Snead spoke to reporters Wednesday afternoon

Snead’s job is to keep Rams on the upswing[\b]

Joe Curley

http://www.vcstar.com/story/sports/nfl/rams/2018/01/10/sneads-job-keep-rams-upswing/1022948001/

The course has been corrected. Now it has to be maintained.

In just one year, the Los Angeles Rams transformed from a boring four-win team to an exciting 11-win NFC West champion.

It was the type of season that, as general manager Les Snead said Wednesday, can “make this a destination.”

Snead spoke to reporters Wednesday afternoon at the Rams’ football headquarters at Cal Lutheran, four days after the team’s season ended with a 26-13 loss to Atlanta in the NFC wild-card round.

“I don’t think you’ll ever get over it,” Snead said of the loss. “You just cope with it, and then use it as fuel.”

Next up for the team? Continue the “upward trajectory” that head coach Sean McVay highlighted after Saturday’s loss.

“Just because we did it last year, and on paper it looks like, ‘OK, we’re ready to ascend,’ that’s all on paper,” Snead said. “You’ve still got to do it again.”

A lot of that work will be done during the offseason by Snead and his staff, who are charged with maintaining a roster that could lose big-play threat Sammy Watkins and much of the secondary in free agency.

Starters Trumaine Johnson, Lamarcus Joyner and Nickell Robey-Coleman are free agents and, of course, star defensive tackle Aaron Donald is still in position to sign one of the richest contracts in the NFL.

“How do we keep this team together as long as possible?” Snead said. “The team will be different next year. But the goal is always to keep those core pieces, those difference-makers around as long as possible.”

Snead called Donald “an important domino,” but stopped short of saying whether his contract will be the first order of business of an important offseason.

“The way we attack that list of names, can’t say that Aaron would be first,” Snead said. “We’ll have them all going on simultaneously and try to knock them out.”

Fans had a clear, consistent message for the Rams during their annual Ramfest at Prado Park in Chino — sign star Aaron Donald to a contract extention. Joe Curley/The Star

Johnson, who has played on the expensive franchise tag the past two seasons, has proclaimed publicly his preference to stay with the team, although he wondered during training camp if the feeling was mutual.

Snead said Wednesday that he “definitely” saw a scenario in which Johnson was re-signed.

“He fit in and played an important role,” said Snead.

Watkins, who cost the Rams their 2018 second-round pick and cornerback E.J. Gaines to acquire during training camp, led the team with eight touchdown catches.

But the 24-year-old talent’s production was inconsistent. He was only fourth on the team in both receptions (39) and targets (70).

“Obviously, if you went back and looked at analytics of a Sean McVay offense, he was going to spread the ball around,” Snead said. “And we always felt like (Watkins) was a very important complementary piece.”

The Rams enter the offseason with $50.5 million in cap space, according to overthecap.com, and could make more room if the team releases or renegotiates the contracts of veterans Robert Quinn, Mark Barron and Tavon Austin.

Quinn and Barron, whose releases would open up a combined $18.4 million in cap savings, could have their contracts renegotiated.

“The goal is not necessarily to save money,” said Snead, when asked about Quinn and Barron. “The goal is to make sure we can fit everybody into the budget.”

Snead didn’t wait to be asked if Austin would be retained. He asked the question himself.

“I know with Tavon you’re talking about ‘Can we keep carrying him and his contract?’ ” Snead said. “Well, I think that will be one that we talk about.”

Austin caught just 13 passes in the second year of his four-year, $42 million contract, although he was the Rams’ second-leading rusher. He can be released for a $3 million savings this offseason, per overthecap.com.

Bob Buttitta and Joe Curley of the Star discuss the Rams’ 26-13 playoff loss to Atlanta on Facebook Live! following the game at the Coliseum. Joe Curley/The Star

While so much of the work the team put into the 2017 season involved transitioning to new systems implemented by the new coaching staff, the Rams will now focus on refining in their second season under McVay.

“We don’t have to implement an offense,” Snead said. “Now, let’s call it, we can evolve our offense and make it better, take what we didn’t do so well this year and improve it.”

Reaching the playoffs for the first time in 13 years was one thing. The next step is to join the league’s elite.

“We’re division champions and we don’t have to get to that level now,” Snead said. “Now it’s, instead of last year, coming in and implementing a new offense, converting our defense to (Wade Phillips’) 3-4, all of those things we don’t have to do. That’s been done.

“Guess what? You’re trying to not just win the division but, OK, repeat and then maybe take the next step and let’s go for home-field advantage. Let’s take the first round out of it.”

While they jettisoned Jeff Fisher and much of his coaching staff after their disappointing first year back in Los Angeles, the Rams retained Snead and much of the front office.

Snead and his team repaid the confidence with the type of free agency and draft classes that helped fuel the team’s seven-win improvement.

Without a first-round pick, Snead put together a draft class that included six players who started a combined 26 games as rookies.

Receiver Cooper Kupp and safety John Johnson were among best rookies at their positions in the NFL, while tight end Gerald Everett, receiver Josh Reynolds and linebacker Samson Ebukam flashed upside that could eventually solidify into key roles.

As McVay told Snead during the draft, as captured by Amazon’s “All or Nothing” reality show, the team certainly did hit on their free agents.

Offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth, center John Sullivan and receiver Robert Woods became important pieces of the No. 1-scoring offense in the NFL.

“I think you can do well in this job if you can always think, ‘Hey, it’s about the Rams,’ ” Snead said. “It’s about where you’re at in the standings. So … when you lose a game, or have a losing streak, guess what, that’s part of it. You deserve criticism. So that shouldn’t bother you.

“I think what it should do is fuel you to try to maybe be on the other side of the critique.”

Snead’s performance this offseason, an important factor in the Rams’ continuing their ascent, will certainly be watched intently by Rams fans.