PREGAME Pregame Thread - Lions at Rams

[thirteen28]

The Rams let Blythe go because his contract was up and there was no cost to the team. In Goff’s case they traded half the farm to get rid of him. If that doesn’t tell you who McVay thought was the bigger anchor on the team than I don’t know what to tell you.

I'm not making any argument about bigger anchor, etc.

They let Blythe walk with no attempt to re-sign him, despite having no apparent replacement, because he sucked. If they didn't think Blythe was a problem, they would have at least made an effort to retain him.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

I'm not making any argument about bigger anchor, etc.

They let Blythe walk with no attempt to re-sign him, despite having no apparent replacement, because he sucked. If they didn't think Blythe was a problem, they would have at least made an effort to retain him.

They offered Blythe a bit more than the Chiefs did. Blythe is a life long Chiefs fan.

 

[Prime Time]

There is no doubt in my mind that the communication between Goff and Mcvay slowly detoriated and with that their entire relationship did.

Goff obviously reached a plateau and Mcvay became very frustrated with that situation.

From a March 24th article. Some highlights:

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Inside the home locker room at SoFi Stadium, standing underneath a neon-glowing Los Angeles Rams logo, coach Sean McVay called out quarterback Jared Goff in front of players and coaches. It was a postgame scene many had never before witnessed.

McVay glared in Goff's direction, shouting that he needed to play better and couldn't continue to turn the ball over. McVay didn't say the quarterback's name, but those who were there said they knew to whom McVay was talking.

Minutes later, a heated McVay continued to call out Goff, but this time to reporters, the first time in four seasons as coach he took aim at a player rather than putting the blame on himself after a loss.

"Our quarterback has to take better care of the football," McVay said about Goff, the player general manager Les Snead traded six picks to move up and draft No. 1 overall in 2016.

In the span of two seasons, routine coach and quarterback sideline squabbles turned into one-sided shouting matches, with McVay no longer holding back. Two opposite personalities that once worked harmoniously -- McVay's hyper-focused drive to Goff's cool-and-calm demeanor -- no longer meshed.

In the two seasons that followed, the Rams' offense steadily declined -- going from third in scoring in 2018 to 12th in 2019 to tied for 22nd in 2020 -- along with Goff's production.

Along with it, the question began percolating inside the Rams' building: Did we make a mistake?

'Some decisions work; some don't': Why Rams' Sean McVay-Jared Goff partnership eroded

In 2018, Goff and McVay led the Rams to the Super Bowl and looked to have built a permanent foundation. Two years later, the QB was gone. Where did it all go wrong?

www.espn.com

 

[thirteen28]

They offered Blythe a bit more than the Chiefs did. Blythe is a life long Chiefs fan.

Which was basically nothing.

Let me ask again though: who here wanted to keep Blythe?

 

[WestCoastRam]

Which was basically nothing.

Let me ask again though: who here wanted to keep Blythe?

I actually wanted to sign him for a 4 year 134 mill dollar deal.

 

[12intheBox]

Which was basically nothing.

Let me ask again though: who here wanted to keep Blythe?

Who cares what we wanted? The Rams made him a contract offer. Doesn’t that mean they wanted him - at least a little?

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Which was basically nothing.

Let me ask again though: who here wanted to keep Blythe?

Nobody but he wasn’t as bad as people make him out to be. I’m willing to bet the Rams let him know they planned to move Corbett to center and that he’d be a backup.

Some QBs are good at avoiding the rush. Especially if there is a consistently weak spot in it. Do you think that every time a rusher made it through the interior that Goff was like, “Oh shit that’s a first!”

Scratch that. By the result maybe he actually did.

There is a point that he should have learned to expect and avoid the problem. McVay installed a lot of rollouts to help fix it. Many figured that was all about the offensive line. It wasn’t. It was more about Goff’s inability to sense pressure and to see the field. Lots of QBs have worked with weaknesses in the offensive line.

The main problem wasn’t even the pressure. It was Goff not being able to read defenses and his tendency to be a first read QB. Take away his first read, flood the middle to take out crossers and he got lost looking for targets. So he’d hold onto the ball too long and take a sack.

 

[thirteen28]

Nobody but he wasn’t as bad as people make him out to be. I’m willing to bet the Rams let him know they planned to move Corbett to center and that he’d be a backup.

Some QBs are good at avoiding the rush. Especially if there is a consistently weak spot in it. Do you think that every time a rusher made it through the interior that Goff was like, “Oh shit that’s a first!”

Scratch that. By the result maybe he actually did.

There is a point that he should have learned to expect and avoid the problem. McVay installed a lot of rollouts to help fix it. Many figured that was all about the offensive line. It wasn’t. It was more about Goff’s inability to sense pressure and to see the field. Lots of QBs have worked with weaknesses in the offensive line.

The main problem wasn’t even the pressure. It was Goff not being able to read defenses and his tendency to be a first read QB. Take away his first read, flood the middle to take out crossers and he got lost looking for targets. So he’d hold onto the ball too long and take a sack.

Most of your post is irrelevant to my opinion on Blythe, as my opinion of him would be the same no matter who was taking snaps for him. He was easily bull rushed and he too often failed to get significant (if any) push in the run game.

And if your supposition was true that they told him the guy who played G last year (and had never played significant snaps at C as a professional) was going to replace him while he was going to be relegated to a backup, what does that say about their assessment of him?

But to address your point a little with regard to the QB, you can credibly argue that Goff couldn't compensate for Blythe's weakness and maybe that Stafford could. The point is, should either one of them have to? Or should the glaring weakness he represented have been addressed? One would have to seriously question McVay's and Snead's understanding of the OL situation had they left Blythe in place after going through the efforts they made to upgrade the QB position.

Simply put, the position needed a significant upgrade, and you shouldn't have to resort to defending Blythe's play to buttress your arguments that the Rams needed to move on from Goff. They needed to move on from Blythe no matter which way they went at QB.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Most of your post is irrelevant to my opinion on Blythe, as my opinion of him would be the same no matter who was taking snaps for him. He was easily bull rushed and he too often failed to get significant (if any) push in the run game.

And if your supposition was true that they told him the guy who played G last year (and had never played significant snaps at C as a professional) was going to replace him while he was going to be relegated to a backup, what does that say about their assessment of him?

But to address your point a little with regard to the QB, you can credibly argue that Goff couldn't compensate for Blythe's weakness and maybe that Stafford could. The point is, should either one of them have to? Or should the glaring weakness he represented have been addressed? One would have to seriously question McVay's and Snead's understanding of the OL situation had they left Blythe in place after going through the efforts they made to upgrade the QB position.

Simply put, the position needed a significant upgrade, and you shouldn't have to resort to defending Blythe's play to buttress your arguments that the Rams needed to move on from Goff. They needed to move on from Blythe no matter which way they went at QB.

They went with Blythe for three years. He took less to play a backup role in Kansas City than what the Rams offered him.

If they don’t want him at all then they make no offer. I agree, I’m glad he left. He wasn’t good, but he takes all of the blame from the Goff crowd, which is absurd.

But like you said to me….”Most of your post is irrelevant”.

Another one gone.

 

[badnews]

Sort of game related -
Any locals have any recommendations for places to check out around sofi before the game ?

 

[Tano]

They went with Blythe for three years. He took less to play a backup role in Kansas City than what the Rams offered him.

If they don’t want him at all then they make no offer. I agree, I’m glad he left. He wasn’t good, but he takes all of the blame from the Goff crowd, which is absurd.

But like you said to me….”Most of your post is irrelevant”.

Another one gone.

Man twist our words around.

I will say it differently for you

Give Goff time, he is better than most QBs in the league with the same amount of time.

Give Goff only 1.5 to 2 secs - he is a below average QB.

The point I want to stress is that Goff is better than most QBs when given time. We saw that in 2017 and 2018 (of course he could use some talented receivers as well - Detroit's WRs suck). Please note that neither Kupp Woods Watkins nor Cooks were considered All Pro receivers but they were talented.

This is my opinion and I am sticking with it.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Man twist our words around.

I will say it differently for you

Give Goff time, he is better than most QBs in the league with the same amount of time.

Give Goff only 1.5 to 2 secs - he is a below average QB.

The point I want to stress is that Goff is better than most QBs when given time. We saw that in 2017 and 2018 (of course he could use some talented receivers as well - Detroit's WRs suck). Please note that neither Kupp Woods Watkins nor Cooks were considered All Pro receivers but they were talented.

This is my opinion and I am sticking with it.

You described a lot of QBs. Give them time and they can be very good QBs. Maybe of that group Goff is one of the better ones. That is your opinion. But you have no proof. It’s pure speculation. And it ignores his other faults. Jarred’s inability to read defenses and struggles when his first read is taken away is a huge part of the problem.

But all of it is moot, because the reality is that NFL QBs have to throw the ball under 3 seconds on most plays. That goes for every team. It’s like saying Goff would be the best pee wee league QB ever, or the best Martian QB ever. He doesn’t play in those leagues. He plays in the NFL.

 

[Tano]

You described a lot of QBs. Give them time and they can be very good QBs. Maybe of that group Goff is one of the better ones. That is your opinion. But you have no proof. It’s pure speculation. And it ignores his other faults. Jarred’s inability to read defenses and struggles when his first read is taken away is a huge part of the problem.

But all of it is moot, because the reality is that NFL QBs have to throw the ball under 3 seconds on most plays. That goes for every team. It’s like saying Goff would be the best pee wee league QB ever, or the best Martian QB ever. He doesn’t play in those leagues. He plays in the NFL.

Yeah but if you read what I said - he is better than most QBs when given time when they have the same amount of time. He is just able to shread defenses. I am sticking with that thought.

Yes he needs to do reads better and all that. I was hoping this would be the year but he has definitely regressed even worst. He is really bad on a really terrible team. And losing his best OL players has not helped whatsoever. I give Goff and the Lions no chances in the coming weeks. They might steal one but I can easily see them going 1 and 16 this year. Maybe the calling out will give incentive to Goff to play better but that team is losing confidence by the week and I think it will just get worse.

 

[CoachAllred]

They offered Blythe a bit more than the Chiefs did. Blythe is a life long Chiefs fan.

I'm a lifelong fan of Blyth playing for the Chiefs.

 

[CoachAllred]

Who cares what we wanted? The Rams made him a contract offer. Doesn’t that mean they wanted him - at least a little?

If I were guessing it was backup center money.

 

[Tano]

I'm a lifelong fan of Blyth playing for the Chiefs.

I wanted to give both a Like and a Ha Ha

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Yeah but if you read what I said - he is better than most QBs when given time when they have the same amount of time. He is just able to shread defenses. I am sticking with that thought.

Yes he needs to do reads better and all that. I was hoping this would be the year but he has definitely regressed even worst. He is really bad on a really terrible team. And losing his best OL players has not helped whatsoever. I give Goff and the Lions no chances in the coming weeks. They might steal one but I can easily see them going 1 and 16 this year. Maybe the calling out will give incentive to Goff to play better but that team is losing confidence by the week and I think it will just get worse.

That's the problem. If he read defenses better, had better pocket awareness and didn't rely so heavily on first reads, then the pass rush would be much less of a problem for him. You are putting the cart before the horse.

 

[OC--LeftCoast]

Sort of game related -
Any locals have any recommendations for places to check out around sofi before the game ?

More of an Orange County guy but I always liked the weekend breakfast brunch at the El Torito off the Redondo Beach pier, its a pretty decent place to mill around, opens at 8a on Saturday and 9a on Sunday

It probably isn’t too far from where your holed up, it’s definitely an interesting place

 

[Shuie3225]

It's so weird to me when people talk about Goff's '17 and '18 like he carried this team those years. How in the world can you not say Gurley and his 40TDs was the driving force of our success. Did Goff play well? Yes he definitely did, but a lot of his success came off of play action and schemed advantages that McVay and Gurley provided. When in the history of the NFL has a RB had 40 TDs in two years?? 40 TDs in two years!!! A RB who averages 20TDs over a two year span, that is so fucking absurd. That level of production I dont know if its ever been done before. Not to mention all the yards both rushing and through the air. As soon as Gurley's knee starting failing, Goff was never the same. Late 2018 Gurley got injured, and late 2018 Goff started declining.

 

[Loyal]

More of an Orange County guy but I always liked the weekend breakfast brunch at the El Torito off the Redondo Beach pier, its a pretty decent place to mill around, opens at 8a on Saturday and 9a on Sunday

It probably isn’t too far from where your holed up, it’s definitely an interesting place

Dang, how long has that place been there? If it’s the same place that I remembe, my family went there for lunch, and my Mom and Grandma, who were both non-drinkers, got these massive frozen margaritas and we had to help steady them back to the car afterwards….lol. Don’t know why I remember that.