Can the Rams Run it Back?

[RedAlice]

One year window I guess Donald retires after one more year. After that the vets will be cut due to cap and they’ll have to do a rebuild. Let’s not act like Stafford is Brady

Has anyone said Stafford is Brady? I am enjoying the extreme, let me feel better by thinking about how bad the Rams will be later vibe tho.

Welcome newcomer.

 

[RedAlice]

I think either you didn't read his post or you didn't understand it.

I think I have been giving fair and reasonable responses here.

 

[RedAlice]

Somehow I forgot Whitworth. That is a major glue guy.

Definitely. He was at the draft, saw him standing there and I'm like oh you baby! Yes.

 

[RedAlice]

You didn't catch my subtle sarcasm? Luck = Preparation meets Opportunity. So yes, Stafford to Kupp was "Lucky" in that Stafford was prepared when he saw a cover 0 blitz by Tampa, and Kupp also recognized it, so Stafford was prepared to know where to go, and Kupp was prepared to know what Stafford would do, and they both executed, and the result was a game-winning field goal and a trip to the Super Bowl. Yes, the OL was prepared enough to delay the pass rush just enough for Stafford to get the throw off. Rams were "lucky" that Tampa (inexplicably?) gave them that opportunity with a cover-0 blitz, and they were prepared enough to make that huge, game-deciding play.

Do injuries and fielding a team of healthy players involve "luck"? That is the $100M question. Let's say that over the course of a season and the playoffs, that there is a definite element of training program design and medical/PT personnel skill that can make some teams perform better than others by virtue of having key players available for more games. Getting highly capable people in place in these areas would be overall organizational leadership competence more than luck.

In an individual game situation, luck can play a huge role. In SB49, Jeremy Lane picked off Tom Brady in the end zone and ran it back out, and got his ACL ruptured and his forearm shattered, in the 1st quarter. Brady & the Pats took advantage of Lane's replacement, Tharald Simon, targeting and torching him repeatedly. Bad luck? Not so fast. Idiot Pete Carroll for some reason left highly capable slot corner Marcus Burley inactive. If Burley is on the field, he covers Edelman and Amendola way better, and the Patriots don't make that 10 point comeback. Was "the pick" at the end of SB49 "bad luck?" I think it was more an outstanding play by two NE players and a result of a predictable Seahawks offense and of Russell Wilson's limitations. Too big a subject to explore further here.

Another individual "injury" (bad) "luck" game situation, in SBXL, Hawks Safety Marquand Manuel got injured in the 2nd quarter. His replacement was a man-off-the-street free agent, Etric Pruitt. Pittsburgh wasted no time in targeting him in the 2nd half, and getting 2 long TDs going at him. Was that "bad luck"? I'd say NO, it was a natural outcome of having tissue-paper-thin depth at a key position. Maybe it was bad luck from 1st stringer safety Ken Hamlin getting into a stupid bar fight and getting his skull fractured and breaking his hand earlier in the season. Even there, having better public misbehavior prevention and accountability practices in place at a team level could have helped. 20/20.

I suppose the point is there are a ton of ways large and small that teams can create and improve their own "luck". Kudos to the Rams organization, top to bottom, and especially the leadership of Sean McVay, for creating that little extra bit of luck that led to a Super Bowl championship.

Everything you said is correct.

When the Rams hit the Super Bowl this year, Tom Brady also announced his "retirement." Therefore, the NFL channel did a complete replay over and over of all winning Super Bowl games that Brady played in.

Even though I have seen the game many times, I watched the first SB that Brady ever won again.

Was that game luck? or preparedness (ssts). Or did the better team win?

idk. never will.

I apologize if I misread your original intent.

 

[RedAlice]

Of course we can, but odds are against it. I will say that I love that we took a different approach than the Bucs - Robinson for Woods, adding Wagner.

Summary of losses - I'll do playoffs and regular season because the rosters and performances were pretty different for a few key players:

Regular season - Whitworth, Corbett, Woods, Darious Williams, Sebastian Joseph-Day

Playoffs - Von, Whitworth, Corbett, OBJ, Williams


Von and OBJ came on very late in the regular season, but they weren't very impactful until the playoffs. To replicate our regular season success, to be frank - they're not needed. In fact, even with a more difficult schedule I'll probably predict 13 wins this year. Woods and SJD didn't play in the playoffs (SJD was back for the Super Bowl but didn't make much of an impact). Darious Williams was not good in the regular season but played much better in the playoffs.



Additions:

Cam Akers - losing him was a blow. He came back for the playoffs and looked pretty good - our run blocking was horrific all playoffs though, so tough to evaluate him. Major upgrade to our RB room.


Allen Robinson - will more than replace Woods, who aside from the Thursday night against Seattle, never quite clicked with Stafford. Upgrade.


Bobby Wagner - we have for some reason just ignored ILB for years, but the combo of Wagner and Ernest Jones should be one of the better in the league. Jones was a rookie last year and looked VERY good prior to getting hurt and missing some time.


Troy Hill - traded for him yesterday - he was an average player for us that we let go which is how we operate - get him back on the cheap. Can play with inside and outside and it's worth mentioning that his best season coincided with Ramsey and Williams best seasons, as well as the (statistically) best defense the Rams have ever had. His versatility helps to unlock Ramsey by allowing him to move around more.



In house replacements:

Noteboom (Whitworth) - we had to pay him because of his flawless performance against the Bucs. Definite downgrade from Whitworth, but is at least a league average LT who excels in pass pro. Run blocking has been a weakness for some time, so here's to hoping he works on that.


Robert Rochelle (Darious Williams) - Rochelle was a rookie last year and played well, but like Ernest Jones, injuries derailed his rookie season. Williams missed a few games last year and Rochelle was filling in nicely. He's got the length and athleticism to play outside. From that perspective, he's an upgrade. We kept Williams outside despite him being 5'9". Williams lackluster regular season performance last year likely makes this an upgrade overall, especially with Hill back in the mix at the third CB spot.

Justin Hollins (Von) - Hollins was actually the starter to begin the season and prior to trading for Von, we were near the top of the league in sacks. Hollins is the definition of a solid starter/role player in the NFL.



Open competitions:

RG - Coleman Shelton vs Bobby Evans vs Tremaine Anchrum vs Logan Bruss - based on McVays comments, Bruss has the inside track here despite being a rookie. The OL could be better worse or the same as last year, but injuries notwithstanding, I think it will border on a top ten unit as it usually has under McVay.

S - Nick Scott vs Taylor Rapp - most Rams fans have already declared Scott the winner. Between picking off Brady and blowing up our boogeyman (Deebo) in the playoffs last year, he won a lot of us over. I am also starting to think we have a deal with Mathieu ready to go and are waiting until it doesn't impact the comp formula, but we'll see on that one.





Summary - in McVays post draft press conference he mentioned wanting to get more depth for the OL and secondary. The secondary being the key thing here - we were forced to play Eric Waddle and David Long in the Super Bowl. We will be better at both spots. On paper you would think the loss of Williams would make the secondary worse, but we added three CBs yesterday between Hill and the draft, so the added depth, IMO, offsets that loss, especially because of how thoroughly average he was last year.

The OL is a question mark, but a controlled one. We've had Noteboom for four years and he's practiced with the ones A LOT while giving Whit rest days.

We will be definitively better during the regular season IMO at RB, WR, TE and ILB whether from additions or internal development (the two backup TEs, for example were forced to play - and made plays - in the Super Bowl). We also have most of an entire draft class from last year that basically red shirted.

The issue will come in the playoffs - and the questions will be do we have enough to rush the passer? Miller was incredible in the playoffs. Id expect another mid season trade to help bolster that unit.

Can Robinson do what OBJ did? Will OBJ be back?

And finally, can we beat the Packers? We were the Bucs kryptonite and they avoided us for their Super Bowl run. Not so lucky the next year. Well for us, that's Green Bay. And we were lucky to avoid them this season. Does Adams being gone help us get over that hump? A potential trip to Lambeau could be all that stands in our way of getting back to the Super Bowl.

Good summary. But, I respectfully disagree with so much.

 

[RedAlice]

Plus, their uniform colors are the same as the flag of a certain Eastern European nation that the US is currently assisting during their "time of need".


J/k.





Or am I?

And the Patriots won the SB right after 911.

So easy to make up conspiracy theories.

 

[RedAlice]

Can Alice or someone post a quick summary of Rams player and key coaching staff adds and losses?

Ok, I said I would do this. This is straight adds/losses with as little commentary as I can. Also, this is just my knowledge and I am probably missing some things.


----

Pre-draft:

Rams lost 6 starters from the SB winning team: Whitworth, OBJ, Corbett (RG), Von Miller, CB Williams, Hekker (I don't know the status of Michel).

Rams added: Bobby Wagner and Allen Robinson.

Note: OBJ is still an unknown as he is coming off an injury and still unsigned.

Second note: I love Hekker forever!!!!

----

Post draft.

Added a Guard and a shit ton of DBs, plus an RB from StL who grew up loving the Rams.

Added back in Reeder.

---

No clue on the coaching staff.

 

[acer1240]

They got the goods Alice. I'd put money down on them. I'm really happy for you

 

[RedAlice]

They got the goods Alice. I'd put money down on them. I'm really happy for you

Thank you sweetie. It is a ride, a ticket I bought long ago.

Same as you for the Hawks.

 

[RedAlice]

And this is also why so many Rams fans hate me....I love being a Rams fan. I appreciate you all being Hawks fans.

It is a side thing to real life, and it is fun as god damn hell.

 

[RedAlice]

They will be the first team to have played a 21-game season. So the injury bug will be a major factor.

They also lost glue guys in free agency. It is hard to replace players like Darius Williams, Robert Woods, Joseph-Day, and even Johnny Hekker are guys that you only notice when they are no longer on the team.

I think they will win 10-12 games and lose in the divisional round.

forgot about J-D. yeah, he will be missed.

Woods is such a talent. That man is just amazing in so many ways. (also, have you seen his wife? God damn he did good for himself). The Rams knew they were letting him go and let him pick his new team, took less than he was valued at so he could go to his selection. Respect.

See any mad tweets from Woods like you saw from Wagner?

 

[acer1240]

And this is also why so many Rams fans hate me....I love being a Rams fan. I appreciate you all being Hawks fans.

It is a side thing to real life, and it is fun as god damn hell.

You're a good one. We have several kick ass 9er fans trolling here as well. You were here when your team sucked ass and you've remained classy. I cannot ever root for your team and Aaron Donald can eat shit but it does put a smile on my face knowing you are happy.

 

[RedAlice]

You're a good one. We have several kick ass 9er fans trolling here as well. You were here when your team sucked ass and you've remained classy. I cannot ever root for your team and Aaron Donald can eat shit but it does put a smile on my face knowing you are happy.

There is no reason for you to root for my team. I don't root for the Hawks unless I need them to beat someone.

I can still like you.

That said, I kinda just like the game. I respect teams who are good or enjoy watching the whole process.

 

[RedAlice]

I am currently fascinated by the Steelers.

 

[Lagartixa]

Even though I have seen the game many times, I watched the first SB that Brady ever won again.

Was that game luck? or preparedness (ssts). Or did the better team win?

The team that had broken the rules by taping the other team's walkthrough used the knowledge gained in an against-the-rules way to win the game. Pretty much the definition of "cheating."

 

[RedAlice]

As to whether or not I think the Rams can win again this year?

idk. I do expect it to be a fun as hell season. and, I hope they do.

The team that had broken the rules by taping the other team's walkthrough used the knowledge gained in an against-the-rules way to win the game. Pretty much the definition of "cheating."

little facts that don't matter.

every single time I see that game tho - the energy by the Rams is insane. No wonder I am in love with them.

 

[Palmegranite]

Note: OBJ is still an unknown as he is coming off an injury and still unsigned....

Huh....on first read of your comment I saw:

Note: OBJ is still an unknown as he is coming off an injury and still unhinged....

 

[sdog1981]

forgot about J-D. yeah, he will be missed.

Woods is such a talent. That man is just amazing in so many ways. (also, have you seen his wife? God damn he did good for himself). The Rams knew they were letting him go and let him pick his new team, took less than he was valued at so he could go to his selection. Respect.

See any mad tweets from Woods like you saw from Wagner?

Woods is just a classy guy. On the field he just always finds a way to get open, he put up numbers in Buffalo with EJ Manual and Kyle Orton throwing him the ball.

 

[Ramfan128]

Good summary. But, I respectfully disagree with so much.

Hey no problem. But I'd love to know what specifically you disagreed with

 

[RedAlice]

Hey no problem. But I'd love to know what specifically you disagreed with

me too!

That requires me to read what you said again, and remember why I disagreed. It was something.