What are you most excited about, and What are you most worried about RE: Matthew Stafford?

[nighttrain]

only one thing to worry about, an injury to Stafford that would seriously diminish his skills
train

 

[El Chapo Jr]

You know, now that I think about it, I'm looking forward to not having so many fucking balls batted down at the line of scrimmage. Never understood how that happened so much before.

 

[PhillyRam]

I’m watching another Lions game. It was the first game of the year against the Bears.

Stafford had some great drives only to have them killed by Oline penalty or the inability to run it in the red zone. Two things that stand out. He stands tall in the pocket and delivers accurate passes with pass rushers all around him. He does not throw off his back foot. He has his feet set most of the time but when he doesn’t he does not throw floaters. The passes still have zip to them.

The other thing that stands out is that he uses every weapon on the field. He does not key on anyone and on any play you couldn’t predict who was getting the ball. So he is seeing the entire field and not reliant on a specific receiver to complete third down passes, even under pressure.

If he can do that then this offense should roll. Consider how few penalties the Rams had on offense and also that they were able to run the ball. Two things that held the Lions back.

The only bad thing I saw in two games that I watched is that Stafford doesn’t seem to start fast. By the second quarter he was money. McVay likes early leads. With Matt’s ability to stand tall in the pocket I worry that the Rams do not protect him well enough and he gets pummeled and injured. I hope they get a center to upgrade the interior.

Yes, I fear he will get hit...a lot, because he is fearless and plays a little bit of hero ball at times.

Even if he misses few games, a beat up Stafford will affect the potency of the offense.

 

[FrantikRam]

Not excited, just looking forward to hoping we have one of the top 5 QBs in the league and an explosive offense that makes it look easy.

Concern is that Stafford is overrated and he is what he has been, an exciting QB at times, that ends up being not much better wk in wk out when it comes to winning games than what we have had....Add in concern that he is more injury prone based on his style of play & age.

Hopefully he is not a modern version of Steve Bartkowski, Dan Pastorini, Bert Jones, or Chris Miller, all who tried to rekindle their careers in horns.

You're not excited to have a top 5 offense?

 

[Loyal]

I never said what I was worried about with Stafford. It will be hard to bear hearing from other NFL fans that we are running up the score on folks....

 

[Reddog99]

Im excited to see Stafford in horns but I'm worried about the OL. Regardless who's the QB we need a better line than we've had the past 2 seasons to go to and win a Superbowl. The OL aside I can't wait to see what Stafford can do with a strong running game and a damn good defense to take the pressure off of him. Also I can't wait to see who ends up being his go to guy. Kupp might still be the guy but maybe not.

 

[rams1fan]

I honestly have not watched a ton of lions games. Who has? So for me its a wait and see. Maybe he is a major upgrade. Remains to be seen.

 

[PARAM]

What I'm excited about:

Matthew Stafford is a gunslinger, good in the pocket, smart and isn't afraid to throw into tight windows trusting his receivers.

What I'm concerned about:

Staying healthy. But due to the gunslinger mentality and no fear to throw into tight windows, passing up easier throws taking unnecessary chances resulting in interceptions, usually at the worst possible time.

 

[PhillyRam]

You're not excited to have a top 5 offense?

Been there done that. Just hoping the hype is real, while fearing this was an impulse buy, off the heels of a disappointing last month of the season.

 

[FrantikRam]

Been there done that. Just hoping the hype is real, while fearing this was an impulse buy, off the heels of a disappointing last month of the season.

Not really.

2017 - 1st points, 10th yards
2018 - 2nd points, 2nd yards
2019 - 11th points, 7th yards
2020 - 22nd points, 11th in yards

We've been top 5 in yards once and points twice. With the caveat that in 2017, we had a nearly record breaking number of non offensive TDs and still averaged less than 30 PPG (which explains the huge gap between yards and points ranking)

Prior to this, obviously we have to go back a loooooong way to see the Rams have a top 5 offense.

And the last two seasons haven't been top 5 offenses, so I'd imagine every Rams fan will be excited to see a top 5 offense.

 

[badnews]

Prior to this, obviously we have to go back a loooooong way to see the Rams have a top 5 offense.

14 years? Is that right? Damn. 2003- 2017, right?

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Yes, I fear he will get hit...a lot, because he is fearless and plays a little bit of hero ball at times.

Even if he misses few games, a beat up Stafford will affect the potency of the offense.

Well, I'm not too worried about it. I just named it as something that could possibly go wrong. It's not like he's injured every year. But I still think that the Online needs upgraded. I think Stafford can handle the pass rush better than Goff did. Right now they don't stand up in comparison to Green Bays Online. When the Rams played Tampa the Bucs were missing Devin White and Vita Vea. With Tampa's defense at full strength I don't think the Rams Online matches up as well against them. I have a fear though that I'm setting myself up for disappointment for the third year in a row.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

I honestly have not watched a ton of lions games. Who has? So for me its a wait and see. Maybe he is a major upgrade. Remains to be seen.

I have Game Pass on the TV. I watched another game tonight. He started off well but before the half after a lot of defensive penalties, a few offensive penalties and Rodgers making the defense look like a college team at times, Stafford did throw a bad interception just before the half that resulted in a pick six. Maybe he was pressing with team looking like it was collapsing? But he's not infallable. But I don't think most here think he is.

 

[oldnotdead]

IMO McVay envisions the return of the 2018 offense. He now has a QB with the experience to make his own reads quickly, and throw with accuracy and power. Run, dink & dunk passing then a deep strike over the top of the defense being the dagger in the heart. If Morris can simply keep this defense in the top 5, this will be a Super Bowl team.

This O-line can be good if structured properly. I've been saying it for a long time now, but there is really good talent and depth on the O-line. More than anything the key for this offense is to run the ball consistently and that means the o-line needs to be coached up on a power-run attack. Power gap, and inside zone will force the defense to focus inside, and with the talent, they have outside and in the slot, Stafford can really power this offense into a top unit in the NFL.

My only concern is Stafford's health and his age. I can see him playing another 3 years, then they will shop for another vet QB to fill the role. I don't see Snead, spending draft picks and years grooming a QB. I see him simply getting a new hired gun when a change needs to be made. Look at what he did with Ramsey. I think that set the pattern for Snead to keep his team always at the top, i.e. always in SB contention.

I like Stafford a lot and this is the first time he has a real contender of a team around him. People keep saying they need a deep threat but IMO they already have that in Woods and Jefferson. Jefferson in particular has deep speed and the ability to get open quickly. Analytics time Jefferson at about 4.45 with Webster not far behind at 4.46 which is pretty darn fast and both run good routes. Woods coming out in 2013 times at 4.51 and he gets deep. Getting deep is more than pure speed. Woods gets deep with his route running technique. Cooks ran a 4.3 but struggled at times to get open deep. IMO they want speed in their return man.

They need to spend their money on Floyd and Williams. Burgess is now healthy and it's why Johnson was allowed to walk. IMO Burgess is an upgrade as he has true FS speed. The only ?? is Lewis. When he's healthy he's flashed how good he can be. If he's healthy this year he can be a very good bookend to Floyd. That will give the D-line speed at both edges and power with AD and Robinson inside. They also have Hoecht and Jonah Williams who IMO would be an upgrade to Brockers. Williams has the talent to play edge at this level. His size and speed are rare. IMO Hoecht has the potential to be a long time starter at 1T. Snead should trade SJD to the Chargers for a 3rd or 4th round pick. I would be surprised if Staley doesn't sign Troy Hill and possibly Johnson so trading for SJD would make sense.

Gay has validated his spot as K. Going 7-8 from 40+ in 7 games was a very good start. Now he needs to continue to be that consistent.

No real holes in this roster. I'm very excited about this coming season. If the vaccinations go as planned with most of the population being vaccinated by the end of May, it bodes well for the NFL season. Just show your shot card at the gate.

 

[Mackeyser]

Mcvay has only allowed the Rams to throw 60+ times in a game twice, in his 5 years as HC. And has only thrown for 50+ 3 times.

That being said I understand the gist of what your are saying and I imagine coach may have a lapse in a game here
and there, however I think Mcvay is far too aware of himself to allow this to become a chronic Martz type issue.
I truly believe that the Rams were far more lethal with Vermeil there to remind Martz to keep the attack balanced.

I'm thinking Mcvay is too smart to not have someone on staff that will wake him up when he gets lost inside
of the game. As a play caller this can happen very easily, especially when your initial plan is not playing out the way
you had hoped.

I think part of that is Kevin O'Connell...

 

[CGI_Ram]

Stafford is “a gamer” on another level. I think ROD will fall in love with that.

He‘s going to be more animated, local, fiery, etc.

My only concern is father time. It hits everyone differently. How long does Stafford hold him back?

Great topic, @NJRamsFan

 

[NJRamsFan]

Stafford is “a gamer” on another level. I think ROD will fall in love with that.

He‘s going to be more animated, local, fiery, etc.

My only concern is father time. It hits everyone differently. How long does Stafford hold him back?

Great topic, @NJRamsFan

The in your face type qbs are more fun to watch and I agree he will win the hearts of the fan base that way.

 

[Faceplant]

For me: I am most looking forward to the spacing on the field I believe Stafford creates. He will certainly force opposing teams to play in coverage more which makes room for Cam. I also believe Stafford will put some fear in the defensive play callers for our opposition.... teams will no longer be able to mindlessly blitz us in obvious passing situations and hopefully not run that damn 0 blitz.

Nailed it. I have mentioned this very thing a few times. Should be interesting.

 

[NJRamsFan]

Nailed it. I have mentioned this very thing a few times. Should be interesting.

I do also hope to see a resurgence of the RB in the passing game...not sure why we went away from it. Was it personnel after Gurley left? I feel cam can put together a solid season catching the ball next year if given the opportunities

 

[Faceplant]

I’m watching another Lions game. It was the first game of the year against the Bears.

Stafford had some great drives only to have them killed by Oline penalty or the inability to run it in the red zone. Two things that stand out. He stands tall in the pocket and delivers accurate passes with pass rushers all around him. He does not throw off his back foot. He has his feet set most of the time but when he doesn’t he does not throw floaters. The passes still have zip to them.

The other thing that stands out is that he uses every weapon on the field. He does not key on anyone and on any play you couldn’t predict who was getting the ball. So he is seeing the entire field and not reliant on a specific receiver to complete third down passes, even under pressure.

If he can do that then this offense should roll. Consider how few penalties the Rams had on offense and also that they were able to run the ball. Two things that held the Lions back.

The only bad thing I saw in two games that I watched is that Stafford doesn’t seem to start fast. By the second quarter he was money. McVay likes early leads. With Matt’s ability to stand tall in the pocket I worry that the Rams do not protect him well enough and he gets pummeled and injured. I hope they get a center to upgrade the interior.

I remember watching the end of that game on Red Zone last year. Stafford dropped an absolute DIME into his rookie RBs hands for the win.... And he dropped it. I said to myself, poor Stafford... Still cursed in Detroit, haha.