Six takeaways from McVay’s end of year presser

[OldSchool]

6 biggest takeaways from Sean McVay's end-of-year press conference

Sean McVay put a bow on the Rams’ season Sunday, sharing his thoughts on ways to improve, the QB situation and his own play calling.

theramswire.usatoday.com

 

[OldSchool]

I like that he not only holds players accountable but himself. As a lot of us have been saying he agrees the lack of a deep threat was s big problem.

 

[dieterbrock]

Just curious, but how many teams have a QB that has to "earn" his starting job? That have a competitive backup?
San Fran? Garropolo plays when healthy, so NO, Arizona? NO, Seattle? NO
Saints? NO, Tampa? NO, Carolina? NO, Atlanta? NO
Green Bay? NO, Chicago? YES, Minnesota? NO, Detroit? NO
Washington? Do they have a starting QB? YES, Giants, NO, Cowboys? NO (although Dak is a ?), Eagles? YES, (although it wont be when they name a coach)
KC? NO, Chargers? NO, Raiders? NO, Broncos? NO
Tennessee? NO, Houston? NO, Indy? NO, Jacksonville? NO
Pittsburgh? NO, Cleveland? NO, Cincinnati? NO, Baltimore? NO
Buffalo? NO, Miami? NO (Tua is starter though undeserved), Jets? NO, Pats? NO... Not even with Cam being terrible and Stidham being the starter until Cam walked in the door a week before the season started...

This idea that your QB needs to be pushed by competition, that his job isnt handed to him, is just a bunch of mullarkey.
Like John Madden said, "if you've got two QB, you have none"
Look at Philly, replacing Wentz destroyed the season

 

[TexasRam]

I like that he not only holds players accountable but himself. As a lot of us have been saying he agrees the lack of a deep threat was s big problem.

Yea he emphasized how hard it is for an offense to have to consistently execute 10+ play drives and that they have to generate explosive plays.

Truth is, get your blocking right up front and the explosives will come. Not only is the extra seconds for the pass to develop important, but the run game that requires extra bodies such as safety’s to vacate deep zones exacerbates the problem for the defense.

Its a hard lesson for a young coach to learn. But this is seen every season in the NFL when you see a team commit to addressing the Oline. Cleveland, Green Bay, and the detriment to teams that don’t address it or have injuries - Baltimore, Philly and the Rams.

 

[Flint]

This was the plan though, Cooks is gone and instead of trying to replace him, we’re gonna dink and dunk and hope somebody can break a big one. Unfortunately defenses figured that out too which made it even tougher

 

[NJRamsFan]

This was the plan though, Cooks is gone and instead of trying to replace him, we’re gonna dink and dunk and hope somebody can break a big one. Unfortunately defenses figured that out too which made it even tougher

I think cooks absence was felt and certainly part of that. But I think the dink and dunk was out of necessity with the o line. Even with cooks we wouldn’t have had time to wait for plays to develop

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

So what is the philosophy on this draft? It sounds like he expects to lose a lot of quality players and Snead has a limited number of picks to work with.

So, do they go early and try to hit a home run with a position or two of weakness? Like Center, Linebacker, Corner, or deep threat. Or do we see Snead repeatedly trade back for sixth round role players. It will be interesting to find out.

Save this article and revisit it in April when we make our draft picks and predictions thread.

 

[Oregonram]

I like that he not only holds players accountable but himself. As a lot of us have been saying he agrees the lack of a deep threat was s big problem.

Sean didn’t realize this before the season?

 

[OldSchool]

Sean didn’t realize this before the season?

He may have or he may have thought they could work around it. May have even thought somebody on the roster could fill the void.

 

[madrid311]

I think may be coach is still on a steep learning curve. no doubt he has the bonifides but his " I have to do a better job of play calling and put players in a better position to succeed" is making me wonder if he will catch up to his need to better play call? I would like to think as I read in here that he is trying to master all 3 phases of the game. I know we expect results but I have to remember he is just getting started. ( he has a winning record and is close or right there to be in it every year for the most part) that's all we can ask. Ill have to look up when famous coaches actually started calling the best plays to succeed. go rams.

 

[Varg6]

Just curious, but how many teams have a QB that has to "earn" his starting job? That have a competitive backup?
San Fran? Garropolo plays when healthy, so NO, Arizona? NO, Seattle? NO
Saints? NO, Tampa? NO, Carolina? NO, Atlanta? NO
Green Bay? NO, Chicago? YES, Minnesota? NO, Detroit? NO
Washington? Do they have a starting QB? YES, Giants, NO, Cowboys? NO (although Dak is a ?), Eagles? YES, (although it wont be when they name a coach)
KC? NO, Chargers? NO, Raiders? NO, Broncos? NO
Tennessee? NO, Houston? NO, Indy? NO, Jacksonville? NO
Pittsburgh? NO, Cleveland? NO, Cincinnati? NO, Baltimore? NO
Buffalo? NO, Miami? NO (Tua is starter though undeserved), Jets? NO, Pats? NO... Not even with Cam being terrible and Stidham being the starter until Cam walked in the door a week before the season started...

This idea that your QB needs to be pushed by competition, that his job isnt handed to him, is just a bunch of mullarkey.
Like John Madden said, "if you've got two QB, you have none"
Look at Philly, replacing Wentz destroyed the season

Let’s be clear and put the Wentz thing into perspective. They weren’t winning games with him. He got benched and Hurts elevated the offense. Benching Wentz helped the offense. Benching Hurts against Washington ended Doug’s tenure with the team (and I’m sure we’re all aware that management + Doug were not on the same page).

 

[KayJay]

" Jared Goff will have to earn his starting job"

Lol soooo, Jared is starting next year then? Roflmao, the notion that this dude is a bum doesn't fly well especially with the current QB's on the roster. If you want Jared to actually compete for a starting position, you better draft a Russell Wilson to Goff's non existent Matt Flynn. Seriously, the training wheels are off for sure. But our financial commitment is only part of the problem. The real problem is the lack of consistency in the whole offense. Create a pocket for him to navigate like what's been mentioned by numerous people on this board. And create a contingency plan to alleviate it if the line starts to struggle. We don't have time for a QB quandary, that's childish. This is a winning foot ball team. I WANT WINNERS (Goff can win in the right conditions, so find an elite QB or improve the team around him; there is no inbetween). Like Keyshawn Johnson said, Goff is more than capable of playing football in the NFL. You are waiting for him to take the next step. So I'm not interested in lateral moves, or something that will just make us the same but with MObiLITY

“I think Brandin was a huge contributor, he did so many great things for us in those couple of years. I don’t want to take away from the confidence I had in our players that are currently and that were a part of this team are. I definitely think that you did feel not having Brandin this year,”

NO WAY! You mean we didn't stop throwing down field because Goff was an inaccurate deep thrower? Shit, you mean to tell me multiple people on this board created a narrative in their head which had no statistical backing whatsoever?! Seriously, Kupp and Woods are great route runners and chain movers. But they lack explosive play capability in two areas; speed and jumpball capability. This means that our only options are throwing to them in separation. News flash, you aren't always going to have separation against tight defenses. I mean unless your coach is a genius, right McVay? It also doesn't help when your line is inconsistent, and anything past two seconds is a gamble.

" His own play calling must improve"

I still have faith in our head coach but he is far from infallible. I'll give him a pass on screen plays and on handing the ball off in 3rd and 12+ situations due to the line and Goff's consistency this year. But the league has caught up to window dressing now. They are no longer fooled by actions in the backfield before plays as frequently. Baltimore's offense struggled mightily, and that offense left an impression on McVay last year, its clearly evident. He's going to really need to go in his bag during the off season.

" Cam Akers and Van Jefferson will be bigger parts of the offense in 2021"

Van was impressive in that last game, its clearly evident he needs more playing time. However the same problem persists, we need a number one WR. Can he be that true number one? Having two Cooper Kupps on the field can be beneficial for sure, even lethal. But someone is going to have to step up. Akers was a surprise, hopefully he can carry it into next year; I'm optimistic if the line improves.

"Rams have tough decisions to make this offseason"

Oh boy, I knew that was coming. The important thing is you keep your core of guys. Pleasant surprises are just that, they were a pleasant surprise but we can't hang on to them anymore if they choose to leave.


TLDR; In conclusion, most of this shit was obviious. Especially about the deep ball problem. And once McVay cools off and comes to his senses and see's the difference in practice, Goff will likely outplay anyone outside of an elite level quarterback at his position in camp or out of it. I don't believe in Wolford, and Bryce Perkins is Bryce Perkins. Like I said, I'm down for competition or replacing him. But you're going to have to give me something better, or someone with potential to be better. I don't want something worse, or a lateral move.

 

[dieterbrock]

Let’s be clear and put the Wentz thing into perspective. They weren’t winning games with him. He got benched and Hurts elevated the offense. Benching Wentz helped the offense. Benching Hurts against Washington ended Doug’s tenure with the team (and I’m sure we’re all aware that management + Doug were not on the same page).

I thought you wanted to be clear and put things in to perspective? Lol.
Philly is a shit show, its been a battle of egos over there and Pederson causes more trouble than he's worth. Many feel that Reich was the key to the offense. Any way, the season was a lost season. Injuries, subpar play etc. But it all starts with Philly drafting Hurts. Toss in them picking Reagor as the 4th WR taken in the draft and its a mess. So Hurts was exciting, but 1 win and Pederson proclaims he's the starter the rest of the year. Thats nonsense. Either way, creating a QB controversy never is best for the team. Once sides are taken, the divide is created.

 

[Neil039]

There are transitions in professional careers that most success people have to go through. One of those steps is not believing your own hype. I thought McVay had done that after the Super Bowl loss. After reading the article, maybe not. It’s one one thing to be beaten by a better team, it’s another to defeat yourself. He and Sneed are a good coupling (thought they were great at one time). Better choices need to be made with regards to spending, draft capital, trades and player development.

This is all JMO. McVay frustrates me, i do remember being infuriated by Fisher and his predecessors. So I know there is hope.

 

[Merlin]

This idea that your QB needs to be pushed by competition, that his job isnt handed to him, is just a bunch of mullarkey.
Like John Madden said, "if you've got two QB, you have none"
Look at Philly, replacing Wentz destroyed the season

Yeah and I'm sure it pisses Goff off too. Which is probably by design.

So what is the philosophy on this draft? It sounds like he expects to lose a lot of quality players and Snead has a limited number of picks to work with.

So, do they go early and try to hit a home run with a position or two of weakness? Like Center, Linebacker, Corner, or deep threat. Or do we see Snead repeatedly trade back for sixth round role players. It will be interesting to find out.

Save this article and revisit it in April when we make our draft picks and predictions thread.

The philosophy will hopefully be go find playmakers. In this draft there's gonna be a guy or two who are high on the Rams board but get close to them. Get those guys and I don't care what position they play. We need big play types, guys who move the needle.

This offseason will be about the OL too. They're gonna improve Center and maybe move Hav to get some cap relief. I'd move Hav, and then I'd sign a FA at either OG or C (I have always wanted Scherff but apparently that will never happen lol). Edwards should be at RT IMO but they also have Evans.

 

[dieterbrock]

Yeah and I'm sure it pisses Goff off too. Which is probably by design

That's poor design and the kind of stuff that ruins a team. That's 7-9, Fisher kind of stuff

 

[Malibu]

I think cooks absence was felt and certainly part of that. But I think the dink and dunk was out of necessity with the o line. Even with cooks we wouldn’t have had time to wait for plays to develop

I too agree Cooks was missed, but truthfully there were a bunch of receivers going deep not just Cooks back then.

Today's problem and I keep saying it our pass pro is horrible and doesn't give Goff the time like he had before. You can't throw deep when your pocket is crumbling all around you. In GB game did you see how good their OL was and that wasn't even with their best player in. Fix the OL and watch all the deep passes reemerge

 

[Merlin]

That's poor design and the kind of stuff that ruins a team.

Only if Goff can't handle competition.

 

[Mojo Ram]

Yeah and I'm sure it pisses Goff off too. Which is probably by design.

 

[Merlin]

There's too many folks acting like Goff is some princess or something here. The guy is a pro. He's not gonna cry and stomp his feet if they bring in competition. He's gonna be pissed off. He's gonna ball his ass off too. It's a good thing dudes.