Rams O no longer makes opposing D’s defend every blade of grass...

[Mackeyser]

Even with Jefferson who I REALLY, REALLY like...

We need

1) STUD Center. Period. #1 need and it's not close.

2) BURNER WR. Think Raiders. If Al Davis would want him, that's a start. We need someone who forces the Safety to start the play 5 yards deeper. Of course he has to be able to catch, but yeah, he doesn't really have to run the full route tree, just be able to get deep.

3) SOLID ILB. Doesn't have to be a stud, but he absolutely CAN NOT shit the bed like Reeder sometimes does in coverage. All 3 blown plays by our D this week were on Reeder. He's enough of a liability that the Jets were able to confuse him with simple motion out of a bunch formation. As in, he was so bad, it's not like he was late, he didn't know his responsibility. And I don't even need to know the defensive call to see that, THAT'S how badly he whiffed. I'll say again, our D improves drastically even with a James Laurinaitis and becomes legendary with a London Fletcher type.

Everything else including edge rusher is gravy if we can get those three.

 

[…..]

My personal opininion is that the collective bargaining agreement and subsequent vanilla practice schedule hinders our game planning.

Im self aware that I have a tendency to lay blame upon the coaches for games like last game. But I also see everyone saying the prep was on point and that the execution was not. So thats bothersome to me. Why are we prepped and not executing so often?

Repetition. You got to get more reps during the week. So we’re back to lack of practice time.

 

[Mojo Ram]

I'm in agreement that we have two outstanding WR's who aren't threatening deep in one on one's but who can do everything else including block.

Go get TY Hilton who would fit this system like a glove.
He's 31. He's made his money. I don't see the Colts extending him moving forward. $11 mil/year is a projected number i've seen.

We're not gonna get a Metcalf, Julio, Evans, Hopkins, D. Adams, Diggs, T. Hill caliber guy, so i say bring in a proven experienced guy who does still have some deep speed.

Release Reynolds, put Kupp in the slot where he's uncoverable and bring Jefferson along behind Hilton for a year or two. This move would also lessen the blow of (inevitably) losing Everett...which will leave Higs, Woods and Kupp as the only other receivers that seem to be involved in the offense these days. Rams really need to get the backs more involved in the pass game....just not on 3rd and 4 when losing to the Jets in the 4th qtr.

 

[sjm1582002]

I'd love to see more I formations with Mundt at FB.

Also a split backfield with Akers and Henderson. Shotgun and under center.

 

[Ellard80]

Yeah, even the clip above... Deep ball to Jefferson... He really had no separation.

The ball was thrown inside a 4" square to be a completion. Literally a tiny window to put that ball.

yeah jeffersoj doesnt look like a deep threat to me.. he might be fast in like a 200 yard dash - but in a 40 yard dash he doesn't appear to have deep speed.

 

[dang]

For the love of god he put Goff in position to move the call on the first offensive drive.Not doing so seems to be the kiss of death for the offense in the first half. Doing donsrts the Rams up for a good first half and a lead which results in like a 33-0 record when leading at half. After all the NFL is 50% mental and 50% physical. If you can’t get physical go Mental!!!!!!!!!

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

The Rams passing game is certainly too predictable. Kupp and Woods are great, but the young backs haven't really adjusted to running NFL routes yet, Josh Reynolds is average at best, the tight ends don't get used enough... especially HIgbee, the rookie Van Jefferson rarely is involved... So stop Woods and Kupp and you basically shut down the Rams passing game. And while were on this topic... how much longer can Kupp and Woods keep this up? They catch 75 passes a year, they run, they block constantly, and they play almost every play. And... except for Kupp's knee injury, they have both been doing this for 4 straight years. How long can McVay and Snead expect those two guys to carry this offense in regards to passing?

This is why I keep saying they need to fix this line asap while the window is still open. Players fade, especially it used heavily. The Rams may have the youngest team in the league but Woods is getting up there. How many years can he play at this level?

I am not a NFL coach and I am not at practice, but I truly do not understand why Van is not more involved.


This is a great point, which brings me the RB position.
I love the fact that Akers has exploded on to the scene, but Mcvay has to spell this kid during the game.
During the Patriot game Akers had 31 touches to Henderson's 2. Against the Jet's Akers had 16 touches to
Henderson's 1. (doesn't include the 2 TD runs that were called back.)

If not for Akers being injured, I have no doubt that he would have had very similar touches as the Patriot game.
I am all for having a featured back. Akers is going to be a monster. I just think he needs to be rested a couple series
a game. I think it will help keep him healthier as well as give us a change up at RB.

i also would love to see us running Hendo on the jet sweep out of our empty sets. That would take
some of the touches off Woods.
As good as Woods runs that jet sweep , Hendo would take it to another level. Because he is just as
quick as Woods, with stronger tackle breaking ability.

My speculation is that he's not learned all of his assignments and cannot perform them all. Mainly I'm speaking of blocking on screens and run plays. Right now Reynolds is much better at blocking and the timing and holding of blocks in this offense.

 

[RamsOfCastamere]

3) SOLID ILB. Doesn't have to be a stud, but he absolutely CAN NOT shit the bed like Reeder sometimes does in coverage. All 3 blown plays by our D this week were on Reeder. He's enough of a liability that the Jets were able to confuse him with simple motion out of a bunch formation. As in, he was so bad, it's not like he was late, he didn't know his responsibility. And I don't even need to know the defensive call to see that, THAT'S how badly he whiffed. I'll say again, our D improves drastically even with a James Laurinaitis and becomes legendary with a London Fletcher type.

I think at least two of those were on Kenny Young. The back motioned to Young's side and he didn't switch. Reeder needed to be more vocal on the switch perhaps but that's something Young should have known.

 

[FrantikRam]

For all the shit Goff gets, and praise Kupp and Woods get; nobody ever realized our best wideouts are possession receivers. They move the chains, but they don't make good explosive play makers.

With Cooks and Watkins gone, the deep threat that forces the defense to make bad decisions isn't there anymore. This is why Van Jefferson is so critical. He isn't fast, but maybe he can be a DeAndre Hopkins (Lite) to get people to bite on double moves.

People want Goff to take deepshots, but it just isn't there man. The conditions aren't right for it.

I personally have never heard of possession receivers leading the NFL in YAC. They make most of their yards after they catch the ball.

Kupp had more explosive plays than both Cooks and Gurley when they were all here.

Woods just had a 50 yard run last week, and has a lot of explosive plays for his career here.

I agree they're not traditional deep threats and that is an issue to fix - but they are both certainly "explosive playmakers", as they've generated a ton of explosive plays (and Kupp did so more than Cooks and Gurley).

 

[Faceplant]

At the Senior Bowl, Jefferson was clocked as the fastest player on the field. He topped out at 21.05 mph and 20.99 mph during punt return drills, which were the highest speeds of anyone in Mobile.

I have been saying this for a while to my fellow rams fan buddy. Why no shots to VJ?? He clearly has long speed if not burst off the line. VJ has the feet to get around press coverage, so the burst may not be as necessary if he gets the DBs hips flipped the wrong way.

This offense has not worried anyone since the latter part of 2018. Whether that is because Sean is not as creative as we thought, Goff is not as complete as we thought, or our WRs cannot get open like we thought..... I dunno. But it's not getting better.

 

[…..]

Or we are afraid of pressure so avoiding long developing routes, double moves, etc.

 

[Faceplant]

I'm in agreement that we have two outstanding WR's who aren't threatening deep in one on one's but who can do everything else including block.

Go get TY Hilton who would fit this system like a glove.
He's 31. He's made his money. I don't see the Colts extending him moving forward. $11 mil/year is a projected number i've seen.

We're not gonna get a Metcalf, Julio, Evans, Hopkins, D. Adams, Diggs, T. Hill caliber guy, so i say bring in a proven experienced guy who does still have some deep speed.
View attachment 42195

Release Reynolds, put Kupp in the slot where he's uncoverable and bring Jefferson along behind Hilton for a year or two. This move would also lessen the blow of (inevitably) losing Everett...which will leave Higs, Woods and Kupp as the only other receivers that seem to be involved in the offense these days. Rams really need to get the backs more involved in the pass game....just not on 3rd and 4 when losing to the Jets in the 4th qtr.

Interesting. I think you nailed it with the TY suggestion... I agree he seems like a perfect scheme fit.

 

[KayJay]

I personally have never heard of possession receivers leading the NFL in YAC. They make most of their yards after they catch the ball.

Kupp had more explosive plays than both Cooks and Gurley when they were all here.

Woods just had a 50 yard run last week, and has a lot of explosive plays for his career here.

I agree they're not traditional deep threats and that is an issue to fix - but they are both certainly "explosive playmakers", as they've generated a ton of explosive plays (and Kupp did so more than Cooks and Gurley).

Can you honestly say you can send Kupp on a Go route, and get consistent separation? What about Woods? And getting yards after catch in McVays offense is purely by design because most of his routes took too long to develop; while the offensive line remains inconsistent in pass protection.

Calling someone a possession receiver isn't a slight. Its admiration for their abilities while acknowledging certain flaws. Our guys are good route runners with reliable hands, and average speed. I love them, but they don't have deep ball ability.

As for explosive plays, we can agree to disagree there. Because one 50 yard run doesn't equate to a 50 yard bomb putting fear into a defense forcing them to over-help, which frees up our other guys.

 

[iamme33]

This offense has not worried anyone since the latter part of 2018. Whether that is because Sean is not as creative as we thought, Goff is not as complete as we thought, or our WRs cannot get open like we thought..... I dunno. But it's not getting better.

yeah i agree with what you are saying. things like what you describe above are what worry me when i hear we are young and we are going to just keep getting better. some times weaknesses are found or systems are figured out. it is not guaranteed that young players a going to get better sometimes they get worse. yes most get better but it is not guaranteed.

 

[Ellard80]

I personally have never heard of possession receivers leading the NFL in YAC. They make most of their yards after they catch the ball.

Kupp had more explosive plays than both Cooks and Gurley when they were all here.

Woods just had a 50 yard run last week, and has a lot of explosive plays for his career here.

I agree they're not traditional deep threats and that is an issue to fix - but they are both certainly "explosive playmakers", as they've generated a ton of explosive plays (and Kupp did so more than Cooks and Gurley).

Kupp is a great run after the catch guy... id say woods is more of a possession reciever - but i agree neither of them is a deep threat - not a real one anyway.

 

[FrantikRam]

Can you honestly say you can send Kupp on a Go route, and get consistent separation? What about Woods? And getting yards after catch in McVays offense is purely by design because most of his routes took too long to develop; while the offensive line remains inconsistent in pass protection.

Calling someone a possession receiver isn't a slight. Its admiration for their abilities while acknowledging certain flaws. Our guys are good route runners with reliable hands, and average speed. I love them, but they don't have deep ball ability.

As for explosive plays, we can agree to disagree there. Because one 50 yard run doesn't equate to a 50 yard bomb putting fear into a defense forcing them to over-help, which frees up our other guys.

You seemed to have ignored two of my points:

First, I acknowledged they weren't deep threats. So obviously I wouldnt say they will consistently get separation on a go route.

Second, Kupp had more explosive plays than Cooks and anyone one else in our offense.

The post I quoted, you were talking about explosive plays - those aren't just go routes.

Them getting YAC is by design? The design hinges on their ability. Woods and Kupp are basically RBs with the ball in their hands. Reynolds isn't nearly as good as they are after the catch, and that goes for most of the other WRs in the NFL too. Both of their ability in that regard has allowed them to generate a ton of explosive plays for us - Kupp specifically has been the most dangerous and explosive offensive weapon in the McVay era.

Do we need a deep threat? I think it would help - although I would point out that Cooks never usually had more than a yard of a separation, which is something I think Van could do.

 

[KayJay]

You seemed to have ignored two of my points:

First, I acknowledged they weren't deep threats. So obviously I wouldnt say they will consistently get separation on a go route.

Second, Kupp had more explosive plays than Cooks and anyone one else in our offense.

The post I quoted, you were talking about explosive plays - those aren't just go routes.

Them getting YAC is by design? The design hinges on their ability. Woods and Kupp are basically RBs with the ball in their hands. Reynolds isn't nearly as good as they are after the catch, and that goes for most of the other WRs in the NFL too. Both of their ability in that regard has allowed them to generate a ton of explosive plays for us - Kupp specifically has been the most dangerous and explosive offensive weapon in the McVay era.

Do we need a deep threat? I think it would help - although I would point out that Cooks never usually had more than a yard of a separation, which is something I think Van could do.

On the contrary, I just think your point was rather irrelevant. McVay once was cited saying "Goff isn't in a system, he is the system"; and the same could be said for our wide-outs. One can deduce that the system in place is to take full advantage of the ability Kupp and Woods have by getting them the ball in open space. So how is that not by design? McVay isn't doing everything for them, but he is giving them opportunities to make a play. And you know what? They make those plays, so we are lucky to have them.

I'm not denying that they are capable of explosive plays; just about any receiver is if given the chance. But there's a reason why this offense hasn't been considered "Dynamic" or "Explosive" since the Gurley era. Because while there is respect for Woods and Kupp, defenses do not fear them. Fear results in double teams. Fear results in biting on double moves. Fear of an impending touchdown threat results in a lapse in judgment, which results in other wideouts getting clean looks in the endzone. We don't have that here at the moment. This is an irrefutable truth.

 

[Ramlock]

Kupp had more explosive plays than both Cooks and Gurley when they were all here.



eyeball says no

 

[TexasRam]

Woods and Kupp aren’t burners or guys that can go up and get balls like Hopkins or Evans.

But I think if you upgraded that Oline and improved the pass protection and the running game with Akers in year 2, then we would find ourselves easily back at 30 ppg. Blythe need to be upgraded and a better blocking TE to replace Everett would also be huge.

Not sure if Jefferson is going to be more than a
Jag but Reynolds definitely is a problem with his critical drops and inability to catch a ball in single coverage.

 

[CGI_Ram]

This team feels like a team that needs to always have a priority (draft and off-season) for the oline. We cannot get to the SB with a below average OL.

So, that’s always mindful priority 1. To me.

But we need a burner. Something to extend the field to defend. Even if McVay wants to play the short game, juuuuust a few yards deeper of concern for defenses would be huge to those short range plays as well.

I‘ve half wondered what the existing offense would look like if we had a insanely fast guy that simply went long most every play... with a goal of winning one of those via busted coverage every once in while. Good luck defending the short stuff there too.