What is the secret of the Rams’ (recent) success?

[AvengerRam]

Since 2017 when Sean McVay took over, the Rams have been one of the most successful teams in the NFL.

Winning seasons: 5 of 6 years
Playoffs: 4 of 6 years
Total wins (regular season and playoffs): 67 (3rd in NFL)
Playoff wins: 7 (2nd in NFL)

Apart from McVay, what is the common denominator during this period?

QB? No, the Rams have had two starters during this time.
RB? Certainly not.
WR? Kupp (when healthy) has been there throughout, but he's had many running mates.
OL? Whitworth and Havenstein were mainstays from 2017-2022, but is that really the core of the team?
Aaron Donald? Certainly a big part of it, but he can't do it alone (See 2014-2016).
Les Snead? Again, certainly a factor, but he wasn't able to build a winner with Jeff Fisher.

This makes me wonder... are we/others underestimating the McVay factor?

This year will be a good test. If McVay can take a small veteran core, mesh it with some young bucks, and come up with a winner, his legacy will be greatly enhanced.

I'm not betting against him.

 

[FrantikRam]

Yes, people are absolutely underestimating him/the Rams.

It's also fascinating to note that the only two times we've missed the playoffs came the year after making the Super Bowl. Demoff pointed that out when he was on 11 Personnel and talked about how much the shortened offseason impacted us both times.

That's why I'm confident that we will make the playoffs this year.

 

[RhodyRams]

Yes, people are absolutely underestimating him/the Rams.

It's also fascinating to note that the only two times we've missed the playoffs came the year after making the Super Bowl. Demoff pointed that out when he was on 11 Personnel and talked about how much the shortened offseason impacted us both times.

That's why I'm confident that we will make the playoffs this year.

speaking of .. when do the new podcasts drop? last one available is from 7/31

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

He’s the best coach in the business and he does it the right way. No cheating, no dirty tactics.

 

[Tano]

 

[Mojo Ram]

McVay has brought the right culture

McVay and Snead have brought in and shipped out the right players.

Kroenke has let them build and deconstruct the team as needed.

AD, Kupp, Whit and Stafford are great players but more importantly have that uber competitive gene. Also the leadership with these guys is elite. Can’t win without those guys, especially at QB.

 

[André]

I think McVay is absolutely the key to our success. This is a little bit of why last year was so hard to watch - he was clearly struggling with how he was handling the lack of that success.

This is a rebuilding year - one year only if Stafford, Kupp and Donald remain healthy going into 2024 - so it will be very interesting to see how this year goes. He seems to be saying and doing all the right things. I genuinely think we will be a hard out for everyone, and may just sneak up on .500. That would be a huge victory, and would mean we would have had to have several young players come through.

Between that growth, and the money we can sink into 2024, I think McVay (and Snead) believe they will be forcing that playoff window back open. Looking forward to it.

 

[Rynie]

Who's coming to the game on October 29th?

 

[Tano]

Who's coming to the game on October 29th?

I wish I could

 

[Memento]

 

[tempests]

Had a lot of talented players come through here, including some of the best in the NFL. Rams have been good at talent evaluation and acquisition since Les Snead arrived.

McVay got our passing game going. From 2007-2016, the Rams had probably the least effective passing game in the NFL. It only took one game in 2017, to see that had changed dramatically.

 

[snackdaddy]

If the offensive line can stay mostly healthy, then yeah, I could buy that kool aid. That line is the key to the offense's success. I think with a bigger, stronger Akers they will try to be a power run team.

 

[Oregonram]

It's McVay....When we traded for Stafford and then adding Von Miller and OBJ...all of the pressure was on McVay to win now, and win big...which he did, but it took it's toll. Last year was humiliating for him to a degree, and I think the entire brain trust wanted to reverse the pressure cooker by creating an environment that would remove almost all expectations while keeping key guys and adding in a flood of young enthusiastic rookies and role player veterans. Sean looks like he is having fun again, and I for one am very happy....as long as he doesn't forget to run the ball...haha.

 

[oldnotdead]

It's the incredible mix of this organization starting with an owner who genuinely wants to win, but also knows enough to understand his role is to hire the right people and then get the fuck out of their way. So it starts with Kroenke who hired Snead who hired McVay. It's these three that make the Rams who they are today. Down but never out.

Snead and McVay will go into the hall of fame as perhaps one of the finest GM / Coach combinations in NFL history. They are bold, and unafraid to "go for it". At the same time they know when and how to reload but always to stay relevant and in the hunt.

Stafford is the best QB in the division and one of the best in the NFC. Kupp is an elite WR, and Donald is arguably the Dline GOAT. It's no accident they are all on this team.

Do not turn your back on Byron Young who has elite-level potential. Kobie Turner can be a Pro Bowl level DT, he's potentially that good. Puka Nacua will be one of the better WRs in the NFL before he's done. These guys show that Snead/McVay are still evolving this team. It's never static and is in continual evolution. It's a testament to McVay's coaching that he continues to grow. The coach that lost the Super Bowl grew into the coach that knew how to win the Lombardi on his next opportunity a couple of years later.

You only need to look at the incredible coaching tree that McVay has spawned, and the number of GM's that have tried to imitate Snead's success to see how impactful these two men have been on the NFL at large.

This is why I don't discount what the Rams can achieve this year or going forward. If ever there was a team that builds upon itself it's this version, i.e. the Snead / McVay version of the Rams and it all started with an owner that not just wants to win but knows how to win.

As long as Stan Kroenke owns this franchise it will be a winner. IMO Stan is the unsung hero in this saga.

 

[PARAM]

I think McVay is absolutely the key to our success. This is a little bit of why last year was so hard to watch - he was clearly struggling with how he was handling the lack of that success.

I'm not sure he was struggling with how he was handling the lack of success. I honestly believe he was struggling with the fact he didn't prepare for what was happening to his team.....as bizarre as that is. I believe he thought he should have been better prepared for what happened and the truth is not Belichick or Andy Reid or George Halas or Bill Walsh or anybody could have been prepared for what happened, let alone better prepared. Nobody can be prepared for 4 starting lineman gone by week 6.....and yet, they were 3-3. So he probably believed he was going to figure it out. He's a genius but not a genie.

So my answer to the question posed is McVay and in my mind even more so because of last year and how he believed he could have done better. I know it sounds cliche but he's got a chip on his shoulder, so don't sleep on them.

 

[LARAMSinFeb.]

There are many dimensions to the loss of Whitworth. He was an integral cornerstone to our winning seasons. But I think we have so much strength elsewhere, if Jackson can be 85% as productive and consistent as Whit was, we’ll be a force.

 

[OldSchool]

It's a lot like a pizza you need quality ingredients all the way around so a football team needs quality coaching and quality players. A pizza needs good crust, sauce, cheese, pineapple and canadian bacon! A football team needs a quality coaching staff and a balanced quality roster

 

[AvengerRam]

It's a lot like a pizza you need quality ingredients all the way around so a football team needs quality coaching and quality players. A pizza needs good crust, sauce, cheese, pineapple and canadian bacon! A football team needs a quality coaching staff and a balanced quality roster

Now you’ve done it!

 

[Tano]

It's a lot like a pizza you need quality ingredients all the way around so a football team needs quality coaching and quality players. A pizza needs good crust, sauce, cheese, pineapple and canadian bacon! A football team needs a quality coaching staff and a balanced quality roster

You and Loyal can throw that pizza with the pineapple in the trash

 

[OnceARam]

6+ elite players at premium positions. And a winning culture enabled by McVay.