What needs to happen (likely not this year)

[LARAMSinFeb.]

I was also puzzled back when we just let Jamon Brown walk. I remember feeling stoked we had an experienced starter-quality backup. Then he was released. Was he an upcoming undue expense or something?

 

[Spider2YB]

Serious question: if this team is invested in Todd Gurley in the long term, at what point do you shut him down for the season? I personally think the Rams are going to do their damndest to trade him, BUT if they don’t and plan to let him play out his deal, it wouldn’t be the worst idea to shut him down the minute this team is eliminated from playoff contention.

 

[Mackeyser]

First and foremost they need DL help. A beat up Niner OL controlled the LOS today. At least the OL struggled playing a very talented Niner DL, while our DL has no excuse. Right now they have Donald and a bunch of back ups.

So really need some explosive playmakers to pair with Donald on the DL. That would be a good start to improve the D.

We started the year with a very solid DL.

Unfortunately, we're not running a 3-4, we're running Wade's hybrid which is basically a 4-3 with tweaks upon tweaks since we also don't have two man corners.

Matthews is out and guys are stepping up.

The D struggled in part because they were on the field for nearly 40 minutes against a grinding offense. Sure, they averaged less than 3 ypc, but they had lots of runs because Shanny was willing to take all of our soft coverage and keep moving the chains.

We miss Matthews. Brockers is a lunch pail guy that we will miss next year.

What we're seeing is that you cannot couple a penetrating DL with off coverage. Wade needs man corners or this D will continue to struggle. And as much as Peters is balling, this is a terrible scheme fit for him.

In that respect, he's like Mark Barron. Dude balled out, but he wasn't a scheme fit for us.

 

[Mackeyser]

Serious question: if this team is invested in Todd Gurley in the long term, at what point do you shut him down for the season? I personally think the Rams are going to do their damndest to trade him, BUT if they don’t and plan to let him play out his deal, it wouldn’t be the worst idea to shut him down the minute this team is eliminated from playoff contention.

The cap ramifications alone make doing anything, but playing Gurley impossible.

The most they can do is pay him to sit or eat a MASSIVE cap crapburger.

That said, I think the issue for Gurley is this scheme and that they're using him almost solely in pass pro.

If they just revert to riding him like a rented mule (why not, we're 6 games in and 3 games back in the division with both tie breakers going to the 9ers and Seahawks), then we'll see, but Gurley is fine. We're just not using him.

The playoff issue is moot at this point. They can either unload this clip in the next few games to save the season or they can shut him down and give the rookies as much experience as they can because what is happening now absolutely will not lead to the post-season.

What kills me is that we have the receivers and QB to run the EP and the West Coast has these ups and downs with respect to productivity in the league. Anyone remember when almost no teams ran it because defenses were so on top of it???

Honestly, if McVay just threw out the playbook and ran a game plan from Joe Gibbs' playbook, I think this crew would just wreck. And the OL could focus mostly on run blocking which all are pretty good at.

 

[Riverumbbq]

We'll know more in the next two weeks. I think after that, we'll know all we need to know.

I'm not sure the next 2 weeks will tell us much, even if we win big. Atlanta & Cincinnati aren't really much competition considering our pre-season expectations.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

I think you hit the nail on the head Merlin. Revamping the Oline is priority one. I’d add finding a real NFL center. Allen sucks. Noteboom isn’t going to cut it at OLT either. Havenstein would be much better with a better Guard and Center alongside him. Kromer is shitting the bed. Grab Callahan from Washington at the end of the year.

Start using high draft picks on Olinemen. It’s obviously much more important than Snead, Kromer and McVay seem to think it is.

Brockers can’t be brought back on another big contract but I’d try to keep him. Replacing him is a huge need.

Corner is another huge hole for next year and I don’t see Long filling one of them. This is going to be a 2-3 year rebuild. Hopefully in that time McVay reflects on his stubbornness and becomes more versatile.

 

[fearsomefour]

Also, the OG market this coming up off-season is crappy which is likely why some guys got PAID this off-season. I see very little movement among OGs coming up.

This may lead us to choose between a shut down corner or a top flight OG in the first round.... presuming we don't use it on someone like Ramsey...

The OL FA market is almost always thin because there isn’t much depth.
The odds of Blythe being retained keep going up.
I don’t see Hav moving inside with his size but maybe he can.
He was sort of always hanging on by a finger nail vs speed rushers. He can’t stay in front of them too often this year. Maybe he is nicked up. Maybe just having a bad year. Maybe needs to lose 30 lbs.
Boom, Allen, Evans, Edwards, Brewer......the Rams need two of these guys to develop to have a reasonable turn around time.

 

[fearsomefour]

I'm not sure the next 2 weeks will tell us much, even if we win big. Atlanta & Cincinnati aren't really much competition considering our pre-season expectations.

He is saying he expects more horrible results regardless of the competition.

 

[thirteen28]

First and foremost they need DL help. A beat up Niner OL controlled the LOS today. At least the OL struggled playing a very talented Niner DL, while our DL has no excuse. Right now they have Donald and a bunch of back ups.

So really need some explosive playmakers to pair with Donald on the DL. That would be a good start to improve the D.

I wouldn't say their OL controlled the LOS today. They came in averaging 200 yards per game and 5.2 ypc, today they ran 41 times for only 99 yards, for 2.4 ypc - less than half their season average on both stats. Most of their air yards came on short passes against our soft coverage and screens. There wasn't much in the way of downfield throwing and long developing plays. Sure, our DL could use improvement, but they weren't the problem today at all. It was on the OL side.

 

[LARAMSinFeb.]

Boom, Allen, Evans, Edwards, Brewer......the Rams need two of these guys to develop to have a reasonable turn around time.

And I'd say the odds were more with the latter 3 at this point.

 

[fearsomefour]

K

And I'd say the odds were more with the latter 3 at this point.

Waaaayyyy too early to tell.

 

[Mackeyser]

I'm not sure the next 2 weeks will tell us much, even if we win big. Atlanta & Cincinnati aren't really much competition considering our pre-season expectations.

Well, except it will.

I don't think we're in any position to assert any competency. We've found ways to lose to 3 teams and were a missed FG from being 2-4 (also a missed FG from being 4-2).

Atlanta and Cincy are teams we SHOULD beat, but I have doubts.

The game to discount if any is the Cincy game in London. It's in London, right? Those London games have no rhyme or reason to who wins or why.

But yeah, these games will tell us plenty.

Is the OL producing? Has the O scheme been adjusted? Plenty of questions will be answered.

 

[Riverumbbq]

But yeah, these games will tell us plenty.

Is the OL producing? Has the O scheme been adjusted? Plenty of questions will be answered.

Playing good teams tells me more.
At this point i'm not sure a couple wins against very mediocre teams helps anything other than the win column. It may help Demby's development in getting more starting snaps, but it won't show me that McVay and Phillips are making crucial play calling adjustments that result in wins against play-off caliber teams going forward. These games may help pad the stats of our coaches & better players, but they may also help hide flaws with struggling players. I just put more emphasis on gaining confidence from how we are doing as a team while beating those teams which are considered equals or our betters. jmo.

 

[Ellard80]

The cowboys have lost 3 in a row.. the super bowl champ Eagles from a couple years ago not looking so good... The Chiefs lost two in a row..

Yeah It's hardly time to give up and talk about the rebuild yet.

 

[Angry Ram]

The cowboys have lost 3 in a row.. the super bowl champ Eagles from a couple years ago not looking so good... The Chiefs lost two in a row..

Yeah It's hardly time to give up and talk about the rebuild yet.

I'm so glad the team doesn't have this constant negative mentality.

 

[Mackeyser]

Playing good teams tells me more.
At this point i'm not sure a couple wins against very mediocre teams helps anything other than the win column. It may help Demby's development in getting more starting snaps, but it won't show me that McVay and Phillips are making crucial play calling adjustments that result in wins against play-off caliber teams going forward. These games may help pad the stats of our coaches & better players, but they may also help hide flaws with struggling players. I just put more emphasis on gaining confidence from how we are doing as a team while beating those teams which are considered equals or our betters. jmo.

yeah, but if we lose to Atlanta and barely win against Cincy?

I don't think we're at the point where we can infer success against anyone.

And if we lose, that'll tell us plenty.

Hoping we don't lose. that said, the last 3 weeks should disabuse anyone of the notion that this team a de facto favorite in any game going forward.

 

[hotanez]

unfortunately would be tuff to make some of the changes some want to do. I don't believe Fowler has much trade value to be honest. IMO he has sucked this year. He hurt us more on the field than he helped. A team would be crazy to give him s big contract if he continues to play at this level. Why can't we scheme around our Oline? SF had both tackles out and they managed to adjust. We lost our LG and we fall apart.

 

[Mackeyser]

I'm so glad the team doesn't have this constant negative mentality.

Every situation is different.

Cowboys and Eagles have significant injuries and Chiefs had some tough games that they were competitive in.

Our situation is different.

 

[Ramlock]

I wouldn't say their OL controlled the LOS today. They came in averaging 200 yards per game and 5.2 ypc, today they ran 41 times for only 99 yards, for 2.4 ypc - less than half their season average on both stats. Most of their air yards came on short passes against our soft coverage and screens. There wasn't much in the way of downfield throwing and long developing plays. Sure, our DL could use improvement, but they weren't the problem today at all. It was on the OL side.

I agree.

They were well below averages today and Grabapole is not a factor; Shanny is smart enough not to let Jimmy get them beat with his two turnovers today.

 

[Ellard80]

I'm so glad the team doesn't have this constant negative mentality.

We still have a lot of players who played in the Super Bowl last year.. so yeah not quite time to give up.