsOfCastamere]

If you don't like the GDT, join the chat room!!

Chill vibes there

 

[So Ram]

anyone seriously having a go at mcvay is out of touch

I get people being frustrated in a game and emotional tho, but if you’re still questioning him after a game idk what to say

I’ll question that 3-10 with 39 seconds forever.That makes no sense to me at all.The odds of The Rams recovering a onside kick are basically slim & non.Is there a stat on when was the last 2 ever recovered by The Rams ?

 

[PARAM]

I’ll question that 3-10 with 39 seconds forever.That makes no sense to me at all.The odds of The Rams recovering a onside kick are basically slim & non.Is there a stat on when was the last 2 ever recovered by The Rams ?

So what did you want him to do? We were down by 11. If we kick the FG there, 4 seconds go off the clock and we're down 8. If we try for the TD more probably goes off the clock. Significantly more if we don't get it in 1 play from the 12. But I am curious....if the long odds of recovering an onside kick is part of your reasoning for questioning the call, WTF is the difference whether we go for 3 or 7? To me this is a classic case of damned if he did, damned if he didn't and complaining simply to complain.

First when everyone can see a player not playing to a certain level he needs to be taken out at some point.That is my opinion.

You know the player is "not playing to a certain level" and needs to be taken out, so I assume you also know the player that would be inserted would be an improvement? How? I can understand, "I think it would be better with so-in-so in there" but I don't buy a fan "knowing". And it's a lot of things. Is the replacement actually a better option? Is the replacement 100% healthy. For instance, Witherspoon seems to be sucking. Wallace would probably be his replacement but he was dinged vs Seattle and his snaps have gone down significantly since. Yesterday he had zero defensive snaps.

Face we (or you) don't really know what's best personnel-wise. We may think we do but we don't. Because we're not privvy to what goes on in meetings, on the practice field, or his level of health, etc.

 

[PARAM]

Although I'm in my 40th year as a Rams fan and watched hundreds of games, I'm no Xs and Os expert.

So my take comes from a layman's perspective rather than analysing the shit out of play calls or individual performances.

Firstly, I'm totally bemused by people diving on McVay over individual plays, calling him Boy Wonder, and saying his decisions are low-intelligence .

Whatch you talkin bout Willis???? We fans know what should and shouldn't be done when it comes to play calling, personnel, use of timeouts, strategic decisions......until we don't.

The guy has won more in 7 1/2 years than any other coach in Rams history. The guy has won with a young, green QB and a seasoned stud. He's won with a beast RB, RB by committee and a 5th round RB. He's won with 1st round WRs and 3rd/4th and 5th round WRs. He's won with 4 different DCs. He's won while losing multiple assistant coaches every year. WTF does he have to do to have fans admit, "he knows waaaay more than I do"? Apparently, there's nothing he can do but win the SB every year.

 

[Ellard80]

Whatch you talkin bout Willis???? We fans know what should and shouldn't be done when it comes to play calling, personnel, use of timeouts, strategic decisions......until we don't.

The guy has won more in 7 1/2 years than any other coach in Rams history. The guy has won with a young, green QB and a seasoned stud. He's won with a beast RB, RB by committee and a 5th round RB. He's won with 1st round WRs and 3rd/4th and 5th round WRs. He's won with 4 different DCs. He's won while losing multiple assistant coaches every year. WTF does he have to do to have fans admit, "he knows waaaay more than I do"? Apparently, there's nothing he can do but win the SB every year.

I do get a laugh out of how average fans criticize play calls.

What goes into an actual play call and strategy is complicated and painstakingly planned for.

I'm not saying McVay is without criticism in this category at all, but it still makes me chuckle a bit.

 

[0311rams]

my only concern for McVay is will he stay as long as Tomlin? he's got the chops. go Rams

 

[PARAM]

I'm not saying McVay is without criticism in this category at all, but it still makes me chuckle a bit.

I'm not saying he shouldn't be criticized. It's the "oh it was so clear ___________ was the right call. WTF was he thinking?"

 

[Allen2McVay]

My only concern for McVay is will he stay as long as Tomlin

That's a long ways away. The last time Mike Tomlin won a playoff game, Jeff Fisher was the Rams' head coach.

 

[Ellard80]

I'm not saying he shouldn't be criticized. It's the "oh it was so clear ___________ was the right call. WTF was he thinking?"

Yeah the amount of planning that goes into what plays are used against certain coverages is intense.

Most of us don't really know the nuisances of why a certain play did not work in a certain situation.

I did not like the deep shot to puka on 3rd and 6 in the 4th. However - I'm not certain if that was the first read or not or what the exact plan was for that play.

 

[dieterbrock]

I did not like the deep shot to puka on 3rd and 6 in the 4th. However - I'm not certain if that was the first read or not or what the exact plan was for that play.

If they ran and picked up 3-4 yards, the FG would have been under 50yds. I wonder if a FG attempt at any distance was off the table at that point?

 

[Da-Rock]

Never fails to see the fanatical fans complain about the fans who are not like them, like this: "but some of those posters aren't really Rams fans." lol! Always good to see two sides of the same coin go after each other.

Second - It is nice to see opinions on a message board.

 

[snackdaddy]

If they ran and picked up 3-4 yards, the FG would have been under 50yds. I wonder if a FG attempt at any distance was off the table at that point?

After that chip shot miss I woulda been hesitant to try it at any distance. Karty is not giving me confidence we have our kicking woes solved.

 

[Da-Rock]

After that chip shot miss I woulda been hesitant to try it at any distance. Karty is not giving me confidence we have our kicking woes solved.

I agree with this too, but I feel better after watching Tucker and the other kickers in the league yesterday.

 

[WestCoastRam]

McVay is great, hall of famer already AND he's maddeningly consistent in his deficiencies.

Very few coaches I'd want instead of him in todays NFL.

 

[RamUK]

Never fails to see the fanatical fans complain about the fans who are not like them, like this: "but some of those posters aren't really Rams fans." lol! Always good to see two sides of the same coin go after each other.

Second - It is nice to see opinions on a message board.

I think/know you weren't talking about me, and I'm not here to question another fan's love of the team. I think teams can lovea team just as much and always be unhappy. We're humans, we all cope differently.

I've been following pro sports for well over half a century and had a season ticket for 30 years. I think I have seen most of what there is to see. Even in soccer, we have the same groups of people whining about the refs, the manager, the players, the fitness team, the tactics, the fucking weather and everything else.

My issue is when they start to dominate a thread/conversation. I swear to God, some people have a comment typed and are ready to hit enter before a play has even started.

TBF, it's a lot worse on Facebook than on here, but people talking about what they were going to do for the rest of the football season when we're 7-0 down in the first fucking quarter seems to me ludicrous. And by the way, I can be a really moody fucker if we lose. It's almost always super late here and I struggle to sleep. But my wife usually waits until we have actually lost before locking away all sharp objects.