Truth is..... We don't know.

[bomebadeeda]

It's preseason and everyone is forecasting this record or that record for us. We've seen ëxperts "rank" us anywhere from worst roster in the league to sleeper team of the year. And w/ McVay playing mostly guys who won't be in our final 53, we have trouble of understanding what we are seeing. I myself, have a tendency to see the glass as half full at worst. We have a nasty looking schedule, but I think our youth works in our favor because we don't know we're supposed to lose. Seattle eeked out tight wins against a beat up team last year but their no world beaters. Frisco looks tough on paper but has more question marks @ QB than Dangerfield has one liners. Philly has lost a lot on defense. They have up and comers but are they strong enough to replace last year's team. The Chowboys and the Giants have flaws they have to work through. (As all teams do at this point.....) And who knows where the first major injury will change the course of the NFL schedule, The Ravens have a habit of playing down to teams outside of their division. The Browns, Steelers, and Packers all have problems to work through. And the Saints are the .... Saints. Who knows what you get when you play them. Talk about Jeckel and Hyde. The Commodes and the Cards both have (perceived....) problems on offense.

So what happens when Donald, Stafford, Kupp, Jones, Akers, Atwell, Jefferson and Higbee actually hit the field. I really don't have a clue. I don't think we're not as far of removed from our Suoper bowl winning roster. But it's on paper, We don't know how our offensive line will gel. (or not.....). And our secondary is mostly unproven. Not to mention some of Morris' defensive schemes don't always fit the personell on the field. And our worst nightmare would be we can't stop the run and teams simply play keep away and our offense has to step outside it's game plan to create chances to keep up.

So let's buckle up and prepare for a wild ride. We really don't know at this point. And won't find out till at least midway through the season......

Just my 2 cents,,,,,,,

 

[WestCoastRam]

And our worst nightmare would be we can't stop the run and teams simply play keep away and our offense has to step outside it's game plan to create chances to keep up.

Can't say I agree with your assessment of many of the teams we'll face but to the point above... a nightmare that's far more real than I'd like to admit is that teams don't even have to play keep away, they can both run AND pass against us at will.

That's the nightmare and I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility for a number of the teams we're going to face.

 

[RamBall]

If Stafford is protected the O should put up points. I can see McVay wanting to control the clock to protect the D. But I also believe the big plays will be available as long as Tutu can stay healthy, Jefferson has sneaky speed to get behind the D also. A couple quick strikes to put the other team in pass mode should help play to the D strength in the secondary. Then get the run game going to chew clock, suck in the D and go over the top to put more pressure on opponents O.

 

[Snaz]

It's preseason and everyone is forecasting this record or that record for us. And w/ McVay playing mostly guys who won't be in our final 53, we have trouble of understanding what we are seeing.

I think maybe on offense yeah, but defense we are playing most of our starters and they look bad. I don't think that our starters on defense are going to make much of a difference.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Final cut down to 53 in 9 days.

 

[El Chapo Jr]

It's preseason and everyone is forecasting this record or that record for us. We've seen ëxperts "rank" us anywhere from worst roster in the league to sleeper team of the year. And w/ McVay playing mostly guys who won't be in our final 53, we have trouble of understanding what we are seeing. I myself, have a tendency to see the glass as half full at worst. We have a nasty looking schedule, but I think our youth works in our favor because we don't know we're supposed to lose. Seattle eeked out tight wins against a beat up team last year but their no world beaters. Frisco looks tough on paper but has more question marks @ QB than Dangerfield has one liners. Philly has lost a lot on defense. They have up and comers but are they strong enough to replace last year's team. The Chowboys and the Giants have flaws they have to work through. (As all teams do at this point.....) And who knows where the first major injury will change the course of the NFL schedule, The Ravens have a habit of playing down to teams outside of their division. The Browns, Steelers, and Packers all have problems to work through. And the Saints are the .... Saints. Who knows what you get when you play them. Talk about Jeckel and Hyde. The Commodes and the Cards both have (perceived....) problems on offense.

So what happens when Donald, Stafford, Kupp, Jones, Akers, Atwell, Jefferson and Higbee actually hit the field. I really don't have a clue. I don't think we're not as far of removed from our Suoper bowl winning roster. But it's on paper, We don't know how our offensive line will gel. (or not.....). And our secondary is mostly unproven. Not to mention some of Morris' defensive schemes don't always fit the personell on the field. And our worst nightmare would be we can't stop the run and teams simply play keep away and our offense has to step outside it's game plan to create chances to keep up.

So let's buckle up and prepare for a wild ride. We really don't know at this point. And won't find out till at least midway through the season......

Just my 2 cents,,,,,,,

We are seeing that we don't have a lot of depth. This is what happens when a team is gutted as a salary cap correction. Most of our replacements are rookies to very inexperienced players. It's easy to see why we are being forecasted as not being so good. I personally think our offense will be fine but our defense will be terrible since all young players gotta take their lumps while learning.

 

[El Chapo Jr]

If Stafford is protected the O should put up points. I can see McVay wanting to control the clock to protect the D. But I also believe the big plays will be available as long as Tutu can stay healthy, Jefferson has sneaky speed to get behind the D also. A couple quick strikes to put the other team in pass mode should help play to the D strength in the secondary. Then get the run game going to chew clock, suck in the D and go over the top to put more pressure on opponents O.

Can't cover forever if we don't have a pass rush. That part of our D is gonna be a weakness minus Donald of course.

 

[Riverumbbq]

We are seeing that we don't have a lot of depth. This is what happens when a team is gutted as a salary cap correction. Most of our replacements are rookies to very inexperienced players. It's easy to see why we are being forecasted as not being so good. I personally think our offense will be fine but our defense will be terrible since all young players gotta take their lumps while learning.

I'm seeing it a bit different. Depth is plentiful if not experienced imo. What the Rams lack are a few quality starters, such as at EDGE & a large run stuffing IDL.
jmo.

 

[oldnotdead]

The OL will be good enough for the offense to carry the team in the early games. RB, TE and especially WR depth looks very good. OL depth is as good as it's been in years. Thomas is sneaky good and can play both OG and OT positions. McClendon isn't a great OT but he's "good enough" for now as a rookie playing backup RT. But his blocking shows why I think he's destined to play RG with Thomas or Noteboom taking over for Havenstein at some point, i.e. probably next year. With Shelton, they have a quality backup or starter at center or RG. I'm not worried about the OL because I see them only getting better as the season wears on.

RB is a strength of this team with Akers, Williams, Evans, and Freeman with Rivers on the PS. WR is very deep with Kupp, Jefferson, Nacua, Atwell, Skowronek, and Smith with some of the other rookies who have flashed on the PS. TE continues to shine with Higbee, Hopkins, Long, and Davis. At QB we have a healthy Stafford and a quality QB2 in Bennett with Rypien on the PS. Why people discount this team with this offense is a head shaker IMO.

On defense, its anchor remains Donald, with Young who has all the traits you look for in an elite edge playing beside him. Turner is a real sleeper in the middle. He could be another Gaines type NT. Light for a NT but with exceptional quickness and a nonstop motor. Hoecht should be poised for a good season now that he understands his new position. The secondary looks very good with Durant, Tomlinson, Rochell, and Witherspoon playing CB. Now add in Fuller, Lake, Yeast, and Taylor they have a solid but inexperienced roster. If the starting D gels quickly, this could be a very good season. If not then the offense IMO is good enough to carry them through the early part of the schedule. With a mid-season break, this team could very well finish strong. Once in the post season we have seen anything is possible.

There is good reason for optimism. This team is downgraded for inexperience but they can't say it doesn't have talent. As the season goes on that inexperience decreases in significance.

 

[El Chapo Jr]

I'm seeing it a bit different. Depth is plentiful if not experienced imo. What the Rams lack are a few quality starters, such as at EDGE & a large run stuffing IDL.
jmo.

Can't call it good depth if they need experience and on the job training. Sounds like a lot of hard lessons are gonna be learned this year. Just hoping we can find some quick studies but I just don't see it happening this year. We'll obviously learn who will step up when the real bullets start flying.

 

[El Chapo Jr]

The OL will be good enough for the offense to carry the team in the early games. RB, TE and especially WR depth looks very good. OL depth is as good as it's been in years. Thomas is sneaky good and can play both OG and OT positions. McClendon isn't a great OT but he's "good enough" for now as a rookie playing backup RT. But his blocking shows why I think he's destined to play RG with Thomas or Noteboom taking over for Havenstein at some point, i.e. probably next year. With Shelton, they have a quality backup or starter at center or RG. I'm not worried about the OL because I see them only getting better as the season wears on.

RB is a strength of this team with Akers, Williams, Evans, and Freeman with Rivers on the PS. WR is very deep with Kupp, Jefferson, Nacua, Atwell, Skowronek, and Smith with some of the other rookies who have flashed on the PS. TE continues to shine with Higbee, Hopkins, Long, and Davis. At QB we have a healthy Stafford and a quality QB2 in Bennett with Rypien on the PS. Why people discount this team with this offense is a head shaker IMO.

On defense, its anchor remains Donald, with Young who has all the traits you look for in an elite edge playing beside him. Turner is a real sleeper in the middle. He could be another Gaines type NT. Light for a NT but with exceptional quickness and a nonstop motor. Hoecht should be poised for a good season now that he understands his new position. The secondary looks very good with Durant, Tomlinson, Rochell, and Witherspoon playing CB. Now add in Fuller, Lake, Yeast, and Taylor they have a solid but inexperienced roster. If the starting D gels quickly, this could be a very good season. If not then the offense IMO is good enough to carry them through the early part of the schedule. With a mid-season break, this team could very well finish strong. Once in the post season we have seen anything is possible.

There is good reason for optimism. This team is downgraded for inexperience but they can't say it doesn't have talent. As the season goes on that inexperience decreases in significance.

I'm not as confident that as the season goes inexperience decreases in significance for all our young players. Some will take big hits in confidence and I'm sure some will hit that proverbial rookie wall since the NFL season is way more grinding than college. Sure some will rise, but I don't think we'll see those real fruits of labor until next year.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Can't call it good depth if they need experience and on the job training. Sounds like a lot of hard lessons are gonna be learned this year. Just hoping we can find some quick studies but I just don't see it happening this year. We'll obviously learn who will step up when the real bullets start flying.

I'm not all that worried about it as my expectations for this season were lowered greatly during the bloodbath of our free agent period. Gaining experience and preparing for 2024 are my chief goals.

 

[El Chapo Jr]

I'm not all that worried about it as my expectations for this season were lowered greatly during the bloodbath of our free agent period. Gaining experience and preparing for 2024 are my chief goals.

Couldn't agree more there. I know my outtakes seem all doom and gloom but I just truly believe we got so gutted this off-season that we need more than one off-season to truly meaningfully recover. Next year we got wads of cash to throw around so we can definitely upgrade big time.

 

[snackdaddy]

Question is, do they adjust their roster to try and contend? Or do they sacrifice a chance at more wins by playing 1st and 2nd year players more? One example is the corners. We know Durant is a starter. I'm guessing Witherspoon is the other starter. He's got experience.

But Tomlinson is looking damn good right now. If they make him the starter and he turns out that good, a year of experience paired with Durant could give them a couple really good corners for the next few years. But its likely Tomlinson will make mistakes when veteran QB's and WR's throw wrinkles at him he wasn't ready for. Wrinkles that Witherspoon has seen.

Do you go ahead and let Tomlinson get that needed experience? And let him learn by his mistakes? Or do you sacrifice his development in favor of the more experienced guy? A guy who's only on a one year contract.

The same with John Johnson. And Fuller. They have the experience at the safety spots. But both of them will be free agents next offseason. Yeast and Lake, who could use the experience, each have 3 years left. Do you sit Johnson and Fuller in order to let the young guys play and learn from their mistakes? Or do you go with the guys who have seen more and might help them win more than the youngsters would?

 

[Riverumbbq]

Couldn't agree more there. I know my outtakes seem all doom and gloom but I just truly believe we got so gutted this off-season that we need more than one off-season to truly meaningfully recover. Next year we got wads of cash to throw around so we can definitely upgrade big time.

And we'll have even more available CAP in 2024 if we unload Noteboom before the trade deadline. I don't see it costing us draft capital, Snead should be able to wrangle a 6'th rounder as compensation.
jmo.

 

[XXXIVwin]

We are seeing that we don't have a lot of depth. This is what happens when a team is gutted as a salary cap correction. Most of our replacements are rookies to very inexperienced players. It's easy to see why we are being forecasted as not being so good. I personally think our offense will be fine but our defense will be terrible since all young players gotta take their lumps while learning.

My take on this year is similar. Frankly I'm kinda surprised so many fans still are in "Kool Aid mode" regarding our D, since we are being forced to rely on so many rookies and late-rounders and cheap free agents.

For example--Witherspoon is a big unknown. Signed a cheap 1 year, 1M contract--after all 31 other teams declined to sign him for months. And we're counting on him to be a solid starter. Of course I hope he's a "diamond in the rough" and he looks great for the Rams... but we just have so MANY players on D who are gonna have to play way beyond expectation.

 

[WestCoastRam]

I'm not as confident that as the season goes inexperience decreases in significance for all our young players. Some will take big hits in confidence and I'm sure some will hit that proverbial rookie wall since the NFL season is way more grinding than college. Sure some will rise, but I don't think we'll see those real fruits of labor until next year.

And one additional game now. Relying on so many rookies means even in the best case scenario, they'll have bumps in the beginning and if they really start to improve will probably fade down the stretch.

 

[norcalramfan]

“No worries, all we have to do is score 35”- Raheem

 

[Oregonram]

We are seeing that we don't have a lot of depth. This is what happens when a team is gutted as a salary cap correction. Most of our replacements are rookies to very inexperienced players. It's easy to see why we are being forecasted as not being so good. I personally think our offense will be fine but our defense will be terrible since all young players gotta take their lumps while learning.

Let’s see if McVay stops deferring on coin toss wins to try to get us a lead.

 

[El Chapo Jr]

Let’s see if McVay stops deferring on coin toss wins to try to get us a lead.

That's an interesting observation. Will definitely pay attention to that.