SB 53 Sean McVay post game

[Mojo Ram]

McVay is a great coach but I am growing concerned that his flaws are fatal and he will NOT learn, contrary to what so many others are saying ("Oh, he'll learn from this..."), leading to the Rams being unable to win the big games. We'll see. But there is legitimate cause for concern. Pass happy. Abandoning the run too early. Too much reliance on play action passes that are too long to develop. Not enough variety in formations. Etc. The same ways we have been losing for months.

I could write an entire essay on extra things that went wrong in this game in particular (TEs being completely ignored, not nearly enough runs to the outside, etc.) but this isn't the thread. I, along with many others, have vented on that at length in the appropriate forum.

Still, he is a great coach, and it's not like there are any better candidates out there, so we have to stand by him. Jeff Fisher should remind us all of just how lucky we are with McVay. And the fact that McVay was up against the best coaching staff in the business is also a mitigating factor for Sean. Bill Belichick is for my money the best coach in the history of the NFL. Getting out-coached by him isn't so much the problem. It happens. It was just the magnitude of the disparity that was and is worrisome. We didn't just lose the coaching battle. We got completely and thoroughly schooled. I don't think McVay could have been embarrassed any worse if he tried.

Important caveat: I'll wait to hear about Gurley's true health status before forming any final opinions on this loss, both regarding McVay and otherwise. If Gurley was effectively neutered by injury, the reality is that this team likely overachieved in just getting to the Superbowl. The offense really does run through Todd. If you take him out of the equation, and then add Cooper Kupp being injured as arguably our most important WR, those losses are pretty hard to overcome on offence against top-tier opposition. This team can win plenty of football games and be very competitive without Gurley and Kupp. But winning a Super Bowl without them is probably too much to ask. It would take some luck ("any given Sunday"...), starting with a favorable match-up, and the Patriots sure don't fit that description. If Gurley truly was healthy, or close to it, well.... we've got some huge issues to address.

Possibly, but he did learn how to win a playoff game(s) after one and done in 2017.

 

[LesBaker]

No adjustments were made to dump the ball off when they blitzed

I was waiting for screens to show up and that didn't happen. It was confusing as hell.

Even some draw plays should have been used.

I’m a bit disappointed because the counters to that defense wouldn’t require that much experience to figure out.

I’d feel better if I saw some TE releases, or targets in general, or more screens or running back dump offs. Especially since KC was able to do it

You're 100% correct it wasn't difficult to figure out some simple counters to slow down the Patriots pass rush.

KC scored 31 points. Half of that would have won this game.

Possibly, but he did learn how to win a playoff game(s) after one and done in 2017.

I will admit that growth is incremental and change is possible.

It's just that for me it's a little bit bothersome that we've seen McVay not adjust in a tight game a few times. Like he is waiting to blow it open with a big explosive play rather than call some plays to make the defense adjust.

I'll wait until next year to really judge. This may have been the game that makes him understand that he needs to be a little more responsive. This was an embarrassing defeat, bordering on humiliating. The Patriots totally took the Rams offense off the rails, maybe this is the pivot point for him.

 

[NoCoNite]

The fact that Bill talked to him all season kind of shows he’s a savant. You think think Bill’s going out of his way to talk Hue Jackson after every game.
He just got schooled by a professor.
Another thing. They didn’t make any adjustments, that’s what everyone was griping about with the Chiefs. We did the exact same thing.

 

[Liberator]

The fact that Bill talked to him all season kind of shows he’s savant. You think think Bill’s going out of his way to talk Hue Jackson after every game.
He just got schooled by a professor.
Another thing. They didn’t make any adjustments, that’s what everyone was griping about with the Chiefs. We did the exact same thing.

Yea I wasn't overly worried until they came out and sucked on that first drive of the second half. That was sort of where I realized this might not go our way lol. Oh well. Shit happens they'll be back next year.