Cameron DaSilva

2 hours ago


For two years, Sean McVay was one of the toughest coaches to figure out. His offense was dynamic and difficult to stop, helping elevate the play of everyone from Todd Gurley to Robert Woods to Jared Goff.
The basis of his offense is utilizing 11 personnel, pre-snap motion and play-action passes to deceive the defense. After all, common says having the same 11 players on the field for nearly every play makes it difficult to predict whether it’s a pass or run coming.

For two years, his scheme worked to perfection. This season has not been so kind to McVay with many suggesting he’s been exposed by opposing defenses. To an extent, that assessment isn’t necessarily wrong. But at the same time, the offensive line is decimated and Goff has regressed as a result.
But if there’s one thing McVay can control, it’s tendencies and tells. One in particular sticks out like a sore thumb when you watch the Rams play – and it’s probably something you’ve noticed yourself.
The Rams never run the ball out of shotgun formations.
According to Inside Edge, running backs have only gotten 12 carries out of the gun this year, picking up 45 yards on such plays. Both numbers are the lowest in the NFL by a wide margin. When the Rams go into shotgun formations, they throw the ball 96% of the time, according to Sharp Football Stats. Of course, that’s the widest differential in the league, with the next-closest team being the Buccaneers (91% pass).
When under center, the Rams are more balanced. They throw the ball 35% of the time (8th-highest) and run it 65% (25th). That’s why they’re able to run play-action fakes when the running back is lined up behind Goff, because there’s actually a threat to run the ball.

Sharp Football Stats
Out of the gun, the Rams don’t even bother trying with ball fakes. You almost never see Goff fake the handoff to Gurley when the two are lined up side by side. That’s because Gurley has only carried it eight times out of the shotgun for a measly 17 yards. Where’s the threat defenses have to account for?
Against the Steelers on Sunday afternoon, this tendency was on full display in the fourth quarter. On their last two drives, the Rams were in shotgun on every single play. Even with all three timeouts and nearly three minutes on the clock during their first drive, there was never a threat to run the ball by Los Angeles. No fake handoffs, no under-center plays, no play action. This tendency is so glaringly obvious that the Steelers almost certainly picked up on it coming into the game and knew that when the Rams were in shotgun, there was almost no chance they were going to run the ball.
As a result, they pinned their ears back and rushed Goff every time he was in the gun. This might seem obvious late in the game, and it is. Down five points, most teams are going to be airing the ball out. The Rams didn’t have to with three timeouts, but that’s the strategy they opted for.
This is the play just before the two-minute warning – a situation where running the ball is absolutely an option. Look how quickly the Steelers’ edge rushers get up the field, knowing there’s no chance the Rams are going to hand it off.

Clearly, gaining 3.8 yards per carry on rush attempts out of the gun doesn’t inspire much confidence. However, the fact that they’re not even trying to run it out of that formation is allowing defenses to know what’s coming. This wasn’t as big of a deal last season when teams were still trying to figure out McVay’s offense, but the Rams rarely ran it out of shotgun then, either.
They threw it 96% of the time out of the gun and ran it just 4% of the time. In 2017, the gap was closer: 87% run, 13% pass. With a full year of tape from last season to watch, and that tendency standing out so clearly, defenses have likely figured out what’s coming when Goff is in the gun – and McVay has yet to adjust.
It doesn’t help that the Rams have been in the shotgun more often this year than they were last year. In 2018, they used shotgun 38% of the time compared to 46% of the time this season. The more they use shotgun formations, the more predictable the offense gets.
Goff came from an Air Raid offense in college and lived in the shotgun at Cal. McVay has catered the offense to his skill set the last three years, giving him far more pass attempts out of the gun than under center since 2017. It also fits with what Gurley does best, running it from traditional singleback formations.
As bad as Gurley has been out of the gun in his career, the Rams do have a guy with a skill set that can have some success in those situations: Darrell Henderson. With Gurley seeing his workload limited, the Rams should take advantage of Henderson and hand him the ball out of the gun. At least that will keep the defense on its toes, rather than allowing edge rushers to pin their ears back and get after the QB.
Or what about a run-pass option (RPO)? The Eagles used that heavily on their march to the Super Bowl a few years ago. It’s an easy way to limit the effectiveness of a team’s pass rush, causing the defensive linemen to freeze for a second to read the play. Running RPOs with Goff and Henderson could be a nice wrinkle to the offense.
No matter what the solution is, McVay has to at least bring some unpredictability into the equation when the Rams line up in the gun. With no threat to run the ball, defenses are hardly ever fooled and pass rushers are teeing off on Goff. With a makeshift offensive line, that’s a disastrous combination.

Moves are being made.


By Sosa Kremenjas@QBsMVP Nov 14, 2019, 10:43am CST



Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

After calling up CB Donte Deayon to the 53-man active roster, the Los Angeles Rams have filled his practice squad spot by signing CB Adonis Alexander:

Alexander is a former 6th-round draft pick by the Washington Redskins in 2018’s Supplemental NFL Draft. The hulking CB stands at 6’3” and 205 lbs, coming out of Virginia Tech.
Alexander was waived by the Redskins just prior to the season, landing on Washington’s practice squad. Alexander lasted on the practice squad until October 1st, now joining the Rams’ practice squad.
The Rams had two practice squad spots vacated yesterday after signing Deayon and OL Chandler Brewer to the active roster, though they filled one of the spots immediately by signing OL Nate Trewyn. The 10th spot on the practice squad is now occupied by Alexander, who’ll logically replace Deayon.
Alexander is only 23-years-old, has played in nine NFL games, and only has four tackles in his short career.

Cameron DaSilva

30 minutes ago

(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
The Rams will get a shot at redemption on Sunday night against the Chicago Bears, trying to avenge their ugly loss at Soldier Field last season. This game comes with far fewer playoff implications as both teams are falling out of the postseason race, but the winner will keep their slim hopes alive.

The Rams have been the better team this season and have more talent on paper, but they’re banged up and Chicago is coming off a much-needed win over Detroit.
With injuries and lineup changes impacting the game, here are four key matchups to watch on Sunday night.


Jalen Ramsey vs. Allen Robinson

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Robinson is far and away the Bears’ biggest threat at wide receiver, and it’s not close. He’s been targeted 80 times, which is 25 more than the next-closest player (Tarik Cohen) and 49 more than the next wide receiver, Taylor Gabriel. The Bears try to get him the ball often, and while they’ve had some success doing so, it does make them one-dimensional when throwing the ball.
Ramsey has the ability to take him away and force Mitchell Trubisky to use his other receivers more often. Robinson leads the team with 618 yards receiving, with the second player in that category (Gabriel) posting 277 yards in seven games. The Rams have to limit Robinson’s production because he has the potential to go off.


Bobby Evans vs. Khalil Mack

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

This matchup could very well decide whether the Rams win or lose. If Evans gets run over by Mack throughout the game, Jared Goff and the passing attack won’t be able to move the ball. If Evans holds up well and manages to limit Mack’s impact, Goff will have far more success. Goff is a different quarterback when under pressure and few players are better at rushing the passer than Mack.

Evans has only played three NFL snaps in his career and looked out of place during the preseason. This is the definition of trial by fire because there isn’t a tougher matchup in football in your first start than Mack.


Aaron Donald vs. James Daniels

Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports

Daniels is expected to stay at left guard after moving from center, and he’ll face the best interior rusher in football plenty on Sunday night. Daniels has given up just one sack this season and has a PFF grade of 63.2, though he has a tendency to commit penalties. He’s been flagged four times, ninth-most at his position.

Donald forces more holding penalties than possibly anyone in the NFL, so expect to see at least a flag or two fly when he’s rushing against Daniels. Donald rushing against even the best offensive guards is a matchup that favors the Rams, and he’ll win often on Sunday night. But what might be even more important is commanding double teams and freeing up the Rams’ other pass rushers.


Cooper Kupp vs. Buster Skrine

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Kupp was shut out by the Steelers on Sunday, catching zero passes in a game he finished for the first time in his career. You can bet the Rams will try to feed Kupp early and get him involved against Skrine in coverage. Skrine is having a decent season, allowing 25 catches on 45 targets (55.6%) with one touchdown and a passer rating of just 72.5.

Skrine has been better than Kyle Fuller, who has allowed a league-high 55 completions in coverage, as well as 584 yards with three touchdowns. Kupp is a key player on offense for the Rams and getting him the ball typically leads to success. He has to be better this week than he was against Pittsburgh when he was being doubled often and dropped one pass, too.

Chandler Brewer is now on the Rams 53 man roster. Coming out of a small school like Middle Tennessee State and over coming his fight against Cancer. I will really be pulling for this kid and his story gives us all something to feel good about. Sometimes things happens in our lives that causes you to step back and put things in perspective.

TNF: Steelers at Browns

FC North rivals will kick off Week 11 of the NFLseason when the Pittsburgh Steelers face the Cleveland Browns for "Thursday Night Football." This will be the first of two meetings between the teams over the next three weeks, as the Browns will pay a visit to the Steel City in Week 13.

Cleveland (3-6) snapped a four-game losing streak this past Sunday with a 19-16 win over Buffalo, who entered the contest 6-2. Pittsburgh (5-4) ran their winning streak to four in a row with a hard-fought, 17-12 victory at home over the Los Angeles Rams. Since losing their first three games the Steelers are 5-1 and currently hold the second wild-card spot in the AFC. Both teams are trailing Baltimore (7-2) in the AFC North standings.

Pittsburgh hasn't lost to Cleveland since the 2014 season, a stretch of eight games. The teams tied (21-21) in Cleveland to open last season and then the Steelers won seven weeks later, 33-18, in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh at Cleveland

Kickoff: Thursday, Nov. 14 at 8:20 p.m. ET
TV: FOX/NFL Network
Spread: Cleveland -2.5

Three Things to Watch

1. Minkah Fitzpatrick's turnover streak

Pittsburgh was looking for a player prior to the trade deadline who could help solidify its secondary – and defense in general. Well, it looks like they found him.

Since the trade was made with Miami for the 2018 first-round pick, the Steelers are 5-2 and the Alabama product is a major reason. In seven games, he's hauled in five interceptions, forced two fumbles, recovered one, and scored two defensive touchdowns.

Baker Mayfield has been susceptible to turnovers this season (12 interceptions, one fumble), so it will be interesting to see if Fitzpatrick can make another game-changing play on Thursday night.

2. Will James Conner play — and be effective?

Since being selected in the third round of the 2017 draft, Conner has been an intriguing player to monitor. While his rookie season included sitting behind Le'Veon Bell, his second year in the league was a breakout.

In 2018, the 24-year-old capitalized on Bell's season-long holdout, totaling 1,470 yards (973 rushing, 497 receiving) and 13 touchdowns while averaging 4.5 yards per carry.

So far, Conner's 2019 season has not been as effective. First off, he's missed the last two games due to an injury to his AC joint. The second issue is that he's only averaged 3.9 yards per carry. With that said, the last outing for the Pitt product was his best, as he racked up 145 yards and a touchdown on the ground against the Miami Dolphins back in Week 8.

Conner was able to practice in full on Tuesday, so it's a good indication he will be able to on Thursday. If he does play, it will be interesting to see how many carries he gets and how effective he will be against a Browns defense that is ranked 27th in the NFL against the run (134.9 ypg). Conner figures to at least share the workload with Jaylen Samuels, who is averaging just 2.2 yards per carry and has been more effective as a receiver (29 rec., 5.8 ypr).

3. Baker Mayfield vs. Mason Rudolph

Mayfield was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft. Rudolph wasn't selected until the third round (No. 76 overall) of that same draft. One would not think it by watching how both quarterbacks have performed to this point, however.

While Mayfield has been prone to turnovers and an overall lack of big plays (has a 9:12 touchdown-to-interception ratio), Rudolph has been fairly effective running the Steelers' offense following the season-ending elbow injury suffered by Ben Roethlisberger.

In seven games (six starts), the 6-foot-5, 235-pound gunslinger out of Oklahoma State has completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 1,330 yards, 11 touchdowns and only four interceptions.

Granted, Rudolph's play has been up and down and what he has been asked to do has been limited. But it will be interesting to see how he continues to progress and how he stacks up against the former top pick in his draft when the two go head-to-head.

Final Analysis

This is a really tough game to predict. The Browns are currently 2.5-point home favorites, which in some ways makes sense. But the Pittsburgh defense is playing fantastic football right now and is certainly capable of being the difference in this game.

With that said, Cleveland's offense seems to be on the brink of finally "clicking," which hopefully leads to a nice midseason run of victories as the Browns try to make a second-half push for a playoff berth. Getting a home win against a division rival would go a long way towards making that happen.

Prediction: Browns 21, Steelers 20

And given some of the other games that I have seen this year, I am wondering...Can Mr Goff throw a halfway decent throw to Gurley in stride? I know some of you have blasted Gurley for his dropped passes, but I didn’t see ONE good pass to Gurley..who is usually 4 yards away..behind him...in the dirt...over his head....cmon man...it’s a 4 yard pass and you’re a pro. Let’s go!!!

i thought it was a fun and funny interview, he's one of my favorite players. Also this place could use some lightening up.

10 things with Cory Littleton

This week, linebacker Cory Littleton spoke to Sarina about why he owns so many socks, how fast he can binge watch a television series, and why his season has been so successful.

www.therams.com

10 things with Cory Littleton
Sarina Morales
TEAM REPORTER


Each week during the season, we interview a different Rams player to find out about their lives on the field as well as off of it. Team Reporter, Sarina Morales, asks the questions fans want to know, in a fun and conversational interview. This week, linebacker Cory Littleton spoke to Sarina about why he owns so many socks, how fast he can binge watch a television series and why his season has been so successful.
1. Cory’s Socks
Sarina: How many socks do you have now?

Cory: I don't know. Probably just under a hundred.

Sarina: Because…

Cory: Oh, I just like socks. I guess that's just my individuality right there.

2. TV Habits
Sarina: You watch a lot of TV. Why?

Cory: Because it's better than a book. It's quicker, easier and always entertaining.

Sarina: Favorite TV show of all time?

Cory: I've watched everything. You can go from a spectrum of Game of Thrones, all the way to Pretty Little Liars. I even watched Gossip Girl last year. My girlfriend was watching it and unfortunately, I'm a type of person that if I started something I got to finish it.

Sarina: How long have you watched a show for, binged through?

Cory: Law and Order was the toughest one. I didn't finish SVU. I watched probably 10 seasons in about three weeks. I got sick. I couldn't do it anymore.

Sarina: Was that off-season?

Cory: Yeah, off-season, training camp, all of it. Whenever I got a break. I just watched it.

3. Movies
Sarina: So you're a binge guy.

Cory: Definitely… Movies are the same as TV. I can watch a cartoon. I can watch a good drama. God, one of the ones I'd never watch again, My Sister's Keeper. That one hurt. I be sobbing.

Sarina: Do you usually cry in movies?

Cory: The first time, I was probably five. I think it was Selena.

Sarina: So you'll watch anything and everything. I like that.

Cory: Not horror movies. I don't like scary movies. I don't like being scared. I don't like Friday the 13th, it's the worst day to watch TV.

Sarina: You don't like Friday, the 13th?

Cory: Hell no. It ruins my day of TV because all the scary [stuff is] on. And then I wake up late at night and then you got freaking Jason or somebody murdering somebody. Oh, and I sleep with the TV on.

Sarina: What show puts you to sleep?

Cory: I'll turn on the news. (laughs) It works, though.

Sarina: Is it because of the noise, you want to sleep with noise on?

Cory: That is my nightlight.

4. His success this season
Sarina: What was it like being a defensive signal caller last year?

Cory: It was a great honor. But now that Eric [Weddle] is here, I'm more than happy to fall back and just let him take over. Let him take charge and lead.

Sarina: Does it clear your head at all?

Cory: Oh yeah. I [don’t have] to worry about [anybody] else. Not as much.

Sarina: Why has this year been so successful for you?

Cory: I'm competitive. I'm hungry. Long as you let me play. That's all it matters.

5. Put the pads on
Sarina: What happens when you put your pads on?

Cory: I mean I put on my pads, I load up with some candy in my pocket and I go out to practice.

Sarina: You bring your candy with you to practice?

Cory: In my pocket. Suckers and all. You want a sucker? (hands me a lollipop) I just go out there and just play. Same thing since I was like eight or nine, when I started playing football.

Sarina: You're having fun it seems. Who makes it fun for you?

Cory: I'm just competitive and if I get to win, then I get to make fun of people and it just makes it fun. I mean it's boring if you don't get under somebody's skin a little bit.

Will Navarro/Rams
6. Basketball
Sarina: You're really good at football, what do you wish you were better at?

Cory: Basketball. I'll be in the weight room every day like, "Damn, I was meant to be hooping. My body ain't meant for this, lifting all these heavy weights."

Sarina: Really? What position would you play? You played?

Cory: Before, I was the tallest player in my high school team.

Sarina: You were a five, center.

Cory: A four. I should've been a guard somewhere. At least three or two. But, it's cool.

Sarina: Do you watch a lot of NBA? When you're not watching movies.

Cory: Yeah. Sometimes. Christmas day, you know, that's the best day. That's the day for basketball. God, I wish I was in that Staples Center for that day.

Sarina: Are you going to go to Clippers/Lakers [game]?

Cory: I wish. I got kids. So you know, it's their Christmas.

7. LeBron James
Sarina: Who's the player in the NBA?

Cory: LeBron, easy.

Sarina: Because he's an all-round player. Why?

Cory: Well, no, I think I was just young when he started and then just rolled with it.

Sarina: And LeBron was just your guy, even when he switched over?

Cory: That's my era. He is.

Sarina: So when he left Cleveland and he went…

Cory: When he took his talents down to South Beach, yeah.

Sarina: You're like, "That's cool. I'll go to South Beach with you, man."

Cory: I'm right with you bro. And it's a Lakers show now. So that's even better.

8. Competition
Sarina: What draws you to the game so much? Why do this versus anything else, other than the fact that you're very good at it?

Cory: There it is. I'm good at it. I'm competitive. So put me in it wherever I am. Doesn't really matter.

Sarina: Where did the competitive come from?

Cory: I don't like to lose.

Sarina: When did you lose? There must have been a loss that was…

Cory: Oh yeah, I've had a couple. But it could be the simplest thing as, if you want to go tic-tac-toe, I'm about to whip your ass. I'm not taking a day off for nobody. I was just back down in San Diego, and then for the holidays we were supposed to be doing this foundation thing. Basically selling shirts and then all the proceeds goes to this transitional home. So we were there, [and] you know how they have a whole bunch of little kids who went to the basketball court. You know, one-on-one?

Sarina: You didn't. You're that guy.

Cory: Bro, I'm about that.

Sarina: Block [kid’s] shots.

Cory: Yes. I let him get a couple of buckets. But you're not going to win.

Sarina: Wow. So even your kids now, you're like, "No, you ain't winning."

Cory: No.

Sarina: You get picked on as a kid?

Cory: No one's ever going to let you win in life. So you have to take it.

9. Holiday food
Sarina: The holidays are coming up, so give me your favorite meal.

Cory: I'm a big stuffing guy. But I don't want to talk to you about stuffing because you can get real disrespectful with this kind of conversation. But, that in a ham. No glaze. I don't like that sweet stuff. Keep it all nice and simple, I'm good… not a big turkey guy.

Sarina: No turkey. So ham, pineapple on the ham?

Cory: Don't put that sweet stuff on there.

Sarina: But you like sweets.

Cory: So the thing is, food that ain't meant to be sweet. Yeah. There's this place up in Washington, EJ Burger, and everyone loved it because they had some special secret sauce. It was like, not maple syrup, but it was sweet as hell like that. And no, ew, it's disgusting.

10. From D-Line to Linebacker
Sarina: Were you guys homies? [You and] Greg Gaines. You were older than him.

Cory: Yeah, but I played D line so me and Greg were in the same room.

Sarina: Were you guys homies?

Cory: Yeah, we hung out in the same place at Lake City.

Sarina: So when you switched over from D line, here. Was that…

Cory: I was struggling. I struggled. I didn't know what the hell I was doing, I was figuring it out.

Sarina: And you figured it out.

Cory: I'm good. Now I know what I'm doing.

Sarina: Who helped you figure it out?

Cory: Joe [Barry], definitely. He coached every little thing. Every aspect of football. He's still coaching now like when he first got with me. So you can't help but learn it. Gives you every little detail.

Sarina: So you went from D line, come here and in two years you're defensive signal caller, and the rest is history. Pro Bowler? You figured it out very quick. That's insane. Could you go back and play D line?

Cory: Hell, yeah. I can play anything. I'll be telling everybody "I'm supposed to be a safety, but it is what it is. I play linebacker.”

Sarina: Big freaking safety.

Cory: I could fit it, though. Let me drop what? Five pounds.

I’ve calmed down now and have adopted a fatalistic viewpoint, I think.

I’m on record as saying that the Steeler game was a Rams crossroads and it would tell us a lot about this Ram team. Well, I think it did and it ain’t pretty.

Here are my stream of consciousness thoughts.

Playoffs now look like a pipe dream with this patched up OL that was already playing terribly when healthy. It is almost unforgivable that this FO and these coaches made such a miscalculation that put this team in this position.

We can still possibly find some pleasure in a spoilers role since we have many remaining games with playoff contenders.

Fix the OL next year and this is once again a SB worthy team. IOW, our current roster situation is infinitely better than after ‘16, so there is good reason for hope.

Our OL youngsters are gonna get abused in these next 7 games. Won’t be pretty to watch, but they should benefit for ‘20 after being thrown into this fire in ‘19.

Better start planning for life after Gurley.

Probably life after Cooks, too. Both will be drags on the cap, but it is what it is.

In a fantasy world the Rams could keep both Fowler and Littleton, but this isn’t fantasy. Both could be gone next year due to the cap. Better get used to that idea.

Troy Hill is gonna get the vast majority of the targets if Ramsey is on the field. Can he handle it? We’ll see. I wouldn’t mind seeing Long getting some snaps. I mean, why should the OL be the only ones getting the trial by fire experience? A good outside CB opposite Ramsey is necessary to fully benefit from his presence.

Similarly, wouldn’t it be nice to find a beastly DL player next to AD? Can you imagine AD with fewer double and triple teams? I know that such players don’t grow on trees, but if Snead could somehow steal one? Wow!

ST are still ranked pretty high, but I don’t think that they’re anywhere near what they’ve been in past years. In fact, I’m starting to have second thoughts about extending GZ.

Our D has been very good in ppg allowed since the Ramsey addition. Our W/L problems have NOT been the fault of the D.

Isn’t it ironic that the top O of the last 2 years now struggles to run, to pass, or to score more than 15 points? Mind blowing, isn’t it? Can’t remember offhand seeing an O have the wheels fall off before so quickly and so utterly . The ‘18 Ram O would gave toyed with that Steeler D.

By nature I am an optimist, but I see no way out to fix our OL problems this year. I’ve accepted that and fully expect our FO and coaches to address it successfully this offseason.

This just wasn’t our year, but I expect to see us roaring back in ‘20 and be right back in the thick of the playoff race.

From the PS and sign a Center to it. Should still be one more PS spot.

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The NFL is slating the Houston Texans at Tampa Bay Buccaneers for 1 p.m. ET, the Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots for 4:30 p.m. ET and the Los Angeles Rams at 49ers for 8:15 p.m. ET. All three games will be broadcast on NFL Network.

I am writing a death scene for a young mother in 1896-97, with three sons: Walter age 10, Harry age 7, and Eugene age 3.
These are her last words to them.
She believes in God but isn't that churchy about it. This is a moment for me to add depth to the story and make readers feel something. She is a 26 year old mother when she passes, and lost a fourth son Earl only 8 months before (He was 4 months, and died in horrible pain due to intestinal trouble). Some things I am thinking about. In her weakness, she draws Harry close and sings Happy Birthday to him a little early because she doesn't think she'll live to see it. The older son Walter's life goes off the rails after his mother dies. He went from being mentioned in newspapers as having a perfect attendence record in school, to cussing out people on the streets of a neighboring town, and he was playing the life of a young hobo (7 months) and ended up in reform school for almost three years. He was a heavy smoker and died at age 21.

I need some good ideas. Thanks.

Rams are in serious trouble and ditching Jared Goff may be the only way out

BY Steven Ruiz November 12, 2019 2:12 pm

It was all good a year ago.

The Rams were rolling. Their young head coach was being hailed as a genius and rightfully so. Their 24-year-old franchise quarterback was squarely in the MVP discussion and months away from signing an extension that would keep him in Los Angeles for years to come. The do-it-all running back, Todd Gurley, was on pace to break the league’s touchdown record and had just signed a massive deal in the offseason. The offensive line was being discussed as one of the best of all-time. The defense hadn’t quite gelled but it was loaded with star power at every level.

After a thrilling 54-51 win over the Chiefs on Monday Night Football, the Rams were sitting on top of the NFL world. Fast-forward to November 2019, and things have taken a turn. A dark turn.

Sean McVay’s offense has been figured out. Jared Goff hasn’t played well for a calendar year and his newly-signed contract already looks like one of the worst in the NFL. Todd Gurley’s knee will never be the same again and he’s losing snaps at an alarming rate. The offensive line is among the worst in the league and just lost two more starters to injury. The three big defensive acquisitions of 2018 — Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib and Nadmukong Suh — are gone. The Rams limped out of Week 10 with a 5-4 record, but the odds of this team making a run at a wildcard spot are long.

Things change quickly in the NFL. A roster situation that was the envy of the league 12 months ago now looks bleak. Los Angeles is projected for just $25 million in cap space this offseason, doesn’t have a first-round pick for the next two years and has three key contributors — LB Cory Littleton, LT Andrew Whitworth, and OLB Dante Fowler Jr. — headed for free agency (or, in the case of Whitworth, retirement).
It gets worse. Gurley’s 2020 salary is already guaranteed and his cap number jumps to $17.25 million. Goff is looking more and more like a system QB and all of a sudden finds himself in a system that doesn’t make his job easier. And his unwieldy extension hasn’t even kicked in yet! Even if the Rams wanted to move on from him, they can’t really do so until 2023 unless they can find some mark to offload his contract onto.
This is not a very good football team as currently constructed, but things might get worse before they get better. With very little in the way of roster-building assets, GM Les Snead will have to get creative this offseason if the Rams are going to get back to where they were last November. Snead getting creative isn’t necessarily a good thing…

Rams trades since 2016
Got:
Jared Goff
Sammy Watkins, 15 games
Marcus Peters, 22 g
Aqib Talib, 13 g
Jalen Ramsey
Brandin Cooks
Dante Fowler Jr.
Austin Corbett
Kenny Young
4th
4th
5th
6th
6th
6th
7th
For:
1st
1st
1st
1st
1st
2nd
2nd
2nd
2nd
3rd
3rd
3rd
4th
4th
5th
5th
5th
6th
— Steven Ruiz (@theStevenRuiz) November 12, 2019

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It’s easy to look back at those trades and ridicule the Rams for their short-sightedness, but they were lauded at the time for aggressively building up their roster during Goff’s rookie contract. Why that was viewed as a smart strategy is unclear, as there’s no evidence that the strategy actually works — especially when that rookie quarterback isn’t special.
The Rams got a Super Bowl appearance out of it, but it was the less-costly moves — hiring McVay and Wade Phillips; signing Robert Woods and Andrew Whitworth; drafting Cooper Kupp, etc. — that really fueled the team’s run. Cooks was good for the 2018 Rams but has struggled to stay healthy. Watkins was a disappointment in 2017. The same goes for Peters, Talib and Suh in 2018. Snead compared the 2018 acquisitions to the Warriors adding Kevin Durant to a 73-9 team, but for that metaphor to really work, Goff would have to be Steph Curry and that’s just not the case. A more apt comparison would have been the Warriors adding DeMarcus Cousins.

It turns out these Rams won’t provide a blueprint for teams looking to build around a quarterback on a rookie deal. They are more of a cautionary tale and not the only one you’ll find around the NFL. The Browns took a similar approach this offseason. GM John Dorsey has already burned through all of the assets collected by the previous front office and has a 3-6 record to show for it. The Jets were given credit for spending big this offseason with Sam Darnold on his rookie deal, and, well, we’ve seen how that’s turned out.

Snead will ultimately get the blame for the overly-aggressive approach, but this approach was backed by the entire organization. Rams executive VP of football operations Kevin Demoff said as much to The Ringer’s Kevin Clark before Super Bowl 53:

“I think in the sports world right now, there’s been, whether it’s the tanking phenomenon or the draft-pick phenomenon, everyone wants this really long window, and you can’t be afraid to raise your hand and say, ‘You know what, this happened a little faster than we thought.’”

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Tony Pastoor, the Rams VP of football and business administration, compared it to what the Seahawks did to build up the roster around a young Russell Wilson during the Legion of Boom era.

“The key to building around a quarterback on a rookie contract is having the players to actually build it. Obviously, you look at Seattle, building around Russell [Wilson], they had players—Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Avril, Bennett, Wagner. They hit on those guys and knew what they had,” Pastoors said. “We were fortunate to hit on Jared and have Aaron, a superstar. Todd was a budding superstar. We were able to supplement those guys with guys like Robert Woods, Brandin Cooks, Andrew Whitworth. It all starts in the draft so that you aren’t trying to piece-meal it all together.”

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But there’s an obvious difference between how those two rosters were constructed: Like Wilson, Sherman, Thomas and Wagner were also on cheap rookie deals. Bennett and Avril were undervalued vets who signed modest deals in free agency. The Seahawks did make an aggressive move trading a first for Percy Harvin before the Super Bowl season, but, as we’d later see when Seattle dominated the league with Harvin out injured, that was more of a luxury move.
The Seahawks have made more aggressive moves since then, but they’ve never reached the heights that young, cheap roster did and Wilson being one of the league’s best quarterbacks has helped cover up major holes on the roster. Goff is not providing the same value.
So that’s how the Rams got here. Now how do they get out of this hole?Now that Snead has exhausted all of the team’s assets, it’s going to be hard for him to make any more aggressive moves. Instead, he’ll have to take a more subtle approach to build the roster back up.

He can start by dealing some of the team’s more redundant players. TE Tyler Higbee has lost snaps after signing an extension and trading him away could save the team $6 million. Trading safety John Johnson won’t save the team money, but he’s a good, young player with a team-friendly contract. He could bring back a Day 2 pick and second-round rookie Taylor Rapp has played well in his absence. The team could also restructure reliable vets like Robert Woods and Aaron Donald to save about $15 million total. And extending Ramsey should allow the team to bring his 2020 cap hit down a few million dollars.

Those moves would be a good start, but if the Rams really want to open up avenues to improve the roster, putting Goff on the trade block would be the best way to go about it. His contract will be hard to move, and the Rams would have to eat $20 million in dead money but they’d also save $16 million against the cap in the process. If they can get a first-round pick or multiple Day 2 picks, that would be hard to turn down. That would recoup some of the draft capital they gave back in their naive trade for Jalen Ramsey and give them about $65 million in cap space this offseason.

Getting a first-rounder for Goff (and his contract) may sound like a pipe dream at this point, but don’t forget: John Elway still runs a QB-needy franchise and Goff is tall. But seriously, Goff is a former first-overall pick and only a year removed from a productive season. This is a league that was willing to trade a first-round pick for Sam Bradford … in 2016. Some team will take the bait.(Any team that did trade for Goff would be getting him at $130.5 million over five years, but it would essentially be the same deal that Kirk Cousins got in Minnesota. The first three years, which would cost $84 million, would be fully guaranteed. The last two years would be relatively cheap, especially with the cap to take several big jumps between now and 2023.)

With a number of veteran quarterbacks slated to hit free agency this offseason (could McVay get the most out of Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston?) parting ways with your starter isn’t nearly as risky as it typically is. The front office would have the means to build the offensive line back up AND find a decent starting quarterback. That should be more than enough for McVay to get his offense back up and running.
McVay’s genius has been questioned this season, but the Rams’ offensive problems aren’t really scheme related. The woeful offensive line has prevented him from doing what he had done in the past, and Goff’s limitations have prevented him from adequately adjusting. Fix the line and you’ll fix the offense. Goff would, of course, look like his old self if that happens, but it’ll be difficult (if not impossible) to fix the line with no cap space or draft capital, and if he NEEDS everything to be right in order to play well, the team is better off moving on.
Will all of this allow the Rams to get to where they were at this time a year ago? Probably not, but it sure beats willingly falling off the cliff they’re headed for.

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enjoy. i know i did.

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Not sure if anyone else caught this on the Dan Patrick show this morning but Kurt Warner was on and Dan asked him who he identified more with. Warner pretty quickly and definitely said the Cardinals over the Rams. It seemed obvious whenever he talked about both teams but guess this makes it official.

Will be played in prime time Saturday the 21st at 8:15 . I'm not sure how I feel about that . alm:

Here are the QBs drafted in 2012. This was the year the Rams got a kings ransom for the 2nd overall pick (which they subsequently misspent).



Looks like its possible to do quite well in the 3rd and 4th rounds.

Man there saying there D is going to dismantle goff because they know rams wont run the ball.So freaking sad to know the nfl thinks the coach is just pass happy.We have always been a power running team even in the losing years and never gave up on it.Mcvay needs to not give up on it even if they stop it on some drives.Bring out 2 te sets and keep jamming down there throats.Mack n company scares me but we can beat this bears D.

Been thinking this since the superbowl , we need that 1 guy that can make contested catches. Our guys are quick and run great routes but our top 3 guys do not make many contested catches.

Watkins was perfect for this if he wasnt made of glass . He had size , downfield speed and could fight off press coverage

Just a thought , any ideas on this ?

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and Big Rob is out with a meniscus, at least a week.

I'd like to discuss our young Head Coach a bit, and by that I mean the areas he needs to adjust and improve. Prefer not to rant and light him on fire here as there's plenty of that elsewhere. I believe he is still the same guy, but he is a young coach who is still learning on the job and this season is a big slice of humble pie for him. Anyway here goes fwiw...

1. Route combinations. Been saying for a while after weekly film review that teams are all over his tendencies. Basically teams are hell bent on not letting us pass the ball, yes, but also they have been pattern matching at a very high success rate week to week. Whether it's zone (which is where we have struggled most) or man coverage teams are winning a lot of routes due to anticipation and that's on the gameplanning side. I feel he needs to get back to basics here and we will also see a move made on the staff as McVay is probably dealing with a gameplanning dropoff in the passing game coordinator side where they have relied too much on existing playbook and tendencies.

2. Physicality. It just seems like our linemen aren't ready for physicality and the book up front is to bring it with most teams having a high success rate. I find myself wondering whether the "vet rest days" or overall lack of contact practices is hurting their preparation. When you get away with that stuff it's great of course. But when your guys look outmatched left and right it makes me feel like there might be a contributing factor from that practice side of things. Either way the Rams right now are a finesse offense. Look at the Bengals tape. Goff converted a ton of non-optimal down/distance situations and that's why we won. Vs better defenses that is more difficult to pull off particularly when your protections aren't there. Obviously this goes back to the run game but I suspect it might be a bit more than that, i.e. this team could use some more full pad practices to help them get on track.

3. Unnecessary delay in benching players. I think this is what happens when you're riding that Super Bowl high, where you feel comfortable letting things go longer than a staff who doesn't have that kind of clout. Some of the decisions have been due to a lack of depth which relates back to trades for veterans. But not all of them. When you don't have a quick hook for non-performance what it means is performance is no longer the standard. This needs to be how they do things going forward, ensuring performance IS the standard.

In summary I don't think this is a playoff roster right now due to the OL and it's affected everything else. But I do think McVay can improve in the areas above. And if they can work those things while they use the remainder of the season to find out which of these OL can play, they can set themselves up for a nice rebound season in 2020 by adding a couple key pieces to the OL.

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They pretty much hit the nail on the head when it comes to the Rams.

Anyone else getting a sinking feeling about this one?

No fun seeing incontrovertible evidence that one has overrated one’s players, coaches, and FO. Sigh...

An ‘Emperor has no clothes’ moment for me.

I waited a day to post because I wanted to wait until I was less angry, frankly.

I’ve now calmed down and have read all the many fine posts by others plus the excellent Vinny piece posted by tonyde.

Our problems are many and some are quite serious. Unfortunately, they will require planning and time to correct. The 3 biggest cannot be fixed this year so the Rams may as well recognize that and focus on planning for the best possible ‘20 season. If that seems negative to some, so be it. I call it being pragmatic.

In no particular order here are the Big Three problems as I see it.

We don’t have an NFL Offensive line. There, I said it. We’ve gone from a top 2-3 unit in ‘17 and ‘18 to one of, if not the league’s worst in one season. I know that everybody knows this including our opponents, but it needs to be stated nonetheless. This is unforgivable on the part of the FO and the coaches. A violation of Football 101. Consequently, all parts of the O are compromised, including all those highly paid skill players. More about that in a moment.

Todd Gurley is a shadow of his former self. It’s not his fault and I’m not blaming him for his arthritic knee. He can still flash at times, but he cannot be counted on when the chips are down as was once the case. He no longer strikes fear into the heart of opposing D’s. Again, not breaking news but it needs to be stated. Unfortunately, this condition will never improve. There must be a plan for moving beyond Gurley in order to re-eastablish an elite type RB multi purpose threat. Snead/McVay May need to think outside the box to solve this problem.

The third big problem will take the longest to correct, and the maddening thing is that it was self inflicted. I’m talking about massive contracts to players that cannot be counted on to earn them. Namely Gurley and Cooks, although it’s fair to ask why they couldn’t have waited until after seeing Goff this season before locking him up. Why always the big rush to extend our players? The problem is that the ripple effects of these contracts make the players uncuttable and untradeable for years. Now the Rams are trapped cap wise just when they desperately need to bring in inexpensive top talent in several areas, not the least of which seems to be the OL.

Those are just the 3 biggest problems as I see it.

Two others are worthy of mention, but don’t have quite the importance of the above three.

McVay seems to have lost his Mojo. Yeah, I know that his OL and Gurley problems somewhat tie his hands, but still. I think that the ‘old’ McVay could have done a better job of coaching Goff through this, made quicker adjustments to D strategy, and maybe better coped his playcalling when needed. Nobody is calling McVay a genius anymore, are they?

That Ramsey trade looked good after the Falcon game, but how about now? Those future 1sts would sure be handy as the Rams try to rebuild this OL. And the departed Marcus Peters has turned into Superman after leaving the Rams (for a song in exchange, btw). So, here’s my question. And it seems to come up every year. Is Wade the best DC for this roster? I wonder.

After re-reading the above there is a sobering conclusion. All are serious issues and none are quick fixes. The Rams have painted themselves into a corner on many fronts. Sigh...

This just popped up on my homepage...

The NFL Hot Seat: Sean McVay ran out of magic, and Jared Goff isn't helping http://a.msn.com/02/en-us/BBWB9g6?ocid=se

Seahawks
Vikings
Rams
Eagles
Panthers

Five teams, two playoff spots - feel free to swap out the Eagles for the Cowboys if you think that the Eagles will win the NFCE.

Despite the sky is falling mentality, the Rams are still in decent shape. Let's dive right in.

Seahawks: @Niners, BYE, @Eagles, Vikings, @rams, @Panthers, Cardinals, Niners

Vikings: Broncos, BYE, @Seahawks, Lions, @Chargers, Packers, Bears

Rams: Bears, Ravens, @Cardinals, Seahawks, @Cowboys, @Niners, Cardinals

Eagles: Patriots, Seahawks, @Dolphins, Giants, @Redskins, Cowboys, @Giants

Panthers: Falcons, @Saints, Redskins, @Falcons, Seahawks, @Colts, Saints



Right off the bat, the Vikings are in the playoffs - in fact, I think they will win the NFCN - but I checked the Packers schedule, and it's also littered with winnable games, so the NFC North will be fielding two playoff teams this year.

Second thing that comes to mind is that the Seahawks schedule is brutal - they play each and every other wildcard contender. For a team that has a record so much better than their point differential would indicate, this isn't a good sign for Seattle.

Third thing that I see is if the Eagles beat the Patriots, I think our game against the Cowboys may decide the 2nd wildcard spot. Any given Sunday and all that, and I get that the Eagles have had some clunkers - but they will be favored in all of their remaining games and have four games against bad teams. In fact as I'm writing this, I'm now confident the Eagles will win the NFC East. So:

Cowboys - @Lions, @Patriots, Bills, @Bears, Rams, @Eagles, Redskins

Much better. If the Cowboys lose to the Patriots, Bears and Eagles, we could lose to them and still get a wildcard.

Last thing is that - I just don't think the Panthers are that good.

Okay now what results do we need? We'll remove the Vikings and Eagles and focus on the Rams, Seahawks and Cowboys for the 2nd wildcard. Instead of going full on Rams homer, I'll try to make some reasonable picks:

Seahawks:

@Niners - L - we need this to happen. So the way the season has gone for the Rams, bet lots of money on Seattle tonight.
@Eagles - L
Vikings - W
@rams - L
@Panthers - W
Cardinals - W
Niners - L

Cowboys:

@Lions - W
@Patriots - L
Bills - W
@Bears - W
Rams - L
@Eagles - L
Redskins - W

Rams:

Bears - W
Ravens - L
@Cardinals - W
Seahawks - W
@Cowboys - W
@Niners - L
Cardinals - W

Some notes:

I think that the Cowboys are done. Whether we beat them or not, going to be tough for them to get in with that schedule.

Seahawks and Rams would both finish 10-6 here, but ultimately in this scenario we would have a better conference record.

So, rooting interest going forward: ignore the Niners, Saints, Packers, Eagles and Vikings - assume they are in. Ignore the Panthers for now, especially since we would own the tiebreaker against them. Root against the Cowboys and Seahawks every week - we need Seattle to lose at least four games, including the one to us. For the Cowboys, they need to lose three games - root against them every week in case they ultimately beat us. The Niners at Seahawks in week 17 may decide our fate - even if we are already even with Seattle, if they win that game, they'd get in because of division record.

The most important remaining games: for the Rams, all of them - but, if we can beat Chicago, relax and have a beer for the Ravens game - losing to an AFC team will not derail the season. If we lose to Seattle, season is over. Losing to the Cowboys would mean we would need a win at the Niners.

At the end of the day, I think Seattle will be the underdog against the Niners, Eagles, Rams, Panthers and Niners. Rams will be underdogs to the Cowboys and Niners (and possibly the Ravens). Cowboys will be underdogs against the Patriots and Eagles (and possibly the Bears).

So all we need to have happen is the favorites win, except for the Bears over the Cowboys (which may be a push), and Rams over the Cowboys.

Yes, the OL is in rough shape - but if we can get it done against the Bears, we have some teams with worse pass rushes coming up. We can do this.