It was great to meet up with @VeteranRamFan. We were seated near the QB drills so didn't see the D drills, maybe Thursday will provide more D notes. As others have stated QB 1&2 stand out the other 2 are camp arms/projects at best. Good to see Bennett looking the part of NFL QB, he is at the very least a capable backup. If he has a future as QB1, is yet to be determined but I wouldn't count him out. Bennett did throw a few wtf passes in drills, but doesn't every rookie QB?

In 11 on 11 Stafford looked like Stafford we saw in 21. I will point out the pass to Tutu that was broken was a bad decision by Stafford. I believe it was Puka that should have been the proper read. Based on the situation I knew that play was going to be a deep shot and so did the DBs, and they doubled the most likely deep target leaving Puka 1on1 to the area vacated by the safety doubling Tutu. Higbeast looked to be the beast we all know he is capable of being. I was impressed with his change of direction, he created a lot of separation on whip routes in drills and 11on11.

The run game is hard to get a real read on in practice as they are not tackling to the ground. But it did appear that one of the new wrinkles this year is opening some holes. Using TEs in motion or pulling OTs to trap block opened up some holes. Noteboom pulled from his LT position to the A gap to lead Akers into the end zone late in 11on11.

The DBs didn't standout much in 11on11 with the exception of the play Stafford threw into double coverage.

The WRs and TEs looked good showing good hands. Johnson and Robinson both look good and will make I difficult to pick just 6 WRs for the 53 man roster.

Looked like AD had the day off, would have liked to see the OL look better with his absence.

Will we need some of that comeback magic this year?

Here are the career numbers for the top 10 Ram QBs who have orchestrated 4th Quarter Comebacks and Game Winning Drives.

4th Quarter comeback means just that. A game winning drive is the last drive that puts the team ahead - not necessarily in the 4th quarter - but which wins the game. So in some cases a QB could have a GWD without a 4QC.

The top 10 are all in order based on their career comeback #s.

The last 5 QBs I just added on for comparison so there could be other Ram QBs that I haven't researched that may be a bit higher.

For each QB add post season #s in ( ) for their respective grand totals. Marc Bulger is in 1st place on Rams.

*dk blue font = with Rams.

1. Matthew Stafford
34 comebacks (2 post), 42 game-winning drives (3 post)
5 comebacks (2 post), 7 game-winning drives (3 post) * all in 2021 SB season

2. Norm Van Brocklin
19 comebacks (1 post), 17 game-winning drives (2 post)
11 comebacks, 11 game-winning drives (1 post)

3. Roman Gabriel
16 comebacks, 15 game-winning drives
13 comebacks, 11 game-winning drives

4. Marc Bulger
12 comebacks (1 post), 16 game-winning drives (1 post)
12 comebacks (1 post), 16 game-winning drives (1 post)

5. Jim Everett
11 comebacks (1 post), 14 game-winning drives (1 post)
7 comebacks (1 post), 10 game-winning drives (1 post)

6. Jared Goff
11 comebacks (1 post), 13 game-winning drives (1 post)
6 comebacks (1 post), 8 game-winning drives (1 post)

7. Billy Wade
10 comebacks, 11 game-winning drives
2 comebacks, 4 game-winning drives

8. Kurt Warner
7 comebacks (2 post), 11 game-winning drives (3 post)
2 comebacks (1 post), 4 game-winning drives (2 post)

9. James Harris
6 comebacks, 9 game-winning drives (1 post)
6 comebacks, 8 game-winning drives (1 post)

10. Sam Bradford
7 comebacks, 8 game-winning drives
6 comebacks, 5 game-winning drives



11. Bob Waterfield
7 comebacks, 6 game-winning drives
7 comebacks, 6 game-winning drives

12. Pat Haden
5 comebacks (1 post), 8 game-winning drives (1 post)
5 comebacks (1 post), 8 game-winning drives (1 post)

13. Vince Ferragamo
5 comebacks (1 post), 5 game-winning drives (1 post)
5 comebacks (1 post), 5 game-winning drives (1 post)

14. Jeff Kemp
4 comebacks, 5 game-winning drives
2 comebacks, 3 game-winning drives

15. Dieter Brock
2 comebacks, 1 game-winning drive
2 comebacks, 1 game-winning drive

Sorry this is so late but some family issues came up last night and I wasn't able to work on this. Didn't even get to have my Scotch. Oh the horror!

Got to meet up with @RamBall and his wife. Always good to see them. He'll be there on Thursday along with @bubbaramfan and myself.

Check out my pics here:
VRF Aug 1 2023

Our receivers are very good. I'm particularly impressed with Puca. Much bigger than anticipated. He looks like he already knows the routes, can gain separation and has a quickness and some fight in him. Trammell is another who impressed along with D. Robinson. I keep pounding the table to Tutu. He had his opportunities and didn't disappoint. An over the outside shoulder in the corner of the end zone on a frozen rope from Stafford resulted in a TD. Clean separation and had two steps on I believe it was Fuller. Didn't see the Kupp injury but he was what we have come to expect.

QB's are rated as 1, 2 and then some guys. Stafford and Bennett are the guys. Winn and Rypien are scout team quality although I do give the nod to Rypien over Winn. Both Stafford and Bennett had some opportunities to scramble and Bennett is far more maneuverable. Not too many deep balls today so arm strength couldn't be judged for distance. Anticipation was very good from both as was accuracy. Stafford made a medium deep throw to Atwell cutting to the left sideline. Great throw, great route. Only problem Tutu was double covered and his size was not in his favor. Ball was batted away. Maybe next time.

If you check out my album at Google Photo's, you'll see I focused a lot on the interior O line, particularly Steve Avila. I hope the sequences I took are posted the in the correct order so you can see the plays developing.

Avila looks like a rookie. He was used at right and left guard. It seemed his feet were getting out of position a lot. He did pick up a stunt by the DE and LB, while playing left guard, very well and that saved a sure sack.

Bruss was used at right tackle and was also a little weak there. Footwork and balance seemed to be the issue.

Even Noteboom had some bad moments as he manned the left tackle position. Our offensive line is a concern. They need all the reps they can get together in order to start jelling.

The defense is a bit behind the offense at this point but that is the norm for this point in camp. Can't say anyone stood out on the D but them again, wasn't looking to hard at them.

Our place kicker, #49 Brown missed at least one if not two from the mid 40 yard range during 11 on 11. Punter #42 Evans got his punts off in time and they were well placed inside the 20 and close to the sidelines. He looks solid.

This was all from memory as I didn't take any kind of notes. I know I forgot some things I wanted to point out but...maybe next time. Take care and we'll talk later.

Oh please be a nothing......

Well I just parked. Crowded as usual. Got my camera, roster and sunblock. I’ll try and make some posts during camp along with pics but don’t hold your breath! I can only text with one finger.

Look for my pictures and camp report later tonight (if my Scotch doesn’t get the best of me!

I may have something special for us all at Thursday camp. Keeping fingers crossed!!!

Just copying @Loyal haha, be curious to know what 90's movies people really liked that may not have been mainstream as it were?

My top 5 in no particular order:

1-Empire Records
2-Captain Ron
3-The Boondock Saints
4-The Cable Guy
5-Clifford(Martin Short one haha).

Many out there don’t understand or have simply not bought into our current strategy of bringing in a huge draft class (plus a large group of second year players and undrafted rookies) and hoping that a few emerge to create a foundation that can be combined with our remaining stars and future additions (2024 draft picks and FA signings) to vault us back into contention.

Maybe it’s outside the norm, risky and a little crazy.

But if it works, we’ll eat like kings!

Reporting from Rams Camp - here is Vince Ferragamo's and Jackie Slater's reporting from the grass at UC Irvine here in Southern California -

We also picked up interviews with Stetson and Avila and will post them very soon!

Getting going here for Rams 2023!

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There are certain things that tend to make me scream at my TV during Rams games.

I hope to see less of…

1. Soft coverage, particularly on 3rd and long.

2. Keying too much on Cooper Kupp (he should still get lion’s share of targets, but others need to be relied on too).

3. 8-9 yard completions on first down followed by an unproductive running play.

What are your peeves that you hope not to see?

Sean McVay's outlook for 2023 Rams: 'To attack an opportunity with some frickin’ balls'​

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Earlier this week, a visitor sitting in the training camp office of Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead posited a theory for the lack of faith surrounding the franchise entering the 2023 season. Specifically, the predicted mediocrity from the gambling sharps, like BetMGM oddsmakers who are placing the Rams’ win total at 6.5 games this season.

Cornerback Jalen Ramsey and middle linebacker Bobby Wagner, gone in a defensive reshuffle.

The wide receiver group? Shallow.

The offensive line, still in flux.

Not to mention the youngest roster in the league, yet also the seventh consecutive season without a first-round draft pick to groom into a cornerstone.

And pressing against it all, the previously wobbly state of the franchise’s Holy Trinity: head coach Sean McVay, whose future was uncertain one year ago; quarterback Matthew Stafford, who drew a varying level of trade interest from at least four teams in the offseason; and perennial All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald, whose future with the Rams seems tethered to how long Stafford and McVay stay in place.

Taken from a wider context? The Rams look like an extremely young team with a Super Bowl window-defining trinity that has raised questions about a rebuild.

“What’s your counter to that?” the visitor asked.

Snead smiled.

“You’re probably leaving [wide receiver] Cooper Kupp out,” he said. “You could probably go a little deeper than that [trinity]. I think you could go deeper, but OK. … I don’t even know if I would have a counter to that. I would say if those three individuals end up on injured reserve or maybe missing time, maybe bet the under [of 6.5 wins]. But you could counter by going, well, let’s say we were starting over and rebuilding. If you were searching for a quarterback like Stafford, a defensive tackle like Aaron Donald and a head coach like Sean, you could spend a lifetime looking. You could trade for a bunch of first-round picks and still spend a lifetime looking for that triumvirate or whatever you call it. That’s the positive.”

Yes, the Rams are young. Extremely young. Yes, they don’t have a stable of recent first-round picks stepping into vital roles. What they do have are three players who can be classified as elite when healthy — Stafford, Kupp and Donald — and a head coach who has put last offseason’s hand-wringing about his coaching future behind him.

“This is a fun-ass group to be around,” McVay said this week. “Listen, we’re going to go cut it loose.”

When McVay says that initially, it sounds like a boast — as in, We’re going to cut it loose and kick some ass.

Maybe they’ll get there. But what he means is this: The Rams are a team chock full of young guys and a growth curve that might be as steep as has existed during McVay’s tenure. Possibly going all the way back to his first season in 2017, when nobody was sure what was going to happen with a newly minted 30-year-old head coach and a struggling quarterback in 2016 No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff. Or heading into 2018, when so much of the roster was young and fresh-faced. In this scenario, “cutting it loose” is more akin to “letting it all hang out and seeing what happens."

That’s what happens when you lose nine starters between offense and defense, and the players who are stepping into those roles have limited experience. Or when the overall roster could have as many as 14 draft picks on the roster and a multitude of undrafted free agents. Precisely how young will this team be? Even the Rams don’t know at this point because so many starting positions and the underlying depth chart are up in the air. This reality is creating a balance between significant experience among a few, versus a youthful exuberance of many that had defensive coordinator Raheem Morris declaring that some pass-breakups in practice are celebrated like winning a Super Bowl.

That's great in training camp, when the record is 0-0 and emotion is counted like an asset in the win column. Of course, that can change quickly once the regular season kicks in, and losses and mistakes of youth begin to mount. And suddenly the coaching staff and personnel architects are surveying the upward climb in a more realistic, tangible and measurable way. It's a fact that isn’t lost on the Rams, even in the embrace of youth and a suspicion that outsiders aren’t taking an accurate accounting of what the return of their elite stars can mean for the 2023 season.

“There’s going to be some spilled milk,” Snead said. “But a lot of that veteran core has played in two Super Bowls, whether it’s Cooper Kupp, [tight end] Tyler Higbee, [offensive tackle] Rob Havenstein, they’ve been in not just one but two, and in both of those they had different partners around them. Now it’s going to be up to those guys, up to our staff, up to all of us to help the youth get closer to being ‘unyouthful’. There’s going to be spilled milk because of it, and it’s really going to be how you respond. If there’s spilled milk in Week 3, it doesn’t mean that some of the lessons learned in Week 3 can’t help you in Weeks 14, 15, 16, 17 when you’ve got to win three of four to punch a [playoff] ticket.”

That will be the burden on McVay and his seasoned staff. But after a season of tough reflection following a 5-12 finish in 2022 and a renewed appreciation of how the highs shouldn’t be taken for granted, there’s a smoldering fire beneath the surface of the coaching staff. One that is well aware that an offseason ago, the notion of the New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks being playoff contenders was scoffed at. But key veterans, young breakouts and coaching pulled both franchises into the postseason.

This Rams team will take that lesson in hand. Especially in the face of doubt and some hard lessons learned in 2022.

“I do think that we’re in position to attack an opportunity with some frickin’ balls about us,” McVay said. “Some stones where it’s like, ‘I’m not naïve to the narrative externally, but all I need to worry about is being the best coach of this team and not being afraid to go cut it loose and compete.’ Then pick ourselves back up and continue to do it and see what happens.

“For me, it’s just getting back grounded, re-establishing a purpose, having the principles and values in your everyday approach in the way that you handle the ebbs and flows that are inevitable. But what I’m most interested in is modeling the way — not just saying any of this s***. I see better than I hear. I say that to the guys, but the same goes for me.”

Been having a discussion with a friend of mine about this,and just curious what ya'll's thoughts are on it. As the the thread title says: Who is your most disappointing Ram player of all time? Can of course be either a guy we signed in free agency, a guy we drafted, or one got via a trade. As the title says, feel free to post more than one player haha.

I will start:

Drew Bennett:After his breakout season with the Titans, I really thought we were getting a steal with him signing for us. Boy, was I wrong. Even before his knee injury, he was simply mediocre and not even close to being worth the money we were paying him, smh.

Robert Thomas: When we drafted him, I thought he would be our man in the middle for several years; loved his intangibles and all that. Alas, never really was that good for us, a huge bust.

(Dis)honorable Mentions:

Brian Leonard
Tye Hill
Jimmy Kennedy

As excited as I am for the 2023 season to roll around and see how we come out and perform and see how our players develop, to be honest with yourself 2024 was always the year to reload, recoup, and get right personnel and financial wise once again.

To give life to one of my favorite thread sections in the RoD forum let's take a look towards our prospects for 2024. Obviously a lot can change between now and next draft but this is one of my favorite and crucial parts of the organization under Les. Projection and scouting etc.


Upon looking at various sites we are projected to draft anywhere from 3-11 so far from what I've seen.

These are the two positions that seem to be deep in the upcoming draft right now:

T
G
RB
QB
ED

Decent to good mid level depth:

CB
WR
LB
TE

Arguably all positions of need and at marquee positions next year. I feel this has been our direction since January with even no minor trades.


I have a feeling depending where we are as proven by last draft will will try and package picks and move up for a top prospect at QB.

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Rams agree to terms with RB Royce Freeman​

Jul 30, 2023 at 12:30 PM

Stu Jackson
Senior Staff Writer
IRVINE, Calif. – Following Sony Michel's retirement, the Rams have made a new addition to their running back room during training camp, agreeing to terms with running back Royce Freeman on Sunday.
Freeman, 27, spent last season with the Texans. He initially joined Houston midway through the 2021 season after it claimed him off waivers from the Carolina Panthers.
The former Oregon standout originally entered the league as a third-round draft pick by the Denver Broncos (71st overall) in 2018. He has 394 carries for 1,473 yards and eight touchdowns in 65 career games (nine starts) across five seasons.

The two-time Super Bowl champion told head coach Sean McVay on Saturday morning that he has decided to retire, ending both his second stint with the Rams and his stay in the NFL.

Michel, 28, steps away from football with 3,342 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns, plus another 56 catches for 439 yards and two scores.

Originally a first-round pick of the Patriots, Michel played in two Super Bowls across three years for New England, compiling 900-plus rushing yards in each of his first two campaigns.

I for one am going to miss "ol Sony....guess there just comes a time...

~ArkyRamsFan~

I like a You Tube channel that focuses on music from the 70's-00' and the hit song "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now," by Starship was the subject. It was made for the movie "Mannequin" Starring Kim Cattrall and Andrew McCarthy. The host pointed out that he listened to that song quietly, hoping his little brother wouldn't catch on that he was listening to a pop song instead of rock and roll. I was distracted by the movie because it was a guilty pleasure back then for me because of a young Kim Cattrall. There were several guilty pleasure movies in the 80's which I list below. List yours!

In no particular order:
1. Mannequin
2. Can't Buy Me Love
3. The Secret of My Success
4. Sixteen Candles
5. Soul Man


If you liked these movies or any others like them in the 80's, please turn in your man card at the desk.....

These perceptions are arrived at after reading every scrap of info I could find on the internet.

And here are my 3 categories:

Comfortable
Somewhat concerned, need more info but I’m watching closely
Somewhat alarmed, Snead may have to bring in a tier 2 vet to bolster

Here goes…

QB. Comfortable.

RB. Comfortable

OL. Comfortable. Love coach Wendy.

TE. Somewhat concerned. Was hoping for more at this point.

WR. Comfortable. This will sort itself out and Rams will be 6 deep, at least.

DL. Somewhat concerned. Only because we have no snaps in pads, too much unknown.

Edge. Somewhat alarmed. Haven’t heard any rave reviews so far from our biggest need position. I certainly expected more at this point.

ILB. Comfortable. Rams will sort out #2 behind Jones from among candidates already on roster.

CB. Somewhat concerned. Only because of insufficient evidence so far. Lots of candidates, though. I think our 5 guys are already on the roster.

S. Comfortable. Our 5 man safety corps is already on the roster.

P. Comfortable (almost cocky)

PK. Comfortable

LS. Comfortable. I like coach Blackburn as much or better than even coach Bones.

Overall coaching assessment. Very comfortable. McVay is ‘back’ and he scored several HR hires this offseason.

Bottom line? I don’t understand all the gloom and doom. This looks like an 8-9 win to me. Maybe better.

Thoughts?

So far he's been pretty much flying under the radar. But Camryn reported what I saw in Young's measurables before the draft. I was absolutely elated when they grabbed him as I honestly didn't think he would fall that far. Camryn mentioned how Byron's measurables are comparable to K. Mack and they are. But even more when you look at his work ethic and how coachable he is, I don't see how he won't be a very good perhaps elite edge for years to come. People tended to discount Floyd when he signed, but I could tell from his film he was going to be a damn good edge in the right system and on the right team. Yes this year he should benefit from the "Donald" effect. But he still needs to be good for that to be true. After AD retires probably after next year, Young will still be a true weapon coming off the edge for the Rams. He's got the talent to become a complete edge who can set a hard edge and drop into coverage when asked

As much as I like Hoecht and I've liked him since he was a rookie, he's going to really have to flash to hold off Hampton who is also a legit talent playing edge. I think Hampton has the talent to be a complete edge as well. He doesn't have the elite speed that Young has but hes got good speed for the position (4.58).

With the kind of speed these two guys can bring they would give the Rams bookend edges. Now add in Donald and Murchison the Rams will have a good 4 man pass rush allowing the Rams to play coverage on the back end.

I’m only going 3 days & it’s the first week. Plus this thread will come with stories.

First story is I should have been there more dates? This camp seems to be shortened because of scrimmages.
—That goes back to when Eric Weedle was at Baltimore & The Rams went there for a week.

Question- anybody remember that ? In reality planning for travel to other team’s facility isn’t a bad thing to look into.
(9ers chargers sold out last year)
like when BUBBARAM drive 3hrs one way to OXNARD!! LMFAO!!

Sean McVay sees Tutu Atwell emerging at top option behind Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson​

The Rams have two clear options at receiver: Cooper Kupp and Van Jefferson. So who is likely to be the third option behind them?

“I think it’s really early,” coach Sean McVay told reporters on Wednesday, “but Tutu Atwell is a guy that’s really done an excellent job. He’s super smart. Obviously, he’s well known for his speed, but he’s really done a great job in this offseason and it showed up today of really establishing himself, playing with aggressive hands, understanding the nuances of how we want to work edges and separate where he fits within the concepts.”

McVay, as he often does, then rattled off a bunch of names of other players on the depth chart: rookie Puka Nacua, Ben Skowronek, DeMarcus Robinson, and Tyler Johnson.

“The beauty of this team in general, for the people that you guys have covered us for the last handful of years, there truly is competition and that’s something for us to really evaluate and be good about finding who are the best 11 guys on offense, defense, special teams, and what are the different rotations that we can come up with as we navigate training camp?” McVay said. “But I was encouraged, I was ready to just answer a couple guys and then I start thinking about practice and a lot of guys really made plays and are worthy of being mentioned and so that’s certainly a good problem for us to have right now.”

The Rams currently have 12 receivers on the roster. Given that McVay specifically named only five receivers beyond the top two should make the remaining five a little nervous about their prospects.

Meanwhile, Atwell — a second-round pick in 2021 — is entering his third season. If he’s ever going to step up, this would be the year to do it.

This is very interesting. Buckle up. Maybe.

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Let’s review…

A few weeks ago, Mike Lombardi said: “before his option bonus was kicking in the Rams attempted with a lot of effort to move Matthew Stafford. Any team could've had him.” Literally nobody confirmed or corroborated this claim. Nonetheless, many in the web/media world repeated it as if it was worthy of credence.

About a week later, Colin Cowherd had a different story, as he stated: “I was told by a source I trust that [the Rams] wanted to re-do [Stafford’s] contract, he wasn’t interested, it limits what they can do and they were frustrated with him.”

The next to chime in was Rams Chief Operating Officer, Kevin Demoff. Regarding the Lombardi/trade rumor, he said this:

“I know there are reports that we tried to trade Matthew. We were not actively trying to trade Matthew... It would be naive to think that people didn’t inquire about what was going to happen with the player who the year before won the Super Bowl. It’s different than whether people inquire, whether there are casual conversations.”

Regarding Stafford’s contract, he said this:

"The part that frustrated me was this notion that we were trying to get away from the $59 million and that was the only way to do it through trade… Matthew’s dollars after 2022 were unguaranteed. We could’ve walked away this year, free and clear, for $0. No future money owed. So there was no need to restructure. If we wanted out of Matthew’s deal, we could’ve walked away. We didn’t have to trade him to relieve the $58.5 million.”

Stafford was then asked if the team had reached out regarding a possible renegotiation or restructuring of his contract, and he said the following: “They did, and I’ll keep all of that stuff, those kinds of conversations in-house. I’ll just leave it at that.”

Finally, back on the trade rumor, Sean McVay indicated that other teams made inquiries, but the team was in “unanimous agreement” that they wished to keep Stafford.

So, did Demoff lie, as many in the Twitter/blog/talking head media world are claiming?

Regarding the trade rumor, I’d say “no.” There is nothing that would indicate that Lombardi is right and that everyone else is lying. No big surprise, given Lombardi’s track record.

Regarding Stafford’s contract, did Demoff lie outright? Not really.

I’d say he was deliberately evasive, as he tried to answer the question in terms of getting out of Stafford’s deal, rather than a restructure. Demoff was not forthcoming on the restructure part. As to whether Cowherd’s source is correct that the Rams are “frustrated” with Stafford… I’d surmise that the answer is that it doesn’t really matter, as long as Stafford throws TD passes.

Of course, there are already headlines that indignantly charge Demoff and the Rams with sins and crimes ranging from contradiction to outright lying. Guess you have to be dramatic to get those clicks these days.

The truth is, and I know some fans don’t like to hear this… its really none of our business. We, as fans (and those who supply us with information) are not entitled to know everything that goes on behind closed doors. Indeed, it would be detrimental to any team to have its internal dialogues and communications with other teams divulged for public consideration and commentary.

So the Rams want to downplay their efforts to get some cap relief from Stafford, and Stafford acknowledged that it happened. Not all that shocking, is it?

That should be the least our worries this year.

Signed off the waiver wire from Chicago. He's an interesting prospect. Looks like a hybrid SS/ILB.

This is the kind of player Morris likes. If he impresses he could see snaps as a WIL in the same manner as Wagner. He would be viewed as a coverage LB in the short zone. He's got good length at 6'4" and good 4.6 speed. He's a decent matchup with TEs or taller Y receivers. If he makes the roster it would be interesting to see how Morris uses him. IMO it's going to be as a coverage LB.

I'm hoping that Pleasant and Lake will close up that wide open short zone, and guys like Weatherford could do it. The inherent weakness of a two deep zone, i.e. Tampa Two scheme is the quick pass into the short zone with the idea of picking up a quick 4-6 yds per pass and moving the chains. We saw that as being the basic flaw in Morris' secondary. The counter to that is to play with 2 taller LBs with the speed and coverage skills to take that away. It's why I've been hoping for Morris to use Hampton on the strong side as the SAM LB and up to now Mathis on the weakside as the WIL. The problem with Mathis is he lacks the speed to match up with the Y WR if that receiver decides he can simply outrun the LB. So playing a hybrid SS at WIL would seem to be the answer. Hampton to match up with the TE and set the edge on the strong side and someone like Weatherford to prevent the Y receiver from a quick 3 yards and turning around or taking the WIL deeper into the intermediate zone across the middle. Having a long fast SS hybrid at WIL would close that option for the QB.

The Patriots won Super Bowls with rosters filled with role players. The key was to know how to use them properly. IMO that is why Pleasant and Lake are coaching the DBs. The signing of Weatherford off of the Bears' waiver sounds like a Pleasant hire. After his time in Detroit and Green Bay, he would be familiar with their defensive roster. Interestingly, Chicago is switching to a 4-3 one gap scheme up front with a two deep shell secondary.

If that is how they intend to play their front 7 I could understand what and why they are doing it.

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'This is a beautiful challenge': The Rams are all-in on their youth movement in 2023​

Brian Paget
Staff writer
Thu, Jul 27, 2023, 1:57 PM GMT+10·3 min read


IRVINE, Calif. — After an offseason of retirement speculation, Sean McVay showed no shortage of energy at the Los Angeles Rams’ first practice of training camp Wednesday.

From the start, the Rams head coach was active and animated, bouncing around from drill to drill and injecting extra intensity anywhere he could.

But in 2023, it’s not the chase of a Lombardi Trophy that is fueling McVay. Rather, it is the youthful energy, the fresh faces and the newfound competition, all of which was on full display Wednesday.

“That’s why you get into this [job]. It’s to try to help these guys,” McVay said of the opportunity to coach so many young players this year. “This is a beautiful challenge for us.”​

Beautiful for now at least.

For the team that championed the “F*** them picks” mantra, albeit successfully, the Rams have certainly changed their tune. Los Angeles followed up its Super Bowl victory with a dismal 5-12 season in 2022-23, sparking an offseason “remodel” that has left the Rams' roster gutted.

Moving on from key contributors such as Jalen Ramsey, Bobby Wagner, Leonard Floyd, Allen Robinson and Taylor Rapp, the new-look Rams consist of Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Aaron Donald and not much else when it comes to penciled-in starters.

With 14 draft picks and 26 undrafted free agents primed to battle for the many vacated roles, there will certainly be growing pains in 2023, but thus far, Los Angeles looks to be embracing this youth movement and all that comes with it.

“The beauty of this team, in general, is there truly is competition.” McVay said. “That’s something for us to really evaluate and be good about finding who are the best 11 guys on offense, defense, special teams.”

The competition, which has largely been absent in recent years as a result of the Rams’ previously star-studded, veteran-heavy roster has been a welcome addition.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford noted that it will “serve us well in the end,” and McVay added that it “brings out the best in guys.” The head coach even noted that this year's roster changes allowed for a more productive summer.


“What was great about [having so many young players] is we got an opportunity in the offseason to get a lot more work than what we normally would have or what we have since 2018,” McVay said.

As the familiarity and comfort grows, so does the already contagious energy that has seen a notable uptick from recent training camps.

“It’s fun. It’s wild. These young guys bring a bunch of juice,” Stafford said. “It’s fun to be around.”

Now, with guys settling in, the key for McVay and the Rams veterans will be to reestablish the culture that defined their recent run of contending teams. But they'll focus on doing so with an eye toward the future.

“You’re not gonna replace a Jalen Ramsey and the special player that he was for us. Nobody’s gonna be like Bobby Wagner,” McVay said. “But I want [the young players] to be the best versions of themselves, and if they do that, I am confident that good things can happen.”

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