Returning players on offense; could there be more there than we give credit?

[Zero]

Yes. I want to avoid one of my trademark unnecessarily long and rambling post. We went from arguably the worst offensive coaching staff in the NFL to one of the best. I think that'll show on the field. I believe there's untapped talent on this OL, at TE, and at WR. Plus, I think Goff and Gurley will show their true colors. I guess we'll see, but I'm very optimistic that we have more than we think we do.

Second That @jrry32.
I am very excited about what Kromer can do with the young Oline.
It will be nice to see our WR's schemed open for a change.
Hope to see Tavon running more vertical routes as well.

 

[Zero]

Well, there is no doubt that there are better coaches on offense and in fact, the Head Coach comes from not only an extensive offensive background, but he's worked with one Head Coach highly regarded (Jon Gruden) and McVay will be the play caller so that is a huge upgrade over Rob Boras who had never been an offensive coordinator at the NFL level and wanted to be a play caller in the worst way and he was.

Offensive Line Coach Aaron Kromer...I'm not sure what happened to Paul Boudreau there were some rumors about his health, but his offensive line last season was an epic fail and that falls squarely on Boudreau and I wish him the best, however, Kromer is a huge upgrade. Everywhere Kromer has been, he's been very successful, now, would I want to sit down and have a beer with him? Not on a beach, but I believe Kromer will make a huge difference from day one.

Offensive Coordinator Matt LaFleur...I feel confident Sean McVay will be able to call the plays because of the hiring of Matt LaFleur as they are very close and will work in unison to give the Rams an edge they have not had since Mike Martz was roaming the sidelines in the Gateway City. LaFleur is also a Quarterback whisper so that should aid Goff, Mannion & Murray oh my!

Quarterback Coach Greg Olson....What I like here is Olson had an opportunity to be the Bills offensive coordinator, but chose the Rams as a position coach and his experience over the likes of Chris Weinke, is not even close. Jared Goff now will have a confidant on the sidelines that will be able to guide him through uncharted waters and should be a major upgrade for the California Golden Boy from last season.

Wide Receiver Coach Eric Yarber...Now keep in mind I had high expectations when the Rams hired Mike Groh last season, but Groh was working in unison with Boras as the passing game coordinator and again that was an epic fail and you have to hold Groh somewhat accountable...Yarber is a player's coach, who has done well in the NFL and at the collegiate level and many wrote about the UCLA Wide Receivers being very well coached, but Yarber was not a strong recruiter, which in college is obviously huge. Well, now Yarber does not have to worry about recruiting and this position coach does not have to worry about calling pass plays, so, IMHO, the Ram receiver core will be better off for it and keep in mind that the Rams have Zac Taylor as the assistant wide receiver coach, which will give the the receivers an understanding from a Quarterback perspective, which should also aid in the improvement of the unit.

Tight End Coach Shane Waldron....Last season the Rams brought in John Lilly to coach the Tight Ends and it was Lilly's first gig at the NFL level. Waldron although young, has worked with the Patriots and was attached at the hip as well with McVay in Washington who coached that position before he was promoted to offensive coordinator. This was a crucial hire IMHO because McVay in his scheme at times employees three tight ends at once on the field. Rams presently have one veteran TE in Cory Harkey who is more of a full back and then Higbee, Hemingway and many have forgotten about Bryce Williams who was added late to the mix. Waldron should aid in the development of these guys and remember Head Coaches never forget the position they coached so McVay will have an eye on Shane to ensure his Tight Ends are improving each and every day.

Very nice insight Coach.Thanks

 

[Zero]

We also have an intriguing (at least in my mind) option to the TE squad. They signed Travis Wilson (QB from Utah) to come into training camp and compete.

Almost forgot about him Redding.
Could be diamond in the rough.

 

[Zero]

I'm too chicken to throw this idea out in a new thread, I'll try it here.

How about trying GRob at center? He's got the athleticism to be a C. Gets him away from the spotlight and flag tossing officials.

Just a thought.

Personally,I am not a fan of tall centers.
I like those ground hugging leverage machines.
Not sure about the mental aspect of the position either.

 

[Merlin]

If the OL finally comes together, yes. Protections and holes, if it's all there the talent should begin to show. Because there is some talent, and the scheme should finally be there too.

 

[Adi]

Talent wise , this offense has alot of pieces that other teams would love . I said the same thing about last season, but coaching needs to put that talent in the right situations. That obviously has not happened for the last couple years, I'm sure the patriots could make Tavon , Gurley and pharoah Cooper look great hopefully mcvay can too

 

[RamBall]

I am sure that any NFL O coaching staff is better than what the Rams had the last 2 seasons, possibly the last 5 seasons. And to now have 1 of the brightest young O minds as HC and an experienced staff teaching the players how to execute a real NFL O, we will see much improvement, even with much of the same personnel.

 

[Florida_Ram]

Well, there is no doubt that there are better coaches on offense and in fact, the Head Coach comes from not only an extensive offensive background, but he's worked with one Head Coach highly regarded (Jon Gruden) and McVay will be the play caller so that is a huge upgrade over Rob Boras who had never been an offensive coordinator at the NFL level and wanted to be a play caller in the worst way and he was.

Offensive Line Coach Aaron Kromer...I'm not sure what happened to Paul Boudreau there were some rumors about his health, but his offensive line last season was an epic fail and that falls squarely on Boudreau and I wish him the best, however, Kromer is a huge upgrade. Everywhere Kromer has been, he's been very successful, now, would I want to sit down and have a beer with him? Not on a beach, but I believe Kromer will make a huge difference from day one.

Offensive Coordinator Matt LaFleur...I feel confident Sean McVay will be able to call the plays because of the hiring of Matt LaFleur as they are very close and will work in unison to give the Rams an edge they have not had since Mike Martz was roaming the sidelines in the Gateway City. LaFleur is also a Quarterback whisper so that should aid Goff, Mannion & Murray oh my!

Quarterback Coach Greg Olson....What I like here is Olson had an opportunity to be the Bills offensive coordinator, but chose the Rams as a position coach and his experience over the likes of Chris Weinke, is not even close. Jared Goff now will have a confidant on the sidelines that will be able to guide him through uncharted waters and should be a major upgrade for the California Golden Boy from last season.

Wide Receiver Coach Eric Yarber...Now keep in mind I had high expectations when the Rams hired Mike Groh last season, but Groh was working in unison with Boras as the passing game coordinator and again that was an epic fail and you have to hold Groh somewhat accountable...Yarber is a player's coach, who has done well in the NFL and at the collegiate level and many wrote about the UCLA Wide Receivers being very well coached, but Yarber was not a strong recruiter, which in college is obviously huge. Well, now Yarber does not have to worry about recruiting and this position coach does not have to worry about calling pass plays, so, IMHO, the Ram receiver core will be better off for it and keep in mind that the Rams have Zac Taylor as the assistant wide receiver coach, which will give the the receivers an understanding from a Quarterback perspective, which should also aid in the improvement of the unit.

Tight End Coach Shane Waldron....Last season the Rams brought in John Lilly to coach the Tight Ends and it was Lilly's first gig at the NFL level. Waldron although young, has worked with the Patriots and was attached at the hip as well with McVay in Washington who coached that position before he was promoted to offensive coordinator. This was a crucial hire IMHO because McVay in his scheme at times employees three tight ends at once on the field. Rams presently have one veteran TE in Cory Harkey who is more of a full back and then Higbee, Hemingway and many have forgotten about Bryce Williams who was added late to the mix. Waldron should aid in the development of these guys and remember Head Coaches never forget the position they coached so McVay will have an eye on Shane to ensure his Tight Ends are improving each and every day.

 

[blackbart]

I still think the move affected things a lot more than people talk about, it was a factor. Combine that with a bad scheme, the POS that is the CBA right now and a staff who didn't do a good job teaching and yes I expect there is some talent on this team.

Going back to the CBA, will one off season be enough to install a new scheme and get some of these players to gel in it? There has been criticism of Austin since he came out about picking up the offense and his route running was still poor last year. Gurley may have called it a middle school offense but that didn't make him have bad vision and make bad choices, he has to play better. Goff learning a new scheme 2 years in a row? The OL getting a new OLT is huge but there still isn't an NFL center on the roster and I don't believe a rookie is the answer.

I sure hope this coaching staff is as good as people are saying, they have t prove it too.

 

[1maGoh]

I certainly think Austin can improve his numbers to 700 rec, 300-400 rushing. Cooper can probably replace Austin's receiving totals. Woods will replace it come close to replacing what Britt did. TE production ought to improve with guys already on the roster. And Gurley should be able to produce like he did before. So yeah, the on team guys will out produce what they did, or they should, and the new guys will do fine too. In theory.

 

[Mojo Ram]

It would be such a huge gift for the Rams to have Quinn operating on all cylinders again this year, what a difference he can make if 100%.

This might be the single biggest X factor on defense. If Quinn continues to slide we're going to have to seriously address the pass rush position. If he gets back to 100% this defense will wreck shit for QB's.

 

[VegasRam]

Didn't we just sign a wr that specializes in run blocking?

Yeah..., but also catching footballs, and running routes.

 

[Psycho_X]

No one who watches NFL games on a regular basis could watch our offense last season and think the offensive play calling and offensive design was remotely on a NFL level. Gurley has physical talent there is no debating that. So does Tavon Austin. They just need to be put in the right situations to exploit their talent and minimize their flaws.

I think the rookies last season all have a lot of upside to contribute in the NFL. They just need coached up and, once again, put in the right situations for their skillset.

At times last season it seemed like we had the playbook from one of the old Madden games from the 90s. Just keep rotating the same plays over and over and over again and hoping eventually they'll just work. The NFL is more about matchups and timing than anything else and our old coaches were the most clueless about how to implement either in their offense.

 

[snackdaddy]

No one who watches NFL games on a regular basis could watch our offense last season and think the offensive play calling and offensive design was remotely on a NFL level. Gurley has physical talent there is no debating that. So does Tavon Austin. They just need to be put in the right situations to exploit their talent and minimize their flaws.

I think the rookies last season all have a lot of upside to contribute in the NFL. They just need coached up and, once again, put in the right situations for their skillset.

At times last season it seemed like we had the playbook from one of the old Madden games from the 90s. Just keep rotating the same plays over and over and over again and hoping eventually they'll just work. The NFL is more about matchups and timing than anything else and our old coaches were the most clueless about how to implement either in their offense.

Fisher has never had good offenses with the Rams. But they weren't as terrible until last season. I'm not sure what happened. They went from bad to terrible.

I gotta think that Fisher was steadfast in his belief than old school smash mouth running would win and defenses knew that. All they had to do was stack the box and take Gurley out of the equation. The receivers weren't good enough to separate and the line wasn't good enough to protect.

Just a bad combination of things. My hope is that the new system alone will keep defenses honest. We still need more at receiver and on the line though.

 

[dieterbrock]

Fisher has never had good offenses with the Rams. But they weren't as terrible until last season. I'm not sure what happened. They went from bad to terrible.

when Brian Schottenheimer left, so went the bad offense with him.
Unfortunately terrible took its place

 

[LACHAMP46]

At times last season it seemed like we had the playbook from one of the old Madden games from the 90s.

I once played a Madden game for $500....and you couldn't use the Rams. I only used 4 plays....with 3 audibles...and trust me, I was hard to defend.

 

[Mojo Ram]

I once played a Madden game for $500....and you couldn't use the Rams. I only used 4 plays....with 3 audibles...and trust me, I was hard to defend.

Vick's Falcons? 5 WIDE all go routes?
Lol

 

[thirteen28]

when Brian Schottenheimer left, so went the bad offense with him.
Unfortunately terrible took its place

That really drives it home. Of the 3 offensive coordinators Fisher hired, Schottenheimer was the least bad ... good lord, that is stunning.

And to address this thread more generally, yes I think our offense already had more talent than what showed in the last few years. I just don't think you can overestimate how bad the offensive coaching truly was on this team. We had no identity on offense, and they seemed to not be able to settle on one. They couldn't even settle on a blocking scheme and thus implemented some bastard hybrid of a ZBS and a PBS. When I watched games it always seemed like our OL was a step slow from having to overthink things. Fisher also had a tendency to fall in love with athletes, but didn't have a full appreciation of what it took to coach them up on the offensive side of the ball or what it took for them to be successful at their position ... hence draft picks like Brian Quick when Alshon Jeffrey.

I don't propose letting the players off the hook for their responsibility in our bad offense, but it has to be made clear that they were not in any way put in a position to succeed, and that falls squarely on the coaches. You could have taken a much more talent roster on offense and combined it with our coaching last year, and it's an ironclad guarantee that relative to their talent level, they would have underachieved.

 

[Mojo Ram]

In a nutshell....under Fisher the defense got better while the offense got worse....until the team finally quit.