training camp preview

from NFC West training camp preview: Key issues, players to watch

Marc Sessler

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000820273/article/nfc-west-training-camp-preview-key-issues-players-to-watch?campaign=Twitter_atn

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Los Angeles Rams
Training camp report dates: rookies (July 26) and veterans (July 28).
Location: University of California, Irvine, California.

Most important position battle: Two rookie pass-catchers? The Rams under Jeff Fisher did a comprehensibly awful job developing their gaggle of young targets on offense. Thankfully, new coach Sean McVay arrives from Washington with a reputation for maximizing his pass-catchers. He’ll need to make that happen right away with rookie tight end Gerald Everett and first-year receiver Cooper Kupp, who both have a legitimate shot to start. With a good camp, Kupp figures to play in the slot alongside Robert Woods and Tavon Austin. The Rams like what they see so far, with offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur saying of Kupp: “He’s an extremely polished route runner, got great hands. You can tell he works at his craft each and every day. He does a great job.” Everett, meanwhile, will try to fend off an inexperienced tight end group after the Rams let Lance Kendricks walk. With McVay leaning heavily on the position, Everett and veteran Tyler Higbee should both see meaningful action out of the gate.

Newcomer to watch: Head coach Sean McVay. “Hard Knocks” and “All or Nothing” revealed a team somewhat lost under Fisher, the longtime coach who made a cottage industry of going 7-9 with the milquetoast Rams. No more. McVay hits the scene as an exuberant, boyish, Gruden-esque leader with plenty on his plate. We’ll touch on the development of passer Jared Goff below, but it goes beyond the quarterback. The Rams’ offense has been an unwatchable mess for years. McVay was brought to Los Angeles to grow Goff, revive running back Todd Gurley and fully jumpstart the attack while handing the keys on defense to wily, defensive sensei Wade Phillips. It will be fascinating to watch how McVay — just 31 — handles the pressure of Hollywood.

Looming camp question: Jared Goff ready to rise? Spin it any way you please. Goff was a massive disappointment as a rookie. That had plenty to do with the under-performing players around him, but Goff was slow to learn the offense in camp and never looked ready for prime time when he finally hit the field. We ask rookie quarterbacks to develop overnight — an unfair demand — but there must be tangible growth from Goff come September. Anything less and fans will pounce on this second-year player in a hurry.

Rams Fantasy Preview

Evan Silva

http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/nfl/73153/59/rams-fantasy-preview

Rams 2016 Offensive Profile

2016 Pass Attempts Rank: 27th
2016 Rush Attempts Rank: 28th
2016 Play Volume Rank: 31st
2016 Yards Per Play Rank: 32nd
Unaccounted for Targets from 2016 (Rank): 297 (2nd)
Unaccounted for Carries from 2016 (Rank): 41 (21st)

Projected Starting Lineup

QB: Jared Goff
RB: Todd Gurley
WR: Robert Woods
WR: Tavon Austin
TE: Gerald Everett
TE: Tyler Higbee
LT: Andrew Whitworth
LG: Rodger Saffold
C: John Sullivan
RG: Rob Havenstein
RT: Jamon Brown

Passing Game Outlook

Timid, turnover prone, and frail looking on the field, No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff was a train wreck last preseason and appeared no less lost when the Rams inserted Goff into the starting lineup from Week 11 on. Per Next Gen Stats, a fearful Goff threw an average of 3.74 yards short of the sticks on third-down passes, worst in the league among 33 qualified quarterbacks. Not only did he demonstrate zero ability to diagnose blitz schemes, Football Outsiders graded Goff with by far its worst quarterback DVOA rating in clean pockets since 2010. While it’s not out of the question Goff turns his career around – Eli Manning, Donovan McNabb, and Terry Bradshaw all became successes after poor rookie years – his first season provided no tangible reasons for optimism. The general hope seems to be that bad coaching was to blame under Jeff Fisher and 31-year-old rookie coach Sean McVay can get more out of Goff after helping to develop Kirk Cousins from a poor decision-making backup into a high-efficiency starter in D.C. Unfortunately, McVay and Goff will have to make do with bottom-five offensive line and pass-catching units. For good reason, Goff is getting no respect from July fantasy drafters with a QB28 (MFL10s) ADP.

The Rams made Robert Woods the NFL’s 22nd-highest-paid wide receiver by signing him to a five-year, $34 million contract in March. An inside-the-numbers, short-to-intermediate possession target, Woods logged 49% of his 2016 snaps at slot receiver in Buffalo, where he never cleared 700 yards in four years with the team. Woods did establish career highs in yards per target (8.07), catch rate (67.1%), and yards per route run (1.73) last season and ranked fourth among 54 qualified receivers in Pro Football Focus’ slot-specific catch percentage (80.0). Sure handed but not particularly big (6’0/201) or fast (4.51), Woods nevertheless offers deep-league PPR appeal based on projected target volume in an otherwise unproven pass-catcher corps. Before getting lost as a complementary option on the run-heavy Bills, Woods did flash volume-receiver capability in college with a 111-catch season as a true sophomore at USC. Albeit unlikely to become a serious re-draft factor, Woods is a good bet to outscore his WR60 ADP.

While Woods is projected to mimic Pierre Garcon, McVay’s staff has talked up Tavon Austin as its (homeless man’s) version of DeSean Jackson. An embarrassing bust as a manufactured-touch player under Fisher and seldom used to stretch the field, just 15 of Austin’s 181 career receptions (8.3%) have occurred on passes traveling 15 yards or more in the air. At the same time, Austin has secured 11-of-12 career 20-plus-yard targets graded as “catchable” by Pro Football Focus for 350 yards and three scores and ran a 4.34 forty-yard dash coming out of West Virginia. Goff completed just 4-of-17 attempts of 20-plus yards as a rookie, however, and Austin missed all of spring practices recovering from wrist surgery, eliminating his chances of developing any offseason timing with Goff and preventing Austin from getting a head start on his new role. Austin is merely a low-floor best-ball dart at his WR68 MFL10 ADP.

Third-round pick Cooper Kupp will enter camp as the favorite for third receiver work ahead of fourth-round vertical threat Josh Reynolds and underwhelming holdovers Pharoh Cooper and Mike Thomas. A prolific producer at Eastern Washington, Kupp broke the all-divisions college record for career receiving yards (6,464) on 428 receptions (15.1 YPR) and scored 73 touchdowns. As a plus-sized (6’2/204) slot receiver lacking long speed (4.62) but quick in a short area, Kupp drew some pre-draft comparisons to T.J. Houshmandzadeh. While Kupp is making a huge jump in competition, it’s certainly not out of the question that he’ll make an early impact as a high-percentage route runner with great hands in a weak receiving cast. Kupp is a worthwhile third-round PPR pick in Dynasty rookie drafts.

Holdover Tyler Higbee and No. 44 overall pick Gerald Everett will compete for tight end snaps in a battle that figures to be tilted toward Everett, whom McVay likely envisions as his new version of Jordan Reed. McVay’s 2016 Redskins used three-receiver “11 personnel” at the sixth-highest rate (73%) in the league, so Higbee and Everett may not play together much. Whereas Higbee stands 6’6/249 and flashed promise as a blocker in his 2016 rookie season, Everett (6’3/239) is a rocked-up wideout out of South Alabama who starred as a high school basketball player and posted top-five SPARQ results in this year’s tight end class. Not helping Everett is his small-school background at arguably the toughest position to transition into the NFL and the Rams’ league-worst 2017 tight end schedule based on 2016 fantasy points allowed. While Everett is compelling Dynasty pick, he lacks re-draft and best-ball appeal.

Running Game Outlook

Taking the Trent Richardson career path, Todd Gurley enters his third NFL season having rushed for 90-plus yards in just one of his last 24 games with an abysmal 3.43 yards-per-carry average during that stretch. While pathetic quarterback play and an offensive line that last season ranked 29th in Football Outsiders’ Adjusted Line Yards haven’t helped, Gurley has shown minimal ability to create yards on his own. As a sophomore, Gurley finished 37th among 42 running backs with 100-plus carries in both DVOA and Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement, 39th of 53 qualifiers in Pro Football Focus’ Elusive Rating, and 46th of 58 in yards after contact per attempt (2.2). While the additions of C John Sullivan and LT Andrew Whitworth give Los Angeles some credibility up front, the Rams seem unlikely to suddenly become a plus run-blocking team, exacerbated by facing what projects as the NFL’s second-toughest rushing schedule based on 2016 fantasy points allowed. In a league-worst situation in a low-scoring offense and ineffective for a sustained stretch, Gurley is entirely a volume play for 2017. Gurley’s RB10 (MFL10s) and RB11 (FF Calc) ADPs suggest optimism remains relatively high in the fantasy community.

Another concern for Gurley’s 2017 outlook is the addition of Lance Dunbar, who is expected to fill the Chris Thompson role as Los Angeles’ passing-down specialist, potentially curbing Gurley’s receiving usage. In Dallas last year, Ezekiel Elliott averaged 2.3 targets in Dunbar’s 13 games compared to 4.0 targets with Dunbar inactive. Whereas Dunbar is a role-specific scatback, Malcolm Brown is the favorite for direct-backup duties behind Gurley. Brown (5’11/224) is a power back with 4.62 speed who has 56 scoreless yards on 22 career carries. Neither reserve runner is a threat for standalone fantasy value.

2017 Vegas Win Total

The 2017 Rams have a Vegas Win Total of 5.5 games, tied with the Bears for fourth lowest in the league “behind” the Browns (4.5), Jets (4.5), and 49ers (4.5). Despite finishing last year 4-12, the Rams actually overachieved relative to their 2.7-3.3 Pythagorean Win Expectation. This year’s Rams have the NFL’s 14th-toughest schedule, including the league’s ninth-hardest pass-defense slate, which won’t make life easy on second-year QB Jared Goff. While there is some hope McVay and DC Wade Phillips can get the maximum out of Los Angeles’ offense and defense, the Rams simply don’t have enough talent to be truly competitive week in and week out. The over on the Rams would be a lot more attractive in the Browns-Jets-49ers range, which is where they belong. As is, I am expecting another three-to-five-win campaign.

Rams are on more familiar ground but still in transition

By Gary Klein

link: http://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-sp-rams-training-camp-20170725-story.html

Rams are in familiar territory.

With training camp set to open Saturday, team personnel have taken up residence at UC Irvine. Rookies are scheduled to arrive Wednesday, veterans by Friday.

Last year, save for another losing season, was all new for Rams players.

Their Orange County training camp was part of an odyssey that began with the team’s move from St. Louis. It included an extended stay in Oxnard and six weeks at Irvine before they landed at the team’s training facility in Thousand Oaks.

The Rams finished 4-12, their 10th consecutive season below .500.

The franchise is going through another major transition — coach Sean McVay was hired to replace the fired Jeff Fisher — but the toll of the Rams’ peripatetic 2016 can no longer be used as an excuse by players, coaches and team executives.

This year’s stay at Irvine has been shortened to about three weeks.

It includes 15 practices that are open to the public, including one with the Chargers, who are training a few miles away in Costa Mesa. (The Rams also are scheduled to practice once with the Chargers at the StubHub Center.)

The Rams start the preseason against the Dallas Cowboys on Aug. 12 at the Coliseum. They also will play the Oakland Raiders, Chargers and Green Bay Packers before the Sept. 10 regular-season opener against the Indianapolis Colts.

Here are five things to watch during training camp:

New kid in town

At a boyish 31, McVay could be mistaken for a fraternity brother on Irvine’s campus.

McVay has been a part of eight NFL training camps, but this will be his first in charge of the entire roster.

Throughout offseason workouts and minicamps, players described McVay as knowledgeable, organized and detail-oriented. McVay also has excelled in small and large media settings.

But McVay openly acknowledged that there was no pressure during the offseason.

That begins to change Saturday.

He’s No. 1

Quarterback Jared Goff arrived at training camp last year as the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft — but not at the top of the depth chart.

He is now.

Journeyman Case Keenum, the 2016 starter for nine games, is now the backup in Minnesota. Third-year pro Sean Mannion is Goff’s backup.

With seven games of experience and an offseason working with McVay and his staff, Goff is far more confident than the player fans saw struggling at the line of scrimmage during training camp last year.

Goff worked this offseason on his throwing mechanics with trainers Tom House and Justin Dedeaux. He added about 10 pounds over his 6-foot-4 frame and is listed at 223 pounds. And, according to McVay, offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur, quarterbacks coach Greg Olson and teammates, he dedicated himself to mastering the offense.

The Rams last week signed quarterback Dan Orlovsky, adding a veteran presence to a young position group.

Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson, no stranger to stirring controversy — remember his tiff with Fisher? — said in a recent television interview that he would start Mannion.

Unless Goff suffers an injury, a complete meltdown or an off-the-field setback, that’s not happening.

Show me the money

Defensive tackle Aaron Donald wants a new contract. A big one.

To make his point, he did not show up for voluntary organized-team activities. He attended but did not fully participate in a mandatory minicamp last month.

Donald, a Pro Bowl selection in each of his first three NFL seasons, has two years left on a rookie deal that will pay him about $3.2 million this season and $6.9 million in 2017.

In May, general manager Les Snead said the team was at the “serious stage” of negotiating a new contract. Chief operating officer Kevin Demoff publicly acknowledged in June that Donald deserves to be paid among the NFL’s elite players.

With running back Todd Gurley coming off a miserable season and Goff still unproven, Donald is the Rams’ only proven star.

His contract situation, to this point, has not been contentious. The Rams cannot allow it to become so.

Veteran presence

The Rams signed free-agent left tackle Andrew Whitworth and receiver Robert Woods — for a combined $30 million in guaranteed money —- to bolster an offense that ranked last in the NFL the last two seasons.

Whitworth replaces Greg Robinson, the disappointing No. 2 overall pick in 2014 who was jettisoned to Detroit. Woods ostensibly replaces Kenny Britt, a 1,000-yard receiver last season who signed with the Cleveland Browns.

The Rams also added backup running back Lance Dunbar and center John Sullivan.

New defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, 70, hand-picked several players he coached with other teams, including cornerback Kayvon Webster and linebacker Connor Barwin.

Webster will compete to start opposite Trumaine Johnson, the franchise-tagged, five-year veteran who will earn nearly $17 million this season after he and the Rams could not come to terms on a long-term contract.

Barwin will play opposite Robert Quinn, a two-time Pro Bowl end making the transition to linebacker in Phillips’ hybrid 3-4 scheme.

Fresh faces

Rookie Cooper Kupp, a third-round draft pick from Eastern Washington, is listed along with Tavon Austin and Woods as a starting receiver on the depth chart entering training camp.

Kupp is one of several first-year players who could play significant roles.

Tight end Gerald Everett, a second-round pick from South Alabama, and safety John Johnson, a third-round pick from Boston College, also will compete for playing time.

Receiver Josh Reynolds, fullback Sam Rogers, linebacker Samson Ebukam and defensive linemen Ejuan Price and Tanzel Smart are other 2017 draft picks who could contribute.

Training Camp Positional Preview: Offense

Kristen Lago

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Training-Camp-Positional-Preview-Offense-/6a2833de-fc3e-4cc8-8d16-095610d885b8

We are just three days away from the official start to the 2017 Rams Training Camp presented by AT&T. The rookies will begin unpacking their bags later today, here at the University of California, Irvine and veteran players will be arriving on Friday.

In the lead up to Saturday’s first practice, we took a look at five of the most interesting storylines to look out for during the next few weeks. And with every good storyline comes a few key players. Today, I’m giving you a position-by-position look at the Rams roster heading into training camp.

Let’s start out with the offense:

QUARTERBACKS –
Likely Starter:

This should come as no surprise to any of you Rams fans out there—a familiar face will be back at the starting role this year with veteran QB Jared Goff. Throughout the offseason, Goff has committed himself to learning a new system and becoming a vocal leader on the team. Throughout the next few weeks of training camp, look for him to continue mastering the new offensive system and establishing himself as a true veteran leader.

Key Addition:

Dan Orlovsky – The Rams added a third quarterback to their roster last week by agreeing to terms with the former Lions player. In his return to L.A. Orlovsky will reunite with quarterbacks coach, Greg Olson, who previously coached for the Lions in 2005, and will serve as an exciting counterpart to Sean Mannion.

The Bottom Line:

The Rams offense needs to come alive this training camp if they can hope to rebuild and improve upon their last season. Goff will need to play a key role in reaching towards that goal, providing a needed spark and a strong leadership presence for the offense as a whole.

WIDE RECEIVERS –
Likely Starters:

As you heard from Myles Simmons yesterday, two of the most likely starters at the wide receiver position are Tavon Austin and Robert Woods. Both will enter training camp as the top two in their position, bringing with them both the experience and athletic ability needed to hold down that starting role.

Key Additions:

Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp: The Rams signed the former Buffalo Bills wide out and Los Angeles native in March and are hoping he can complement Austin as a starting receiver. Though his 2016 season was derailed by a knee injury, he did have an impressive rookie season catching 65 passes for just under 700 yards. Rams rookie, Cooper Kupp will be another to watch this training camp after establishing himself as a great route runner and team player this offseason, you just might see him snag that third starting role at wide receiver.

Biggest Question:

The biggest question at the wide receiver position comes from the fact that there are currently 11 players listed as wide receivers on the Rams roster. All will be looking to make their mark in front of offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur and head coach Sean McVay during training camp.

The Bottom Line:

The Rams have plenty of options for Goff this season. Now, it will be up to the 11 players on the roster to prove themselves during training camp and compete for playing time come the regular season.

RUNNING BACKS –
Likely Starter:

Todd Gurley will be back at the starting position this year as the Rams go-to running back. The former Rookie of the Year is set to have a big impact on the field, not only during training camp, but well into the regular season. As he continues to master the new offensive system, fans can look forward to a dynamic Gurley getting back on the field.

Key Addition:

Lance Dunbar comes into 2017 training camp as a new backup for Gurley. The Rams signed the former Dallas Cowboy to replace Benny Cunningham. Dunbar is a dual threat in both the run game and pass game and could be an option at the kickoff return for special teams. Fullback Sam Rogers (FB) is also a key addition to this position group. Rogers comes to the Rams from Virginia Tech where he accounted for 692 yards rushing and 802 yards receiving.

The Bottom Line:

The Rams averaged only 3.3 yards per carry with just over 1200 rushing yards overall last season. With Gurley at the helm, training camp will provide the space and time for the Rams to hone in on their run game and become a force to be reckoned with this upcoming season

TIGHT ENDS –
Likely Starters:

Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett are the two most likely to start at tight end. Though Higbee was targeted just 29 times last season, catching 11 passes as a rookie, a new offensive system should provide him the space to shine as a second-year TE. Everett will bring his impressive run-after-catch ability and strength to the team, providing a solid counterpart to Higbee.

Key Addition:

Gerald Everett – No need to go over this one again. The Rams highest draft pick will look to make a big contribution to the offense this season.

The Bottom Line:

One thing is clear: Sean McVay is known for his development of tight ends, with his Redskins’ offense producing the most yards in the league at the TE position. He will look to Higbee and Everett to be consistent options on the offense, getting them involved in various schemes on field.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN –
Likely Starters:

Rodger Saffold (LG), John Sullivan (C), Rob Havenstein (RG), Jamon Brown (RT) and Andrew Whitworth (LT) will be the likely five to hit the field as starters in September. While the offseason brought with it a variety of changes at this position, this group has emerged as a unit who wants to compete and can help each other become better.

Key Addition:

Andrew Whitworth – The Rams added one of the best with this signing. Whitworth was a first-team All Pro selection in 2015 and was graded as the second-best left tackle by Pro Football Focus in 2016.

Biggest Question:

Last year the Rams offensive line ranked among the bottom five among all offensive line units in the NFL. But, with a new line coach in Aaron Kromer and a few key changes to the line itself, training camp should be a key indicator to the progress of the offensive unit overall. With a lot of newness in this position, it remains to be seen whether these changes will translate into a successful line come the regular season.

The Bottom Line:

The offensive line will be chalk full of experience under the big five listed above, but they will need to prove themselves as a cohesive unit if the Rams offense looks to improve as a whole.

Miller: Sean McVay, Rams ready to pop perception right in the kisser

By JEFF MILLER

link: http://www.ocregister.com/2017/07/27/miller-sean-mcvay-rams-ready-to-pop-perception-right-in-the-kisser/

IRVINE – He was vacationing with his girlfriend in Europe.

Barcelona, specifically, and then Paris.

Along the way, according to Sean McVay, he pulled out his Rams playbook.

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Remember, he was with his girlfriend. On vacation. In Paris. A place where X’s and O’s are supposed to mean hugs and kisses, for starters.
The City of Lights probably flickered at the very sight. McVay’s girlfriend must have blinked. Then she asked him to please put away the NFL long enough for a little TLC.

“We’ve joked that, you know, we’ve got no life skills,” Rams general manager Les Snead said Thursday when asked about his rookie head coach. “But we can do football.”

Let’s hope so, because this franchise, which most recently made the playoffs in 2004, has spit out 13 consecutive non-winning seasons, spit them out like anything that tastes especially sour.

Now Snead has handed over the tattered reins to the youngest head coach in modern NFL history, entrusting with his own tenuous future a man who never before has been a head coach at any level, a man still at an age – 31 – where it doesn’t sound strange to have a girlfriend.

Aren’t NFL head coaches supposed to be advanced far enough in life to be married? Or divorced? Or divorced and then married again?

Aren’t they supposed to be closer to Wade Phillips, the Rams’ new 70-year-old defensive coordinator who began working in this league a decade before McVay was born?

“Coach Wade” they call him around here because “Coach Phillips” sounds too formal. Yeah, “Coach Wade,” which comes off the tongue quite comfortably, not unlike “Grandpa Wade.”

But here the Rams are, their veterans scheduled to report to training camp at UC Irvine on Friday, ready to start down the path to making everyone forget about 4-12 and Jeff Fisher and “Hard Knocks,” being led from the tunnel by a kid coach.

“We’re optimistic,” McVay said, “that we’ll put a product out there that the fans can be proud of.”

It won’t be easy or anything that looks remotely easy, pride – at least outside the organization – just one of the many things the Rams misplaced en route to their miserable finish last season.

They also have this sobering reality: Their youth at head coach is matched by their youth at quarterback, meaning they lack experience only at the sport’s two most significant positions.

The Rams moved up 14 spots in the spring of 2016 to draft Jared Goff. This season, his progress, more than any other factor, will determine if the Rams move up again.

They have a rebuilt offensive line and a reshuffled group of receivers and, as McVay was speaking with great anticipation and excitement about both, ESPN released a list that projected the Rams as having the NFL’s 29th worst “offensive weapons.”

“A weird stack of skill-position talent” is not a description normally attached to teams expected to contend for anything other than the distinction of division doormat.

Sobering, as well, is the prospect that the veterans reporting Friday won’t include the Rams’ best player, defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who wants his contract reworked.

So, the new coach with all the enthusiasm, energy and drive already faces a draining second-and-long before the first official groin tweak of training camp, the business of football in this league never far from the football itself.

“We have to be ready to handle different situations,” McVay explained, “and not flinch.”

Early Friday night, the 2017 Rams will gather as one for the first time, McVay prepared to address the group to “set the foundation” and “talk about what we want to embody.”

The players will look down – literally, in nearly every case – on their sparkling, fresh leader, who stands barely 5-foot-8 and won’t turn 32 until after the season.

What they don’t see in stature, however, they’ll hear in desire, McVay the sort of coach who could probably speak with frenzied emotion about a blocking sled.

“Passion for football,” Snead said when listing his coach’s finest qualities. “Eats, sleeps, breathes football. It’s all about football. … I think every decision he makes is all about how do you help the Rams.”

This week, the team announced a business partnership with the Laugh Factory comedy club, a venture that opened up the possibility of a million jokes.

For example, two Rams walk into a bar … and each is tackled for a 1-yard loss. And, what do you get when you cross one Ram with another Ram? I’m not sure, but, if it doesn’t work out, I do know Jeff Fisher would have an excuse for it.

McVay is now charged with stopping the punchlines, a daunting job but one he’ll no doubt attack with the devotion and intensity of the warmest of embraces.

Or, to be more accurate in this case, the most sizzling of French kisses.

In second year in L.A., Rams hope latest transition brings more wins

Joe Curley

http://www.vcstar.com/story/sports/nfl/rams/2017/07/28/second-year-l-a-rams-hope-latest-transition-brings-more-wins/518892001/

It took more than 30 tractor trailers and three stops to return the Rams to Southern California a year ago.

And yet, for all the changes the franchise endured off the field, the on-field results in Los Angeles bore a striking resemblance to what fans had suffered through in St. Louis.

The first season in Southern California since 1994, the first in Los Angeles since 1979, was launched with “Hard Knocks” and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Then it crashed to earth with empty seats and bitter defeats. Eleven losses in the final 12 games made for a long limp to the 12th straight year without a playoff berth and a 13th consecutive season without a winning record.

What once was The Greatest Show on Turf had devolved into an unwatchable mess, no matter the playing surface. A second straight season as the worst offense in football cost head coach Jeff Fisher his job with three games to play.

“Anytime you let a head coach go, we all have to take a look in the mirror,” Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff said on Dec. 12. “We have to improve across the board.”

That introspection led Demoff and owner Stan Kroenke to make Sean McVay, the then-30-year-old Washington offensive coordinator, the youngest head coach in modern NFL history on Jan. 13.

“Age is not a factor here,” Demoff said. “This is really about Sean’s talents, his ability to lead and communicate, and what we think that will do for the Los Angeles Rams.”

And so, one year after uprooting the entire franchise and moving 2,000 miles west, the Rams entered yet another transformative offseason, albeit a more typical NFL transition.

“Those are some pretty big transitions,” linebacker Alec Ogletree said. “Going from one city to another and then, after that, the whole coaching staff leaves.”

A young roster, the vast majority of which had never played for another NFL head coach, was left to start over from scratch with new leadership.

“He definitely seems like a guy that’s been around a while,” Ogeltree said of McVay. “You can gravitate toward a guy like that because he’s young, energetic and you can definitely tell he has a lot of wisdom about him.”

When he stepped foot on the Coliseum grass for the first time in June, McVay recalled watching the Rams’ first game back in Los Angeles, the come-from-behind win over Dallas before the largest crowd in preseason history.

“I remember I was in Richmond coaching (at Washington’s training camp) and thinking, ‘What an unbelievable atmosphere,’ ” McVay said. “So you can see that this city is hungry for a great football product.

“It’s our job to be able to give the fans something that they can be proud of and give them a product that they want to root for consistently week in and week out.”

The Rams felt short of that aim a year ago. They scored the fewest points in the NFL, just 14 points per game, and mustered the franchise’s lowest mark in total offense (262.6 yards per game) since 1963.

It was, according to Football Outsiders’ metrics, the NFL’s worst offense since 2005.

The wall of sound that met the Cowboys in preseason game fell away as the losses piled up, as star running back Todd Gurley struggled through what general manager Les Snead would label a “sophomore slump,” as No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff went 0-7 as a rookie quarterback, as the heartbreaking losses of October and November turned into embarrassing blowouts in December.

“We all left with a nasty taste in our mouth,” defensive tackle Aaron Donald said.

Meanwhile, Washington was third in total offense, as McVay helped Kirk Cousins emerge as one of the most productive passers in football.

“We want to be an offense (gives) the quarterback answers,” McVay said. “You want to be able to distribute the ball. … When you feel like you’ve got a handful of playmakers, the idea is to kind of have that quarterback be a point guard and be a great distributor to all your guys.”

McVay has been hired to follow up his success with Cousins by putting Goff’s young career on track. It is the biggest priority of his first season as head coach.

Several players have already come forward to declare themselves as believers in their new coach, including the quarterback.

“I think right off the bat you can tell that his knowledge is extremely high, far higher than a lot of guys,” said Goff.

McVay retained three members of the former staff, special teams coordinator John Fassell, who was elevated to interim head coach for the final three games of the season, running backs coach Skip Peete and assistant offensive line coach Andy Dickerson.

Besides that, the entire staff, highlighted by offensive coordinator Matt Lafleur and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, is new.

“For us, the guys who have been here, I guess it’s a fresh start,” Ogletree said during the team’s offseason program in Thousand Oaks. “We’re just trying to get to know them as well as they’re trying to get to know us.”

There was also significant turnover on the roster. Almost a third of the players who ended the 2016 season with the team aren’t in Irvine for the start of training camp, including 13 starters who combined to make 145 starts a year ago.

That figure includes receivers Kenny Britt and Brian Quick and tight end Lance Kendricks, who combined for 62 percent of the team’s receiving production; offensive line starters Tim Barnes and Greg Robinson; defensive leaders William Hayes, T.J. McDonald and Eugene Sims; special teams stalwarts Benny Cunningham and Chase Reynolds; and quarterback Case Keenum, who started the first nine games before yielding to Goff.

The Rams didn’t just move on from Fisher, they moved on from many of his veteran leaders.

“I know there’s a lot of respect in this building, and me personally, for Coach Fisher,” McVay said. “It certainly isn’t anything like that.”

A bigger motivation for the culling may have been salary-cap related. The moves allowed the Rams to add several veterans in free agency.

The duo of 35-year-old left tackle Andrew Whitworth and 31-year-old center John Sullivan, the only two players on the roster older than McVay, were signed to solidify the offensive line.

Whitworth, an All-Pro in Cincinnati, allowed the fewest pass pressures among NFL tackles in 2016, according to Pro Football Focus.

“He’s played at an extremely productive level and he’s a grown man,” McVay said.

Sullivan, whose health will be a key factor in the season, worked in Washington with McVay, who sees center as one of the most important positions on the field.

The hope is Lance Dunbar, signed from Dallas, can be the versatile type of running back that Chris Thompson was for McVay in Washington.

Robert Woods, the former USC star, was signed from Buffalo to bring some experience to the receiver room, which now includes four players drafted over the past two years.

“He does all of the little things the right way,” McVay said. “He’s competing in the run game. He can play inside, outside.”

Outside linebacker Connor Barwin and cornerback Kayvon Webster, who played for Phillips in Houston and Denver, respectively, were brought in to help stabilize the defense’s move to his 3-4 system.

“Having his opinion on those guys and that intricate, inside knowledge … it’s why you’re glad to have a guy like Wade Phillips that we can all lean on,” McVay said.

Perhaps part of the reason why the Rams always seemed to be building under Fisher, and never really arrived, was because of their perpetual youth.

They had the youngest roster to open the season in each of the past five years, according to an annual study by Jimmy Kempski of the Philly Voice.

In each of those years, the Rams’ roster was an average of about 25 years old. An early estimation of the 53-man roster shows the Rams trending toward a similarly youthful figure this fall.

While Fisher was fired, Snead was retained, which was seen as a clue to who had final say on personnel matters over the past five years.

But this hasn’t been a fun offseason for Snead, either.

The Rams have spun their wheels in contract negotiations with franchise cornerback Trumaine Johnson. They elected to spend $17 million to franchise tag the 27-year-old, who had one interception last season, for the second straight year, making him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL.

Johnson looks set to hit the open market next year, which would be two years after the Rams lost two members of their starting secondary, safety Rodney McLeod and cornerback Janoris Jenkins, to free agency.

“I think Trumaine is going to be a fit in any system,” McVay said. “This is a talented corner.”

Perhaps worse, Donald, one of the top defensive players in the league, sat out organized team activities as the team and his representatives worked on a contract extension that has yet to materialize. He reportedly didn’t show up for the first day veterans were to report to training camp Friday.

The Rams may be hamstrung by their cap situation. Even after saving money by dealing Robinson to Detroit, they have the least amount of cap space in the NFL, less than $4 million, according to overthecap.com.

The Rams also suffered a setback off the field during the offseason, announcing in May that the opening of their $2.6 billion stadium in Inglewood would be delayed a season until 2020.

The delay was blamed on record rainfall during the excavation phase of the project. In the aftermath, the NFL also pushed back the Super Bowl’s return to Los Angeles by a year, until 2022.

The Rams, in the meantime, will remain in the Coliseum, as the historic venue receives its own $220 million facelift.

After enduring radical changes off and on the field over the past two seasons, the Rams may remain a team in transition, as the seismic shifts of football in Los Angeles continue to settle.