SoFi Stadium isn’t the only project the Rams are working on this offseason

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CGI_Ram

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SoFi Stadium isn’t the only project the Rams are working on this offseason

Construction of the multibillion-dollar Inglewood stadium the Rams will move into next season is nearing completion.

Reconstruction of the team that did not reach the playoffs for the first time in coach Sean McVay’s three seasons is only beginning.

“There was some great in 2019, there was some bad, there was some OK,” Kevin Demoff, the Rams’ chief operating officer, said Wednesday after a tour of SoFi Stadium. “And we have to figure out how we get back to the level that we’ve been normally accustomed to the past two years under Sean.

“It’s been great to have three straight winning seasons and two division titles and a Super Bowl run, but this year wasn’t up to our standards.”

The Rams in 2019 could not escape the fate of numerous teams that faltered the season after losing in the Super Bowl. They finished 9-7 and were surpassed in the NFC West by the Super Bowl-bound San Francisco 49ers and the second-place Seattle Seahawks.


View: https://twitter.com/latimesklein/status/1220072201056964608?s=21


McVay wasted little time making significant moves: He did not renew the contracts of defensive coordinator Wade Phillips or running backs coach Skip Peete. A few days later, he hired Brandon Staley, a linebackers coach for the Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos the last three seasons, as Phillips’ replacement.

McVay also hired former Washington Redskins offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell as a nonplay-calling offensive coordinator. But McVay still must replace special-teams coordinator John Fassel and Peete, both now members of the Dallas Cowboys staff under new coach Mike McCarthy.

On Wednesday, Demoff declined to discuss the Rams coaching staff, saying he would defer to McVay to address the subject when it was complete.

General manager Les Snead has said that a “different formula” for remaking the Rams would be necessary now that the franchise is no longer in the financial window they used to their advantage when quarterback Jared Goff was playing on a rookie contract.

In the last 19 months, Goff, running back Todd Gurley, receiver Brandin Cooks and defensive lineman Aaron Donald received massive extensions. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey, acquired in a midseason trade that cost the Rams first-round draft picks in 2020 and 2021, also is in line for a potential record-breaking deal.


View: https://twitter.com/latimesklein/status/1220068670958780416?s=21


Left tackle Andrew Whitworth, center-guard Austin Blythe, edge rusher Dante Fowler, linebacker Cory Littleton, defensive lineman Michael Brockers, kicker Greg Zuerlein and backup quarterback Blake Bortles are pending unrestricted free agents.

The Rams have six draft picks, none in the first round, a number that could increase to as many as eight if they are awarded compensatory picks for the departures of free-agent offensive lineman Rodger Saffold and safety Lamarcus Joyner after last season. The Rams have one pick each in the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds.

Next month, Rams officials and coaches will attend the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. Free agency starts in March. The draft is in late April.

“We have a ton of decisions to make,” Demoff said.

The Rams also will unveil a logo and redesigned uniform combinations in the months leading up to the opening of the stadium, which will host a Taylor Swift concert July 25.

After four seasons as a temporary tenant at the USC-controlled Coliseum, the Rams finally will play in owner Stan Kroenke’s privately financed stadium that they will share with the Chargers.

“I always view 2020 as the end of the relocation, the beginning of the next chapter of the Rams and everything that everybody has asked questions about for years comes to true fruition,” Demoff said. “But for the football team it’s just the next year after 2019.”
 

Jacobarch

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I like the some of the Signings but honestly, Bloated contracts are going to be the end of the Rams. Goff is good but not great, and we paid a DT quarterback money. It's just not sustainable.
Call it doom and gloom but teams like the Pats were good for so long because they let high priced players walk instead of tying their team to one player.
Of course I could be wrong but I think there's been a formula out there for sometime in regards to sustained success and we are doing the exact opposite. We'll see tho, this next season will be a big tell of which direction this team is heading in. Lots of good players, but lots of moving pieces too.
 

Zaphod

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I like the some of the Signings but honestly, Bloated contracts are going to be the end of the Rams. Goff is good but not great, and we paid a DT quarterback money. It's just not sustainable.
Call it doom and gloom but teams like the Pats were good for so long because they let high priced players walk instead of tying their team to one player.
Of course I could be wrong but I think there's been a formula out there for sometime in regards to sustained success and we are doing the exact opposite. We'll see tho, this next season will be a big tell of which direction this team is heading in. Lots of good players, but lots of moving pieces too.
Man, that is just so right on. I know we all love AD, but the Pats would have traded him, and the truth is, he's still a tradable asset for the team, though there are very few on here who would entertain that.

I don't really mind that Goff got what he got, in the end that may turn out to be a relatively decent valued contract for the team. Teams just overpay quarterbacks, and I bet you can still trade him.

The Gurley contract still hurts us though, as does the Cooks contract, and those guys just aren't very tradeable at this point due to their contracts.
 

kurtfaulk

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.

the cheats this, the cheats that.

fuck me dead, they fucking cheated and probably still are. why was bellyfat so worried about seeing mcvay during the superbowl? because he's in love with him? no, because their surveillance of the rams sideline had shown some kind of tell they could use against the rams.

it's easy for jags to play great when they know exactly what's coming.

fuck the cheats. i don't want the rams doing anything like those fucking cheating fucks.

.
 

Deac

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Man, that is just so right on. I know we all love AD, but the Pats would have traded him, and the truth is, he's still a tradable asset for the team, though there are very few on here who would entertain that.

I don't really mind that Goff got what he got, in the end that may turn out to be a relatively decent valued contract for the team. Teams just overpay quarterbacks, and I bet you can still trade him.

The Gurley contract still hurts us though, as does the Cooks contract, and those guys just aren't very tradeable at this point due to their contracts.


I agree the Gurley and Cooks contracts hurt for the short term, but I do not think we are doom and gloom. We have to get somewhat creative the next 2 years, but that's not eternity, especially when we have enough talent to win now and the new CBA deal. I'm curious of the structure of the rookie contracts for the new CBA, remember after the last one, the rookie deal money got about halved of what is was previously (aka Sam Bradford crazy money).

I think more than anything, we just have to be careful for the near future, though it is going to interesting. I just want a couple average guys for the offensive line and I think we can patch up most the other things. Trades would be welcome and decent starters can picked up with 3-5th round draft picks per workable salary and position value. Ramsey is the only wild card I see here and I would be bummed if we could not get his contract worked out due to the high cost.
 

Mojo Ram

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I'm still skeptical over the idea that these "big" contracts are going to send this team into purgatory.

I'd like to see some examples of teams in the modern era who are terrible because of bad accounting or in the Rams' case(according to many here)...overpaying/locking up too many players.

I mean, is Miami who they are because of handing out too many fat contracts? No. Cleveland? No. Arizona? No. The Giants? No.
I'd say that those teams have a hard time finding talent.

It'll be interesting to see where the Rams are at a year from now. So far we've felt the loss of just one very good player due to cap issues since '17 season. Saffold. We'll lose another guy this year, maybe two. All good teams lose a key FA every year though.

You guys may be right when you say that the Rams will implode underneath the salary cap...i disagreed a year ago and i still disagree. Lack of talent and/or lack of roster depth wasn't the reason the Rams went from 13-3 to 9-7 in my opinion.
 

Akrasian

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Man, that is just so right on. I know we all love AD, but the Pats would have traded him, and the truth is, he's still a tradable asset for the team, though there are very few on here who would entertain that.

Man, people were tearing into me when I wanted to trade him during his holdout. The Rams would have gotten at least two firsts, and possibly other picks, and would have a better cap situation. He's been as great as could be expected, and the first year or two of his contract he was priced at a level that didn't hurt the team. I don't know how the team would have done without him. I do think the Rams could have been competitive with a deeper team thanks to the picks and the extra cap room. I don't know if they would have been NFC champs, or if they would have been better off in the Super Bowl with the greater depth.
 

So Ram

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SoFi Stadium isn’t the only project the Rams are working on this offseason

Construction of the multibillion-dollar Inglewood stadium the Rams will move into next season is nearing completion.

Reconstruction of the team that did not reach the playoffs for the first time in coach Sean McVay’s three seasons is only beginning.

“There was some great in 2019, there was some bad, there was some OK,” Kevin Demoff, the Rams’ chief operating officer, said Wednesday after a tour of SoFi Stadium. “And we have to figure out how we get back to the level that we’ve been normally accustomed to the past two years under Sean.

“It’s been great to have three straight winning seasons and two division titles and a Super Bowl run, but this year wasn’t up to our standards.”

The Rams in 2019 could not escape the fate of numerous teams that faltered the season after losing in the Super Bowl. They finished 9-7 and were surpassed in the NFC West by the Super Bowl-bound San Francisco 49ers and the second-place Seattle Seahawks.


View: https://twitter.com/latimesklein/status/1220072201056964608?s=21


McVay wasted little time making significant moves: He did not renew the contracts of defensive coordinator Wade Phillips or running backs coach Skip Peete. A few days later, he hired Brandon Staley, a linebackers coach for the Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos the last three seasons, as Phillips’ replacement.

McVay also hired former Washington Redskins offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell as a nonplay-calling offensive coordinator. But McVay still must replace special-teams coordinator John Fassel and Peete, both now members of the Dallas Cowboys staff under new coach Mike McCarthy.

On Wednesday, Demoff declined to discuss the Rams coaching staff, saying he would defer to McVay to address the subject when it was complete.

General manager Les Snead has said that a “different formula” for remaking the Rams would be necessary now that the franchise is no longer in the financial window they used to their advantage when quarterback Jared Goff was playing on a rookie contract.

In the last 19 months, Goff, running back Todd Gurley, receiver Brandin Cooks and defensive lineman Aaron Donald received massive extensions. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey, acquired in a midseason trade that cost the Rams first-round draft picks in 2020 and 2021, also is in line for a potential record-breaking deal.


View: https://twitter.com/latimesklein/status/1220068670958780416?s=21


Left tackle Andrew Whitworth, center-guard Austin Blythe, edge rusher Dante Fowler, linebacker Cory Littleton, defensive lineman Michael Brockers, kicker Greg Zuerlein and backup quarterback Blake Bortles are pending unrestricted free agents.

The Rams have six draft picks, none in the first round, a number that could increase to as many as eight if they are awarded compensatory picks for the departures of free-agent offensive lineman Rodger Saffold and safety Lamarcus Joyner after last season. The Rams have one pick each in the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds.

Next month, Rams officials and coaches will attend the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. Free agency starts in March. The draft is in late April.

“We have a ton of decisions to make,” Demoff said.

The Rams also will unveil a logo and redesigned uniform combinations in the months leading up to the opening of the stadium, which will host a Taylor Swift concert July 25.

After four seasons as a temporary tenant at the USC-controlled Coliseum, the Rams finally will play in owner Stan Kroenke’s privately financed stadium that they will share with the Chargers.

“I always view 2020 as the end of the relocation, the beginning of the next chapter of the Rams and everything that everybody has asked questions about for years comes to true fruition,” Demoff said. “But for the football team it’s just the next year after 2019.”


Nothing like a LIAR though when asked certain questions. Not saying he wasn’t put in a spot to do so , but he did LIE to RAM FANS & TICKET Holders.

Who Ever is Singing these contracts STINk !!
THiS has gone on Since Chris Long & Larinitas. Both Olayers were Cut for Salary.
- So over Paying , No Comp Picks .. Bad draft Picks —. Uncertainty for FA’s
 

Zaphod

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I agree the Gurley and Cooks contracts hurt for the short term, but I do not think we are doom and gloom. We have to get somewhat creative the next 2 years, but that's not eternity, especially when we have enough talent to win now and the new CBA deal. I'm curious of the structure of the rookie contracts for the new CBA, remember after the last one, the rookie deal money got about halved of what is was previously (aka Sam Bradford crazy money).

I think more than anything, we just have to be careful for the near future, though it is going to interesting. I just want a couple average guys for the offensive line and I think we can patch up most the other things. Trades would be welcome and decent starters can picked up with 3-5th round draft picks per workable salary and position value. Ramsey is the only wild card I see here and I would be bummed if we could not get his contract worked out due to the high cost.
I’m definitely not doom and gloom, just disappointed at lost opportunity relative to the competition in our division. I’m not even being my normal shameless homer self when I say that McVay is a great head coach, and that’s what really matters more than any other factor for success, so we’ll be in the playoffs again soon enough.
 

Elmgrovegnome

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Man, people were tearing into me when I wanted to trade him during his holdout. The Rams would have gotten at least two firsts, and possibly other picks, and would have a better cap situation. He's been as great as could be expected, and the first year or two of his contract he was priced at a level that didn't hurt the team. I don't know how the team would have done without him. I do think the Rams could have been competitive with a deeper team thanks to the picks and the extra cap room. I don't know if they would have been NFC champs, or if they would have been better off in the Super Bowl with the greater depth.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Or in AD's case. A future Hall of Fame pick is worth three on the draft board. You don't trade a guy of his talent for unpredictable draft picks.

Ramsey was worth the two picks because the chances of finding anything comparable in the draft is highly unlikely.

You argued with me to no end last winter about the Rams not needing Saffold or a center. Now you are back on the trade Donald bandwagon?
 

Akrasian

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A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Or in AD's case. A future Hall of Fame pick is worth three on the draft board. You don't trade a guy of his talent for unpredictable draft picks.

Ramsey was worth the two picks because the chances of finding anything comparable in the draft is highly unlikely.

You argued with me to no end last winter about the Rams not needing Saffold or a center. Now you are back on the trade Donald bandwagon?

In case you haven't noticed, the Rams have been tight against the cap, with a shortage of picks, forcing them to make gambles for depth while being top heavy in talent. Meanwhile, the Patriots are not just cheaters, they've also done an exceptional job of having depth all over, and a good, constant pipeline of talent - substantially because they usually keep their picks, and trade
for more picks rather than wrecking their cap space.

The Rams had a bunch of holes to fill, and few picks, so they had to gamble rather than pay market rate on an aging LG. With more picks they would have had more of a pipeline to fill various holes, and more money to pick up mid-range free agents. Would the Rams have been better off overall with more depth? I don't know. Neither do you. But with few picks and a bunch of top of the market players, they are forced to gamble elsewhere, and it DID bite them in the butt this season.
 

fearsomefour

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I like the some of the Signings but honestly, Bloated contracts are going to be the end of the Rams. Goff is good but not great, and we paid a DT quarterback money. It's just not sustainable.
Call it doom and gloom but teams like the Pats were good for so long because they let high priced players walk instead of tying their team to one player.
Of course I could be wrong but I think there's been a formula out there for sometime in regards to sustained success and we are doing the exact opposite. We'll see tho, this next season will be a big tell of which direction this team is heading in. Lots of good players, but lots of moving pieces too.
Along with letting some high price FA they also brought in a few either with “cheap” FA signings because of circumstance (Moss) or trade (Van Noy).
What they have always done is adjusted their offense to the strengths of the O.
A deep passing team in the Moss years, a short check down passing team, a power running team. They have done a great job adjusting approach to the strengths of particular rosters.
 

fearsomefour

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There are various way to build a roster.
You can sink a bunch of money into a few “skill” positions.
You can sign expensive FAs to immediately fill holes.
In most cases.....
There won’t be enough money to sign or keep all the big FAs teams would like.
The more success a team has the more their depth will be depleted via FA.
What is always true....
To maintain high levels of success a team has to hit more than miss in the draft.
This is never easy.
With half a decade without a first round pick it gets tougher.
Don’t know how the Rams will keep the contention going.....hopefully most of the answers are on the roster already otherwise it may be a tough couple years.
 

FaulkSF

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@Mojo Ram actually the Giants have had recent CAP struggles. About three years ago they had overpaid Eli, their entire defensive that included Snacks Harrison, JPP, Vernon, Tree, and the jackrabbit to monster contracts. You can also speak to the Browns for o linemen and wide receivers. Let's not forget the Rams and their overpaid O-Line (sorry if I set people back in therapy) of Brown, Bell, and Wells not to mention stinker contracts to Sehorn and Bennett.
 

Loyal

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@Mojo Ram actually the Giants have had recent CAP struggles. About three years ago they had overpaid Eli, their entire defensive that included Snacks Harrison, JPP, Vernon, Tree, and the jackrabbit to monster contracts. You can also speak to the Browns for o linemen and wide receivers. Let's not forget the Rams and their overpaid O-Line (sorry if I set people back in therapy) of Brown, Bell, and Wells not to mention stinker contracts to Sehorn and Bennett.
SONOFA!!!!!
 

Ram65

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I have stated before that I think the Rams are too generous with resigning players. A million or two or three here and there.

Without Donald, the Rams would have a poor defense.

Cooks was a high price quick addition. He helped the Rams get to the Super Bowl but, he cost a lot.

I still think getting Ramsey was a high price in assets and cap space when he resigns. Not a fan of the move but, we will see what happens.

I don't think the Rams are buried by the cap but, they need to hit on these young draft picks. If they can straighten out the offensive line and patch up the defense they should compete in the West in 2020 . Rams did go for more of a quick fix that almost got the "Chip". Hard to not at least enjoy the early ride in the new SoCal/McVay era.