To Win It All?

[CGI_Ram]

I think that's the most logical choice, especially if he's not calling plays anyway.

Kevin O’Connell has a good gig. He is OC but “never“ part of our criticism.

I’d like to know more about how the game day dynamic works between those two.

 

[Ramstien]

I think Mcvay needs to delegate better and just have the final word, on things. He needs to look at every aspect of the game; special teams, defense, and offense. He needs to be more of a CEO and manage everything on game day, not just the offense.

 

[OregonRamsFan]

The truly smart people often overthink things. I think McVay struggles with this issue. He’s a perfectionist, sometimes to his detriment. He will learn with experience.

 

[Psycho_X]

Kevin O’Connell has a good gig. He is OC but “never“ part of our criticism.

I’d like to know more about how the game day dynamic works between those two.

Yeah I would as well. It's always been a bit of a mystery but that's how McVay likes to operate usually. It would be curious if he ever gives up play calling at some point in his career. Would it take someone he trusts completely due to experience and results? If O'Connel were to get a job elsewhere and leave this offseason and Shanahan gets fired would McVay hire him as his new OC and give up play calling duties to him? Someone he's friends with and trusts. Idk, either way you'd think it'd have to happen at some point in his head coaching career.

 

[OnceARam]

I’ll reserve judgement until the Green Bay game. I think, coming off a bye, that game will tell us exactly who we are.

 

[OnceARam]

This is true…AND…Stafford had twelve years of hero ball. It’s gonna take a minute to unlearn the bad habits and trust the system

This is my biggest concern right now.

Can Stafford play complimentary football in big games by not forcing things that aren’t there…

 

[Flatlyner]

Our defense is up and down. The D needs to bring it every week and hopefully, Von Miller helps stabilize that. More pressure on the QB equals better coverage for the secondary. As for the offense, we just need to limit the errors. The last game was lost entirely on offensive errors and penalty errors (throw in some horrible officiating as well). Essentially, we killed ourselves last game against potentially the best team in the AFC. Limit that and we are right there with the best in the NFL.

 

[tklongball]

Long season and we are just around the half way point. We are 7-2, and all it takes is getting hot at the right time. The great news is if we get hot now, we can still be the #1 Seed in the NFC, if not, we should still make the playoffs, and once in, anything can happen. There is a reason only 1 team has ever gone undefeated through the superbowl. It is a long grueling season, and every team has a game or 2 where they don't look like themselves. Until I see a pattern, I am not concerned. Has any team been great every game this year? Arizona lost to the Pack, and should have lost to Minnesota, but for a missed FG at the end of the game.

 

[Kupped]

Of course the Rams could win a Super Bowl this year.
And, of course, they could fall short.
We have no idea what this D is going to look like with Von. They've been improving every week and are getting healthy in the secondary. There's potential to be a dominating D in the second half.
If they do? Don't make dumb mistakes on offense and they'll really be something to deal with.

They already lead the NFL in sacks and they're bringing in Miller. Look what a difference it made for the Titans to be able to rush only 4 and generate pressure.

This season is loooooong from over and we still haven't seen the best of this offense or defense.

 

[Merlin]

We look like a 2nd tier team right now to me because we have zero run game balance. It's almost like McVay doesn't want to waste downs running the ball if he thinks he won't get explosive plays. But it's needed when you face the better defenses, this year's offense can work most defenses over but when they face the tougher units can they hit them back on the ground and force them off the ball.

Seems to me we have the OL for that. Even that Titans front who blew up our protections we still had run holes. So what we're lacking is a back that McVay trusts I think.

Push comes to shove generally Hendy is not up to carry this offense when they need him to. It's not just this year it's been every year with that dude. Every time the window opens where he's gonna get his shot and the team needs him he gets dinged up. Last Sunday the guy got hurt and had to leave right in the middle of a dogfight of an early game. So I get why McVay doesn't trust him, but what pisses me off is McVay didn't just feed Michel who has more of that physical aspect in his game that we needed there.

So to me the single biggest factor in our chances to win it all comes down to RB. It may not be a position teams pay but don't think that it's not crucial for all these teams. It is. And the Rams look unsettled there and have since Akers went down. Nobody has stepped up.

Lastly since the Rams seem to think they have an answer in-house and/or aren't nearly as alarmed by RB as I am, I think Michel is our great hope to get this shit solved. They need to give him the MFing rock vs SF and let him mash just enough to keep the 9ers from flooding the secondary.

 

[Kupped]

We look like a 2nd tier team right now to me because we have zero run game balance. It's almost like McVay doesn't want to waste downs running the ball if he thinks he won't get explosive plays. But it's needed when you face the better defenses, this year's offense can work most defenses over but when they face the tougher units can they hit them back on the ground and force them off the ball.

Seems to me we have the OL for that. Even that Titans front who blew up our protections we still had run holes. So what we're lacking is a back that McVay trusts I think.

Push comes to shove generally Hendy is not up to carry this offense when they need him to. It's not just this year it's been every year with that dude. Every time the window opens where he's gonna get his shot and the team needs him he gets dinged up. Last Sunday the guy got hurt and had to leave right in the middle of a dogfight of an early game. So I get why McVay doesn't trust him, but what pisses me off is McVay didn't just feed Michel who has more of that physical aspect in his game that we needed there.

So to me the single biggest factor in our chances to win it all comes down to RB. It may not be a position teams pay but don't think that it's not crucial for all these teams. It is. And the Rams look unsettled there and have since Akers went down. Nobody has stepped up.

Lastly since the Rams seem to think they have an answer in-house and/or aren't nearly as alarmed by RB as I am, I think Michel is our great hope to get this shit solved. They need to give him the MFing rock vs SF and let him mash just enough to keep the 9ers from flooding the secondary.

I think this is a really good dive into why they aren't running more. They've been running pretty efficiently, overall.
I'm not sure what the reasoning is, but it seems fair to point out how many knicks Henderson gets that impact his availability.

I don't think that makes the Rams a second tier team right now. To me, they didn't lose to the Titans because they can't run, I think they lost because Matt Stafford made two ridiculous mistakes. Goff-like mistakes. (I'm not comparing him, his value or his overall performance to Goff.. I'm pointing out that those were the same kind of back-breaking, game-losing plays that were the single biggest problem with Goff).

Take care of the ball and it's a different ballgame. Period.

 

[Merlin]

I think this is a really good dive into why they aren't running more. They've been running pretty efficiently, overall.
I'm not sure what the reasoning is, but it seems fair to point out how many knicks Henderson gets that impact his availability.

I don't think that makes the Rams a second tier team right now. To me, they didn't lose to the Titans because they can't run, I think they lost because Matt Stafford made two ridiculous mistakes. Goff-like mistakes. (I'm not comparing him, his value or his overall performance to Goff.. I'm pointing out that those were the same kind of back-breaking, game-losing plays that were the single biggest problem with Goff).

Take care of the ball and it's a different ballgame. Period.

For me it's not about one game. It's about two games vs opponents who we will see in the playoffs where the Rams were able to run the ball but didn't. And it's also about projecting what we have seen thus far into this year's playoffs vs what looks to be a tough field.

One good thing here is that you can project most of the other playoff hopefuls and use their faults to see that they aren't all that much better than the Rams. Also you can say our defense is improving and that was something I was very worried about prior to the season. So it's not like it's all bad or anything.

I just don't see us as a '99 Rams type team. We're not a 1 seed, the top tier contender. That's not to say we won't be though. Just right now I don't see this team making an undefeated run through this year's NFC playoffs, let alone vs Buffalo or whoever else in the Super Bowl. Hopeful it happens as always but I have adjusted my expectations until I see some more growth by this team and the single biggest issue is the run game. To my eye at least. Hopefully McVay has a big internal priority set to fix that and to maintain more balance on his call sheet. Because we're not going to win it all with a pass happy offense led by Stafford.

 

[Mojo Ram]

I guess my question posed to those who no longer think this Rams team is a Super bowl contender....Which teams are and why?

 

[CGI_Ram]

I guess my question posed to those who no longer think this Rams team is a Super bowl contender....Which teams are and why?

Yeah, exactly. I can’t name any without pointing out a thing or two that could sink their playoff run.

The Rams are sort of like looking in the mirror, to us our flaws probably look bigger than they really are… especially after a loss.

You always need a little luck in the playoffs.

Just get there.

Then see where it goes.

 

[Mojo Ram]

I guess my question posed to those who no longer think this Rams team is a Super bowl contender....Which teams are and why?

[crickets]

 

[Kupped]

For me it's not about one game. It's about two games vs opponents who we will see in the playoffs where the Rams were able to run the ball but didn't. And it's also about projecting what we have seen thus far into this year's playoffs vs what looks to be a tough field.

One good thing here is that you can project most of the other playoff hopefuls and use their faults to see that they aren't all that much better than the Rams. Also you can say our defense is improving and that was something I was very worried about prior to the season. So it's not like it's all bad or anything.

I just don't see us as a '99 Rams type team. We're not a 1 seed, the top tier contender. That's not to say we won't be though. Just right now I don't see this team making an undefeated run through this year's NFC playoffs, let alone vs Buffalo or whoever else in the Super Bowl. Hopeful it happens as always but I have adjusted my expectations until I see some more growth by this team and the single biggest issue is the run game. To my eye at least. Hopefully McVay has a big internal priority set to fix that and to maintain more balance on his call sheet. Because we're not going to win it all with a pass happy offense led by Stafford.

Henderson keeps getting knicked up, but, I have to point out that he keeps coming back and grinding. Michel is competent. I'd like to see a third guy that can actually carry the ball, they don't have that right now.
They're running okay, right now, so I'm not too worried. Maybe some of the carry numbers really are about preserving those two guys. Bucs couldn't run the ball for shit for much of last year, but it came on in the playoffs. That being said.. they had a big boy who is built for that stuff.

I think we're about to see the defense go to the next level. Not just because of Von, either. I think they've been developing and working and coming together. With a healthy backfield, they're going to start really kicking some ass. Sure, the Titans didn't have Henry, but the Rams held their offense to under 200 yards and 2 touchdowns (I'm not counting the one from the 2). That's a really, really good performance.

I think they'll play like a top 5 D the rest of the season, and the offense will be in the top 5 as well.

Clean up mistakes, get better on special teams, and you're absolutely a Super Bowl team.

 

[BonifayRam]

This team is a 10 win 7 loss team at best. There is no win it all plan.

 

[Malibu]

I think they can win it all every team loses at points in the season that is not say I think we are currently the best team. The thing that scares me is week by week we keep losing people for the rest of the year thinning out our depth.

In the playoffs anything can happen I believe we need home field advantage imo to make it to the Superbowl.

We have flaws but every contender has flaws it comes down to not making those stupid mistakes like Stafford did against the Titans.

 

[Flint]

I think Mcvay needs to delegate better and just have the final word, on things. He needs to look at every aspect of the game; special teams, defense, and offense. He needs to be more of a CEO and manage everything on game day, not just the offense.

I heard a theory that part of the reason why they are slow to adjust sometimes is that McVay just has too much going on.