Very good article by Jourdan on McVay and the Rams 2022 season

[OldSchool]

The Athletic is a very affordable site with amazing content like this for all sports it's highly recommended.

How Sean McVay and the Rams found their way back to each other

The wunderkind coach recognized some of his team's ruination was his own creation — now he must grow as he embarks on an uncertain future.

theathletic.com

 

[Flint]

The part that got my attention was that even if everything went right no one thought they had a chance to run it back. I kinda felt that way too after the Buffalo game.

 

[Ellard80]

one thing i got clearly from this article.

He will not be giving up play calling - didn't realize he did in the kc game.

 

[kurtfaulk]

If the Rams knew they weren't gonna compete with the best why did they hand out all those huge extensions? Why not trade them away and start over? 5 and 12 would still have been easily achievable and the cap situation would have been much better.

 

[CGI_Ram]

If the Rams knew they weren't gonna compete with the best why did they hand out all those huge extensions? Why not trade them away and start over? 5 and 12 would still have been easily achievable and the cap situation would have been much better.

Yeah. This quote surprised me;

“Everyone around the 2022 Rams knew repeating was almost impossible, even if everything went right. And after convincing McVay and all-world defensive tackle Aaron Donald not to retire following their title-winning season, how much went wrong still shocked them.”

 

[Psycho_X]

Yeah. This quote surprised me;

“Everyone around the 2022 Rams knew repeating was almost impossible, even if everything went right. And after convincing McVay and all-world defensive tackle Aaron Donald not to retire following their title-winning season, how much went wrong still shocked them.”

I kinda took that is them just acknowledging that repeating as champions is almost impossible every year. Because in general a lot of things have to go right for a team to win the Super Bowl even if they are a good team. I didn't take it as they thought their team wasn't good enough to win a championship. Just accepting the odds. But maybe I'm wrong.

 

[oldnotdead]

Yawn it's old news. What matters is what they do here on out this year. Snead operates one year ahead of the curve. The big thing so far is the release of Wagner to clear $5 M cap space. In doing so they incur $7.5 M in dead cap. This is coming one year early by the contract structure. IMO this means Snead is clearing that space for a specific player. IMO the importance of the player outweighs the importance of Wagner. Right off the top of my head I think of Mayfield. Mayfield and Gaines are at the top of the FA list. Both are players they want to lock down long term. That $5M cap hit is exactly what one would expect to pay Mayfield as a backup QB2.

Mayfield dropped into their laps. They paid nothing to get him. This would mean they paid Wagner off a year early to get him if it is to sign Baker. A small price to pay for their next QB1 starting in 2024. IMO that Wagner release foreshadows a signing in a few days of a specific targeted player. IMO everyone else on the FA list was accounted for except Mayfield which is why I think it's him.

If it is for Wagner, this means they are all in this year to win another Lombardi and send Matt off in a blaze of glory as they did with Whitworth. This is not a franchise that is thinking they can't win it all. Gotta love it.

If it is for Baker it's ironic that they have come full circle. Baker and Goff are equivalent players in terms of talent. The difference is McVay likes Baker more than he ever liked Goff. Goff he inherited, Stafford he chose and IMO now Baker is the QB Sean has chosen.

 

[snackdaddy]

Baker wants to be a starting quarterback. There are plenty of teams who need one. Odds are someone will sign him to an incentive laden prove it deal to compete for a starting job. I don't see him coming back to LA knowing he won't start.

 

[OldSchool]

Baker wants to be a starting quarterback. There are plenty of teams who need one. Odds are someone will sign him to an incentive laden prove it deal to compete for a starting job. I don't see him coming back to LA knowing he won't start.

The only way I see it happening is if the offers are so low or for a team he really doesn't feel he fits he comes back on a 1 year deal. But yeah I think a comp pick next year is more likely than him being our backup.

 

[OnceARam]

This is gonna be a long off-season.

 

[BonifayRam]

The part that got my attention was that even if everything went right no one thought they had a chance to run it back. I kinda felt that way too after the Buffalo game.

McVay knew that too that's why he wanted to go do something more positive & less stressful.

This 2023 team is in a decline & does not have the ability or the assets to rebuild enough to utilize the elite players still remaining. The Rams were stinking last season & it will have a worse smell this season.

Way too much dead weight in far too many areas not capable of pulling the needed load to help this team win more than it will lose.

Why would McVay want to coach a dying non-functioning team?

Best to take a break & return to coaching later to a team that has the assets to climb to the top of the NFL.

 

[rdlkgliders]

Yeah. This quote surprised me;

“Everyone around the 2022 Rams knew repeating was almost impossible, even if everything went right. And after convincing McVay and all-world defensive tackle Aaron Donald not to retire following their title-winning season, how much went wrong still shocked them.”

I feel that is just pragmatic and not pessimistic, the quote is true for any defending champion any year.

 

[Allen2McVay]

I am not that optimistic but there is SO MUCH negativity on this Board right now; and it feels like an explosion from 24 hours ago with the Wagner release.

I was not expecting Wagner to be released. I was surprised and a little disappointed. However, I am more surprised by the extent of the negativity. Did most posters expect the Rams would be able to keep most of their players AND add quality players?

I recall half-dozen guys posting last month about the Rams' ability to restructure contracts to get under the cap; and several referenced an Over-the-Cap chart on how much cap space teams could create with "Simple Re-structures". There were posts suggesting that the Rams could create $90M of cap space.

A number of posters pushed-back, explaining how that may have been possible but was extremely unlikely because of future cap ramifications. Did most posters just assume the cap was no big deal?!?

A Simple Restructure can be as easy as taking a player's 2023 salary, and re-classifying it to a Bonus.
Same amount of money paid at the same time by the team to the player. Only difference is how that money is allocated for cap purposes. The "simple-part" is the math.

Super simple example:
Player has a $16M 2023 salary and nothing else ... that's a $16M cap hit in 2023.
Say the player has 4 years remaining on his contract; and the $16M is re-classified as a Bonus
No change in time or amount of payment by the team to the player.
The player's 2023 cap hit has been reduced to $4M (16 divided by 4).

2023 cap relief but cap ramifications for future years.

Look at the Rams' top players and their contracts. It's going to be tough to do simple restructures. These are mostly older players. I guess I am surprised by the surprise expressed by some posters. I am truly sorry to say this but I think there's more to come; and it should have been expected.
Hope I am wrong ... Good News! ... I am frequently wrong!

 

[I like Rams]

Yeah. This quote surprised me;

“Everyone around the 2022 Rams knew repeating was almost impossible, even if everything went right. And after convincing McVay and all-world defensive tackle Aaron Donald not to retire following their title-winning season, how much went wrong still shocked them.”

Not sure why that's surprising, it's indefenatly true. This is why I was confused why the Bucs thought bringing the same team back together after their SB win was a good idea. You're only as good as you are that season, and the Bucs weren't blowing anybody out. Meanwhile, the teams that just need a piece or two are getting those pieces and becoming better, while the bucs (and any team following that logic) stay the same.

 

[CGI_Ram]

I kinda took that is them just acknowledging that repeating as champions is almost impossible every year. Because in general a lot of things have to go right for a team to win the Super Bowl even if they are a good team. I didn't take it as they thought their team wasn't good enough to win a championship. Just accepting the odds. But maybe I'm wrong.

I feel that is just pragmatic and not pessimistic, the quote is true for any defending champion any year.

Not sure why that's surprising, it's indefenatly true. This is why I was confused why the Bucs thought bringing the same team back together after their SB win was a good idea. You're only as good as you are that season, and the Bucs weren't blowing anybody out. Meanwhile, the teams that just need a piece or two are getting those pieces and becoming better, while the bucs (and any team following that logic) stay the same.

I think you guys are probably right.

Good stuff.

 

[oldnotdead]

I think a lot of people are seeing holes where none exist. I think they are being negative so as to not be disappointed again.

I must be in the minority because I see this team as built. They need to sign a number of their FAs and the only real hole is at QB2. Edge can be filled by Donald. Give Hoecht another year to polish up his game at edge in rotation with Floyd and AD. Get rid of the chaff in the secondary, i.e. Hill, Long, and Rapp and play Durant and Rochell like he always should have. Name Jimmy Lake DC would be a huge jump.

They only have 2 second day picks. They can use them on an edge, ILB or TE if they want to keep AD at 3T. They have the personnel on the OL to put together a decent one with Shelton, Allen, Thomas, Bruss inside and Noteboom and Jackson at OT. It's all a matter of playing guys to their strengths.

I watched Thomas when he was at SDSU and he could be a pretty good pulling OG in the NFL. He was primarily a OT in college but his metrics are OG in the NFL. He did play two games at OG at SDSU. He's got good feet and movement skills. I would be shocked if he wasn't given a shot at a starting OG position. If they release Allen (which i don't anticipate) an interior OL option could be Shelton C, OGs Thomas and Bruss I can see both of those guys becoming their starters. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if Snead and McVay feel the OL is okay with who they have.

They are two deep at RB with Akers and Williams they just need depth there. If Jimmy Lake becomes DC I think we will see Ramsey and Rochell on the boundary with Durant at SCB. With Quentin Lake and Scott at safeties that's a decent secondary. So where is the hole?

DL Floyd, Hoecht, Gaines and Donald is a damn good front. Again no hole.

LB Jones, Howard, Hardy

Without saying WR room is stacked, Kupp, Robinson, Jefferson, Powell, Skowronek, Atwell, Harris

All I see are depth players needed if the roster is played the way it was constructed.