Where Does Les Snead Stand With The Rams Going Into The 2021-2022 Season?

[ROD-BOT]

Where Does Les Snead Stand With The Rams Going Into The 2021-2022 Season?

General manager Les Snead is looking at a difficult season bound to be full of speculation, doubt, and low confidence.

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Where Does Les Snead Stand With The Rams Going Into The 2021-2022 Season?

The man in charge of bandaging every issue for the Rams organization, general manager Les Snead, is looking at a difficult season bound to be full of speculation, doubt, and low confidence for their premier problem-solver. All on the heels of the 2020-21 season that was not a complete loss for the LA Rams but certainly felt like a missed opportunity.

Ending the season with the league’s top-ranked defense, and crippled by the inefficiencies of former Rams quarterback Jared Goff, produced a mixed outlook about the future of this team. Any confidence in the team’s plan moving forward rested on the elite defense after their tenure under rookie defensive coordinator Brandon Staley made the most noise toward the end of the season.

With the departure of the DC, who produced a truly A+ coaching job in his debut year, optimists don’t know where to look other than a rejuvenated offense in the hands of Sean McVay, as he works to incorporate an offense for new Rams quarterback, Matthew Stafford.

McVay should be slated to take over the team’s identity after relegating some of that proxy to Brandon Staley—now the head coach of the Chargers—meaning the higher-ups are not looking to get rid of McVay any time soon. Many speculate that the quick move off of Jared Goff was an outcry from McVay to receive a quarterback that lives up to the game plan’s execution, and if that does not work out then Snead is inevitably to blame.

In the Ram’s final game of the season against Green Bay, a second-round playoff loss, Goff’s shortcomings were on full display and made most evident even before the contest in his first-round benching in favor of John Wolford. McVay knew Goff was no longer serviceable to the team and inevitably puppeteered Les Snead into accepting an offer—as ludicrous as it might have been. He’s the organization’s top dog, meaning a list of people that would be ran out of town first exists, and Les Snead has a lottery pick for the top spot on that list.

Les Snead’s fingerprints have been all over the recent success of the Rams post-Jeff Fisher. While the heavily discussed GM deservedly should get an additional season or two to get LA back in contention for a deep playoff run, his role may be the next play for change in the organization. Goff took the first hit, and while the general fanbase believes that Matthew Stafford will be an improvement for the offense, the move still has room to backfire if the 33-year-old quarterback does not mesh with the system.

Reflected on the paybooks, the window of opportunity will be shrinking with a potential exodus of key talent—exemplified by the inability to pay standout safety John Johnson III, the first domino in the line of expiring contracts as Snead put the team nearly 27M over the cap.

What will also strain Les Snead in the offseason is how they will pay for players they want. While the Rams have notoriety as a team that pays a TON of money for their roster—one that may have a bubble-like demise with the loaded contracts—they have all felt like good signings at the time.

When Sean McVay transformed the offense to create a Super Bowl contending team, the skeleton of the defense led by Wade Phillips was a few players away from being a thriving unit for the team. In the offseason leading up to their path to the Super Bowl, Les Snead added veteran defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and cornerback Aqib Talib to complement the developing secondary and add to the pressure from the D-line to help Aaron Donald run down NFC West quarterbacks. The free agency decisions made by Snead upped the clout for the defense, and ultimately kept Tom Brady to his lowest scoring Super Bowl appearance.

Stan Kroenke’s decision to ditch Fisher and keep Snead displays the confidence shown in the GM, however, Kroenke will be needing nothing less than a championship to justify the large costs and anemic/non-existent selection of first-round talent through the draft in the coming years. The strenuous pressure may last all offseason for Les Snead, but with good odds of keeping the Rams on a firm path in tandem with Sean McVay, the level of brain trust can console the large majority of fans to believe their organization can hear the commotion and want to improve their team based on what people watch through their screens every Monday, Thursday, or Sunday.

 

[Steve808]

I don’t disagree with your assessment but it was our defense, not Goff that caused us to lose that playoff game with Green Bay.

 

[Merlin]

I don’t disagree with your assessment but it was our defense, not Goff that caused us to lose that playoff game with Green Bay.

So out of that entire article what you got is a slight against Goff? Oh man. I'm sorry but that's some funny shit.

 

[Merlin]

What I think is a really interesting story here is that Kroenke wanted to be Patriots West. He was known to tote that book around even. But in spite of winning a ton of games they aren't anywhere near that model. Where they're at right now: 9ers in the 90s. Difference is those 9er teams that held on and extended their window with cap gymnastics won Super Bowls.

Enter Snead who has a coach in place who has a knack for winning games. But every time they turn around there's a self-inflicted wound in the form of an underperforming and overpaid player who was paid BEFORE the team had to pay him. And the resulting moves keep hurting the final roster for that next season because it takes picks to move guys who are overpaid. This isn't just Goff. It's Gurley too. Cooks. It even goes back to Ogletree when they signed him then traded him almost immediately thereafter making themselves look like a bunch of noobs.

So for me right now the Rams are an average front office at best when it comes to the football moves because of their self control or lack thereof. They rush to lock players up. Then they rush to unfuck the problem when those players they locked up don't play to the contract. It's a bad look when you're evaluating that GM role IMO.

 

[FrantikRam]

"Kroenke will be needing nothing less than a Championship"

I don't know Kroenke personally - and I doubt this writer does either - so it's possible that's a true statement.

However.....I really doubt it. Id wager Stan is thrilled with having one of the five most valuable NFL franchises. Five primetime games. Playoff appearances.

Super Bowl is certainly on the list - like that performance target your boss gives you that's nearly impossible to hit and won't be held against you.

 

[FrantikRam]

What I think is a really interesting story here is that Kroenke wanted to be Patriots West. He was known to tote that book around even. But in spite of winning a ton of games they aren't anywhere near that model. Where they're at right now: 9ers in the 90s. Difference is those 9er teams that held on and extended their window with cap gymnastics won Super Bowls.

Enter Snead who has a coach in place who has a knack for winning games. But every time they turn around there's a self-inflicted wound in the form of an underperforming and overpaid player who was paid BEFORE the team had to pay him. And the resulting moves keep hurting the final roster for that next season because it takes picks to move guys who are overpaid. This isn't just Goff. It's Gurley too. Cooks. It even goes back to Ogletree when they signed him then traded him almost immediately thereafter making themselves look like a bunch of noobs.

So for me right now the Rams are an average front office at best when it comes to the football moves because of their self control or lack thereof. They rush to lock players up. Then they rush to unfuck the problem when those players they locked up don't play to the contract. It's a bad look when you're evaluating that GM role IMO.

Agree on most of this but I still maintain paying Gurley was a good thing even in hindsight. Players can look at that and know that the Rams rewarded him for vastly outplaying his contract.

Cooks also had us over a barrel after trading the first for him. Not like we weren't going to sign him.

 

[Wisconsinram]

I'm sorry, but what a bunch of b.s.
For those of us who have endured what a truly bad front office looks like for decades, this is just a piece of sh!t article. The Rams F.O. has managed to turn the ship around on a dime with the hiring of McVay. The three main players have managed to set their collective egos aside and lead us to the playoffs in 3 of the past 4 years. My goodness, it's not easy to do.

Hindsight is always correct. I was right there with Les/Kevin/Sean when they made the moves they did on Alex, Todd, Brandon, Jared and the rest. I understood the thinking and rationale. Unlike many, I truly appreciate they recognized their errors in those contracts and actually had the kahunas to do something about it. Man, we just one a playoff game and lost to a superior team this year. And this article has to audacity to insinuate the sky is falling and the window is closing on Les? Seriously? 70% of the NFL would be so lucky as to be in our shoes.

My rant is over and I am typically very measured, but this article struck a nerve. Take a look around the NFL and share the names of the many GM's who get it right every time. What a joke.

 

[Rambitious1]

What I think is a really interesting story here is that Kroenke wanted to be Patriots West. He was known to tote that book around even. But in spite of winning a ton of games they aren't anywhere near that model. Where they're at right now: 9ers in the 90s. Difference is those 9er teams that held on and extended their window with cap gymnastics won Super Bowls.

Enter Snead who has a coach in place who has a knack for winning games. But every time they turn around there's a self-inflicted wound in the form of an underperforming and overpaid player who was paid BEFORE the team had to pay him. And the resulting moves keep hurting the final roster for that next season because it takes picks to move guys who are overpaid. This isn't just Goff. It's Gurley too. Cooks. It even goes back to Ogletree when they signed him then traded him almost immediately thereafter making themselves look like a bunch of noobs.

So for me right now the Rams are an average front office at best when it comes to the football moves because of their self control or lack thereof. They rush to lock players up. Then they rush to unfuck the problem when those players they locked up don't play to the contract. It's a bad look when you're evaluating that GM role IMO.

Well, if the Rams want to be Patriots west, they aren’t cheating anywhere near enough.

 

[Merlin]

Agree on most of this but I still maintain paying Gurley was a good thing even in hindsight. Players can look at that and know that the Rams rewarded him for vastly outplaying his contract.

Cooks also had us over a barrel after trading the first for him. Not like we weren't going to sign him.

Gurley wasn't just a mistake from a perspective of signing him early. He was also a mistake in the hubris of thinking you're gonna champion the RB market and reset it. I'm not a fan of either of those.

 

[Rams77]

Snead is a pure gambler nothing more. He’s lucky he has McVay as coach otherwise he would have been out of a job already. He got lucky with drafting Aaron Donald at pick 14. He’s wiffed big on Tavon and Robinson. . Overspent for Goff twice. Overspent for Gurley. Overspent for Cooks. The Ramsey trade might be worth it. We are top heavy and lack depth at many positions. I know he thinks he can land gems in rounds 2-7 and has found a few but I guarantee that most of these players would be mostly JAGS without McVay and his coaching staff i.e-Cory Littleton and Lamarcus Joyner. Snead also will have to replace SeniorScout Brad Holmes who may have been at least partially responsible for good finds in the later rounds.
I think its 95% McVay and his coaching staff and 5% Snead as to who is most responsible for the Rams success. He gave a real cocky media interview regarding Goff before the trade last month and brought his trade value as low as possible single-handedly. He acted really arrogantly just like he does with our cap space and draft picks. I have to admit he’s made Free Agents like to come play here because they see how easy it is to get paid. He’s equal amount good and bad. Perfect GM for Jeff Fisher. I think McVay and the Rams can do better than Snead

 

[TexasRam]

Snead is a pure gambler nothing more. He’s lucky he has McVay as coach otherwise he would have been out of a job already. He got lucky with drafting Aaron Donald at pick 14. He’s wiffed big on Tavon and Robinson. . Overspent for Goff twice. Overspent for Gurley. Overspent for Cooks. The Ramsey trade might be worth it. We are top heavy and lack depth at many positions. I know he thinks he can land gems in rounds 2-7 and has found a few but I guarantee that most of these players would be mostly JAGS without McVay and his coaching staff i.e-Cory Littleton and Lamarcus Joyner. Snead also will have to replace SeniorScout Brad Holmes who may have been at least partially responsible for good finds in the later rounds.
I think its 95% McVay and his coaching staff and 5% Snead as to who is most responsible for the Rams success. He gave a real cocky media interview regarding Goff before the trade last month and brought his trade value as low as possible single-handedly. He acted really arrogantly just like he does with our cap space and draft picks. I have to admit he’s made Free Agents like to come play here because they see how easy it is to get paid. He’s equal amount good and bad. Perfect GM for Jeff Fisher. I think McVay and the Rams can do better than Snead

I agree on your assessment of Mcvay and Snead. The only weaknesses I see with Mcvay is he under values the role of the Oline and he is unable to evolve his system which is now very predictable and defensible. Besides that he has excellent head coach qualities and value.

Snead's massive mistakes are covered up by Donald and Mcvay. There is a significant ignorance in Snead's risky approach. It lacks a failsafe mechanism of developing early round players as cheap starters and also sticking to consensus scouting vs his own inner scouting circle.

Snead reminds me of the person that keeps going farther in debt by taking out more loans to pay off current loans. Eventually it will catch up and you will be a bottom feeder for years. But all the vacations and short term fun in his mind will justify the long term demise.

I think people are ignoring the elephant in the room which is the fact that Mcvay's offensive system is not only predictable and becoming easy to stop, but it also requires significant talent to operate. Talent that we don't have the means to fund without massive restructures and screwing future seasons. Not to mention the likely dropoff in defensive talent due to being broke.

 

[So Ram]

"Kroenke will be needing nothing less than a Championship"

I don't know Kroenke personally - and I doubt this writer does either - so it's possible that's a true statement.

However.....I really doubt it. Id wager Stan is thrilled with having one of the five most valuable NFL franchises. Five primetime games. Playoff appearances.

Super Bowl is certainly on the list - like that performance target your boss gives you that's nearly impossible to hit and won't be held against you.

THE FACT THAT KEVIN DEMOFF’S name was not brought up once makes this

ROD-BOT (a-tool)
So Full of CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’ll take the good with the article. Les Snead gets things done & is always looking to improve The Rams.He is impressive,but not always right.

 

[So Ram]

I agree on your assessment of Mcvay and Snead. The only weaknesses I see with Mcvay is he under values the role of the Oline and he is unable to evolve his system which is now very predictable and defensible. Besides that he has excellent head coach qualities and value.

Snead's massive mistakes are covered up by Donald and Mcvay. There is a significant ignorance in Snead's risky approach. It lacks a failsafe mechanism of developing early round players as cheap starters and also sticking to consensus scouting vs his own inner scouting circle.

Snead reminds me of the person that keeps going farther in debt by taking out more loans to pay off current loans. Eventually it will catch up and you will be a bottom feeder for years. But all the vacations and short term fun in his mind will justify the long term demise.

I think people are ignoring the elephant in the room which is the fact that Mcvay's offensive system is not only predictable and becoming easy to stop, but it also requires significant talent to operate. Talent that we don't have the means to fund without massive restructures and screwing future seasons. Not to mention the likely dropoff in defensive talent due to being broke.

Talk about LOST! Just the FACT The Rams Traded Jared Goff and got a Matthew Stafford in today’s day & age is unbelievable.

We can go down the LIST !!

Yes - am I always happy at the moves The Rams & McSnead make ? No.
Do I call them out ? Yes

My point is to say Mcvay’s offense is out of date or does not work anymore is CRAZY. - Yes during the 2020 season you & I could do a Kumbaya !!

I just saw on 4th & 4 at the bills 48 down by 21-3 Mcvay goes for it.JJ had a bad INT & D.Williams PI to loss the game isn’t so bad after looking at the 34-32 loss .— Wolford’s run in the End tells Ram Fans that he is open for change & doesn’t settle.There is no box for him except WINNING!

Snead draft Greg Williams over Aaron Donald.If you don’t believe in McSnead then there is 500 hundred pounds of weed that might have come through Texas that could’ve been smoked.
As some say Haply Trails. For me I’m enjoying the ride & appreciate The Rams journey.SuperBowl or no SuperBowl . This New SoFI stadium I’ll enjoy .Do wish I had a partner that I could’ve enjoyed the ED - in the Lou with.The past is the past and living in 2021

 

[CGI_Ram]

What I think is a really interesting story here is that Kroenke wanted to be Patriots West. He was known to tote that book around even. But in spite of winning a ton of games they aren't anywhere near that model. Where they're at right now: 9ers in the 90s. Difference is those 9er teams that held on and extended their window with cap gymnastics won Super Bowls.

Enter Snead who has a coach in place who has a knack for winning games. But every time they turn around there's a self-inflicted wound in the form of an underperforming and overpaid player who was paid BEFORE the team had to pay him. And the resulting moves keep hurting the final roster for that next season because it takes picks to move guys who are overpaid. This isn't just Goff. It's Gurley too. Cooks. It even goes back to Ogletree when they signed him then traded him almost immediately thereafter making themselves look like a bunch of noobs.

So for me right now the Rams are an average front office at best when it comes to the football moves because of their self control or lack thereof. They rush to lock players up. Then they rush to unfuck the problem when those players they locked up don't play to the contract. It's a bad look when you're evaluating that GM role IMO.

There are differences from the Patriots model, for sure.

What similarities do you see?

I’d say; consistent leadership, releasing players who aren’t contributing, finding FA players with chips on their shoulder, draft and scout the underestimated.

I’d also say the Rams seem to focus on culture and making it all about winning football. This is probably the hardest one to stay focused on, and one the Rams need to work harder than the Patriots due to location...but so far so good with the faster pace of LA, outside of football.

Those seem strong similarities WE DO HAVE and ones central to the Patriot model.

 

[OnceARam]

Typical offseason article about nothing, written by someone that recently discovered the game of foot-ball.

 

[Psycho_X]

There are differences from the Patriots model, for sure.

What similarities do you see?

I’d say; consistent leadership, releasing players who aren’t contributing, finding FA players with chips on their shoulder, draft and scout the underestimated.

I’d also say the Rams seem to focus on culture and making it all about winning football. This is probably the hardest one to stay focused on, and one the Rams need to work harder than the Patriots due to location...but so far so good with the faster pace of LA, outside of football.

Those seem strong similarities WE DO HAVE and ones central to the Patriot model.

Agree with the above.

But to touch on the article who is really responsible for contracts ultimately? Does Snead say "We should sign Gurley, Goff, Ogeltree, etc before we have to because it'll be cheaper" or is the cap gurus of Demoff and Pastoors that have pushed for that? Hell, who decided to pay Jeff Fisher two more years of guaranteed salary months before firing him? They also extended Snead at the same time and ruffled Fisher's feathers as he didn't know they were doing that. Someone has spent a LOT of Kroenke's money for coaches and players to play somewhere else or to fish in Montana. Salary cap issues aside cause those can be massaged and worked around somewhat but the actual cash being spent has to be an issue at some point.

 

[RamFan503]

Hmmmmmm.... I wonder if the author respects Les Snead as a GM. Just not sure after reading this hit piece.

Time will tell but the level of consistent talent with Les here has been the best in decades.

Is he robbing Peter to pay Paul? Possibly. And if that is the case, I believe that would be a reason for dismissal. But if he is working in conjunction with the rest of the FO as well as McVay with an eye to the future (as I suspect is the case), he will be here for the long haul and I look forward to it.
Pretty easy to take exception to the way Les operates because it is definitely outside the box. But it's been pretty successful thus far IMO.

 

[So Ram]

Hmmmmmm.... I wonder if the author respects Les Snead as a GM. Just not sure after reading this hit piece.

Time will tell but the level of consistent talent with Les here has been the best in decades.

Is he robbing Peter to pay Paul? Possibly. And if that is the case, I believe that would be a reason for dismissal. But if he is working in conjunction with the rest of the FO as well as McVay with an eye to the future (as I suspect is the case), he will be here for the long haul and I look forward to it.
Pretty easy to take exception to the way Les operates because it is definitely outside the box. But it's been pretty successful thus far IMO.

Well just a for-INSTANCE!!

The first move McSnead made in 2017 was to sign Andrew Whitworth(Woods) Then let Kromer evaluate the O”Line where they signed Groy? who resigned with Buffalo & settled on Sullivan.

In drafting Everett who I’m sure Mcvay liked Snead traded back for a 3rd pick & selected JJ who will BRING 1st rd value with his contract.

Mcvay cut ties with Robinson & his contract for a 5th rd pick.

Signed Tru to a Franchise Tag.

He also had to deal with Aaron Donald & his contract.

—so where does all that from the start apply to Now ?
1. Mcvay is in control of his roster
2.Les Snead works his magic to get the players Mcvay wants.
3.Demoff & what his name deal with the Agents.
4.Kronke pays the Bills & trust in Demoff.He also has his say whenever he wants to & works through Demoff.

It’s pretty easy to see.Mcvay Values DB’s after looking through the Past & always has to have a #1 CB.
Tru
Peters/Talib
RAMsey
All have cost $$$ . If franchise Tru Johnson TWICE doesn’t make a statement & knowing how Bare the cupboard up until now.

—D. Williams will get signed I’m guessing & The Rams will always look to upgrade & add depth.
—Can anyone say Georgia (SEC). Les Snead always finds guys to develop.Mcvay LOVES coaching players up.— J.R. Reed
&Tyrique McGhee
to names to think about?

 

[TexasRam]

Talk about LOST! Just the FACT The Rams Traded Jared Goff and got a Matthew Stafford in today’s day & age is unbelievable.

We can go down the LIST !!

Yes - am I always happy at the moves The Rams & McSnead make ? No.
Do I call them out ? Yes

My point is to say Mcvay’s offense is out of date or does not work anymore is CRAZY. - Yes during the 2020 season you & I could do a Kumbaya !!

I just saw on 4th & 4 at the bills 48 down by 21-3 Mcvay goes for it.JJ had a bad INT & D.Williams PI to loss the game isn’t so bad after looking at the 34-32 loss .— Wolford’s run in the End tells Ram Fans that he is open for change & doesn’t settle.There is no box for him except WINNING!

Snead draft Greg Williams over Aaron Donald.If you don’t believe in McSnead then there is 500 hundred pounds of weed that might have come through Texas that could’ve been smoked.
As some say Haply Trails. For me I’m enjoying the ride & appreciate The Rams journey.SuperBowl or no SuperBowl . This New SoFI stadium I’ll enjoy .Do wish I had a partner that I could’ve enjoyed the ED - in the Lou with.The past is the past and living in 2021

 

[CoachAllred]

What I think is a really interesting story here is that Kroenke wanted to be Patriots West. He was known to tote that book around even. But in spite of winning a ton of games they aren't anywhere near that model. Where they're at right now: 9ers in the 90s. Difference is those 9er teams that held on and extended their window with cap gymnastics won Super Bowls.

Enter Snead who has a coach in place who has a knack for winning games. But every time they turn around there's a self-inflicted wound in the form of an underperforming and overpaid player who was paid BEFORE the team had to pay him. And the resulting moves keep hurting the final roster for that next season because it takes picks to move guys who are overpaid. This isn't just Goff. It's Gurley too. Cooks. It even goes back to Ogletree when they signed him then traded him almost immediately thereafter making themselves look like a bunch of noobs.

So for me right now the Rams are an average front office at best when it comes to the football moves because of their self control or lack thereof. They rush to lock players up. Then they rush to unfuck the problem when those players they locked up don't play to the contract. It's a bad look when you're evaluating that GM role IMO.

Not sure if this has been posted and I never watch this guys show, but I love his take.
We could be pulling for a team who really doesn't care about winning.
I know in the past the Rams were one of those teams .
And I'm sure Stan loves his money, but he also wants rings and doesn't mind spending money
to get those rings.

View: https://youtu.be/zrWxTIPMJP8