Why aren't the Rams getting more love? (and do we really mind?)

[LA_Rams_#29]

Your points are are point... I'd add that the "hate" the Los Angeles Rams get also is a consequence of being in Los Angeles.... there's a certain level of "hate" ...saltiness....whatever you want to call it that Los Angeles sports teams get. My fellow Laker and Dodger fans know what I'm talking about. The better your team is....and strangely..... the more fans you get...the louder the haters and the naysayers become. It's actually a good thing. It's a sign that we're becoming consistent in being an elite contending team.

The other thing is that the Rams have sustained success in an out of the ordinary manner. Not having a first round pick in so long....having lower round guys being contributors ..and super stars...having such a young coach.... a confident GM... (I'll also add the fact that Kroenke isn't like by some....with the relocation and some of his public awkwardness....)

other teams who have gone a more traditional route, haven't seen our success...don't have the player development...don't have a recent Lombardi trophy...those folks are mad because we're doing what their team hasn't done.

It's all making being a Rams fan even more enjoyable.

 

[Faceplant]

No one wants to see AD retire.

Kyler Murray would like a word....

 

[PARAM]

Haters gonna hate until it's time to jump on the bandwagon.

#1. "Last year was a fluke* ......... Rebuilding? The experts said that and there were A LOT of Rams fans using that term too. We lost in the Wild Card round so calling the season a fluke is simply a way of pushing that plate of crow to the center of the table. All I can say is 'don't put the fork down'.

#2. "The Donald Effect"...........
Nobody can replace him. True. Last I checked nobody else has had a Donald on their D and I've seen some damn good defenses anyway. Gonna miss the big guy but NFL defenses have been great without him. Why not the Rams? It's as interesting a story line as remodel or rebuild. How'd that work out?

#3. "San Francisco are the Kings".........
We've seen it before, when health is good, the bounces go their way, the schedule falls just right, a team gets near and then to a SB. But failure is a wasted opportunity. Subsequently they suffer injuries, or bounces go the other way or they meet hot teams at the wrong time and they're not as good as they once were. Is that the 2024 niners? Maybe.

The non-believers and critics have lots of ammo. A Wild Card loser with an aging QB minus 1 first ballot HOFer and a first time DC. The easy path is predict mediocrity and ride the hot hand (SF, Detroit, etc.). That's why they play the games.

 

[Ramon Ram]

My only concern is our schedule

 

[Giles]

Fuck em. Let them sleep on us.

 

[RamFan503]

No.

 

[den-the-coach]

Too much love for the Eagles on the east coast & 49ers on the west coast, not much other love to go around. Does not bother me and I feel good about becoming more physical in order to handle teams like Philadelphia & San Francisco plus both those teams have younger QB's regardless of the fact that the Rams QB actually won the Super Bowl.

 

[oldnotdead]

Last year didn't surprise me. I said it in September that the Rams were a playoff team. I knew they would be at a minimum 10-7 and in the wildcard round. I hoped for 11-6 and thought it was totally feasible and it was, except for that overtime loss to the Ravens due to a STs breakdown.

This year I expect nothing less than a real SB run and at the very least an appearance in the NFC Championship game. If this team stays healthy I expect them to win a Lombardi this year.

You don't replace a HOF player like Donald. What you do is replace his production and threat level. IMO they have done that with Verse and Fiske along with Turner and Young this DL is going to be downright scary. They will be much harder to defend. I'm not overlooking Brennan Jackson potentially giving them that 5th pass rusher when needed and an edge-setting OLB.

Offensively this OL is as good or better than any the Rams have ever had. With Williams and Corum they will have a very strong inside run game. With Kupp, Nacua, Robinson and potentially Whittington they are stacked at WR.

The Rams are built to win now and IMO they will.

 

[snackdaddy]

I've seen some pundits predict good things for the Rams. And others leave the Rams out of their playoff predictions. Oddsmakers only have us at 8.5 wins for the over/under. But they typically go low on that one.

Like any other team we have question marks. The perception is Stafford is injury prone. Which is a ridiculous assumption. He missed one full game last year due to a freak thumb injury that can happen to anyone. I'd bet if they were contending in 2022 he wouldn't have been shut down for the season. He played all of 2021.

Then the AD effect. We were a middle of the pack defense for the most part with him last year. Now he's gone. We're going to be relying on first and second year players to take up the slack. Can't blame people for being skeptical there.

Where I think we're not getting enough credit is on offense. We were one of the best offenses the second half last year. We look to be better this year. If the defense can just be middle of the pack again I can see us winning 11 or 12 games.

 

[Mackeyser]

The Rams over/under at 8.5 is a travesty

The conventional wisdom is that under McVay, rookies don't really contribute (no, they won't count last year or use any real data for that) and AD's WAR is easily 1.5, so... yeah

Which is asinine for so many reasons.

Doesn't take into account that Kupp was gimpy all last season

Our edges were a Euro DT who's all hustle learning the position and a rookie 3rd rounder while AD was paired with a rookie 3rd round DT and Bobby Brown who flashed, but didn't really show up as many were expecting

We had no meaningful backup QB so when Stafford missed games, we just stunk. We have both Jimmy G and Bennett who apparently is looking really good

We had a very young defensive backfield.

Our new stud RB missed games and we had no backup for him

We had a schedule like the 9ers have this season... we had 4 teams coming off byes and a ridiculous early gauntlet of games with most of our toughest games as away games.

So... 8.5 games is silly. Short of something crazy, the Rams will be well over that. Honestly, I don't wanna jinx it, but I think we could do very, very well this season and I think a Super Bowl run isn't out of the picture.

 

[FrantikRam]

The Rams over/under at 8.5 is a travesty

The conventional wisdom is that under McVay, rookies don't really contribute (no, they won't count last year or use any real data for that) and AD's WAR is easily 1.5, so... yeah

Which is asinine for so many reasons.

Doesn't take into account that Kupp was gimpy all last season

Our edges were a Euro DT who's all hustle learning the position and a rookie 3rd rounder while AD was paired with a rookie 3rd round DT and Bobby Brown who flashed, but didn't really show up as many were expecting

We had no meaningful backup QB so when Stafford missed games, we just stunk. We have both Jimmy G and Bennett who apparently is looking really good

We had a very young defensive backfield.

Our new stud RB missed games and we had no backup for him

We had a schedule like the 9ers have this season... we had 4 teams coming off byes and a ridiculous early gauntlet of games with most of our toughest games as away games.

So... 8.5 games is silly. Short of something crazy, the Rams will be well over that. Honestly, I don't wanna jinx it, but I think we could do very, very well this season and I think a Super Bowl run isn't out of the picture.

Yea hedging for injuries are the only thing that truly makes sense with that over/under.

But we're going to obliterate that.

 

[FrantikRam]

The real answer for this is that for whatever reason, the Rams are always overlooked. I guarantee that we will be a Super Bowl contender this year. I thought it was St. Louis that was having us always dismissed, but that isn't the case. It's just a weird thing....but mark my words....we will be contenders

 

[Classic Rams]

Following them for so long most of the time that they were really favored to win it all by many they blew it in the playoffs. The exception was 1999 they were pretty hyped up after the whiner game and then won it all as we know. Even in 2021 they weren't favored by many even when they were winning. It was mostly GB, the whiners and the Fraidy Bucs. So I'm not too comfortable with all the media getting on the Ram train. I like it more evened out where you get one side saying Rams and the other mixed. I've seen too much failing after the hype. I think it affected them a lot being favored because they would come out flat. You want to see stories and interviews but I'm uncomfortable with multiple shows saying the Rams are poised to go all the way this year. I'd rather just be talked about as a playoff contender... then Bam! Winner!

 

[CGI_Ram]

I think we killed this draft, but it’s still ALL A BIG projection for me. I need to see these rookies playing against NFL talent.

I like the moves we’ve made… But, how does it all add up?

Maybe with a Stafford's new deal we actually gain some cap room? Not sure if that’s possible but feels like we’ll still make a move or two in June.

I am glad we are under the radar.

 

[dang]

I still think we are a couple vets away from a cohesive defense. Someone other than EJIII and DWill to mentor the young bucks.

 

[Ramhusker]

I love flying under the radar!

 

[JBRam77]

Each time the Rams have lost in the playoffs in a Wild Card or Divisional Round -the following year they have reached the Super Bowl under McVay. Just Sayin

 

[Q729]

I prefer we don't get love. Always have.

 

[majrleaged]

I like it this way so i can complain about it.

 

[Kupped]

I feel like @AvengerRam nailed it, right down to the order of his takes.

Go ahead, “experts”… bet against a focused, happy McVay with a stacked offensive roster.

With improvement to “decent” on special teams.. they win one more game last year.
With a healthy Williams.. they might’ve won 2 more on top of that.

We’ll see!!