our reactions to the Saints game

As I said last week, need to close out games, and have to wonder, if we are going to get a new Special Teams Coordinator.

I’m still trying to figure out how Nacua made that sliding catch with the defender’s arm across his chest. A rookie sensation indeed. Stafford is absolutely stellar right now.  Another Kyren TD.

I despise the Rams special teams play right now. Extremely bothersome to know that the offense can be fantastic and the defense can be good enough, but the special teams can throw it all away.

It’s the end of December and the Rams are a game over .500 and in the playoff hunt. Did not see this coming back in August.

I’m guessing like most fans, we’re reassessing who this team is. They’re lot closer to serious contention than we thought at the beginning of the year. Ironically, that change means they also need to readjust their idea of their “three key guys” core.

Kupp really doesn’t seem to be a part of that now, going forward. He hasn’t played well, though I think he has plenty of excuses. It’s not for lack of trying, obviously; he’s always punched well above his weight. He’s just banged up, and getting older for a receiver. Post-30, with exceptions, typically marks a decline for that position. QBs, of course, keep rewriting all the rules, and Stafford looks like a part of the Brady trend there. Though I still wish he’d redo his workout regimen, and get serious about weight-training. That’s one of the best ways for athletes to extend their careers, including QBs.

Nacua has earned the Kupp spot as a “core three” guy, as has Williams. Which, in effect, means the Rams have a core four now. Stafford, Donald, Nacua, and Williams. Ernest Jones is on the edge of that group. Just outside of it. Likely next-up close: Avila, Dotson, Turner. Young is a keeper, too, but needs some work, hitting the “rookie wall” as some pundits have mentioned. Demarcus Robinson played lights out last night, and the Rams need to re-sign him (as well as Dotson), but he’s gonna be 30 next season, so he’s a “future is now” guy for the Rams. Watching his quick feet and surprising agility, I can see now why they rave about his ability to gain separation. He’s just thriving under McVay.

IMO, the Rams need serious upgrades at corner, safety, and slot, plus edge. A true stud LT as well. If they can manage most of those upgrades this off-season, especially LT, edge, and corner, they’re back in the hunt in 2024.

Oh, and I’ll repeat something — this team has some beautiful drives.  Just a beautiful mix of passes and runs, short stuff, deep stuff, sideline stuff.   There’s a sports-beauty to it.

Starts with Stafford, though.   He’s Picasso.

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i mean i know everyone knows the names. gurley, woods, goff, ramsey, etc…

the more i think about it yeah. the rams totally would but would it even be possible cap wise?

zn wrote:

When Gurley’s knee went full arthritic, he had less to offer as a player, and basically was nowhere near as useful anymore. Whatever is going on with Kupp, it’s not like that–it just takes away part of his game but he still has a lot of value.

my opinion is that they wouldn’t either but i can’t predict what this fo will do. i thought they’d stick with goff but then they went and traded him for stafford. i’m just saying i wouldn’t put it out of the realm of possibility. especially if they could save 20 million and they figure they’ll get a draft pick out of it and they could spend that twenty million elsewhere. and do they ask themselves is what kupp offers worth the twenty million they would save while also covering up enough of what they lose without kupp given that they have nacua and williams? i don’t know. they’ve said themselves in the past that they will look at every possible… i can’t remember the exact term. i know rodrigue talked about it extensively after the superbowl… anyway. if they don’t believe that kupp’s value is worth what they pay him and they can cover up what they lose in other ways i could see them doing that.

do i think they will? i have a hard time imagining it. but this fo is known for doing some unconventional things.

Trying to boil this down into a Hack-sized post:

Don’t want them to trade or cut Kupp, and I think he still holds a great deal of value for the Rams. They’re stronger with him than without him, and an off-season to regain health and focus may do wonders. But it wouldn’t surprise me if the FO decides to move on from a 31-year-old receiver, who’s taken his share of hits, all too many of them “cheap shots” in my book.

wv wrote:

Billy_T wrote:

Trying to boil this down into a Hack-sized post: Don’t want them to trade or cut Kupp, and I think he still holds a great deal of value for the Rams. They’re stronger with him than without him, and an off-season to regain health and focus may do wonders. But it wouldn’t surprise me if the FO decides to move on from a 31-year-old receiver, who’s taken his share of hits, all too many of them “cheap shots” in my book.

I would think it depends on what their expectations for next year. If they think they have a shot at another ring next year or the year after that — then they keep Kupp and Nakua and Higby together for a couple more years. Just looks like now, they only need to really work on the defense. Probly have a solid two year window on offense, I’d think. w v

Makes sense, WV. Two years sounds about right, especially for Stafford, Kupp, and Higbee meshing well with the youngins.

Find a granite-block LT, re-sign Dotson, keep Williams healthy, and — my own preference — find a battering Ram to join him, and they’ll be golden.

Agree about the D. They need a lot more speed, especially at DB. Obviously, an edge who scares OCs would be great, and Bobby Brown could use some help at the nose. You can usually find good run-stuffers late in the draft . . . So it’s doable.

In short, I was wrong about this team, going into the year. Thought they were several players (and years) away from contending again. After seeing them the last three games, especially, I think they’re really close. Should grab a Wild Card this year, and with the right decisions and player development, it’s not a stretch to think of them in the hunt for the Lombardi in 2024.

zn wrote:

Witherspoon

Dotson

Robinson

Shelton

Plus Jackson is an RFA

at first i was all for bringing back dotson. but i’m actually wondering now if they should just let him go. re-sign jackson for sure. witherspoon too. robinson and shelton – i guess it depends on what kind of contract they would command. but i’d want to see if i could snag a big time fa on defense rather than all on dotson, robinson, and shelton. maybe bring shelton and let dotson and robinson go. draft or sign an under the radar wr. draft or sign an under the radar olineman.

in the draft i would concentrate on defense and oline.

zn wrote:

So who else will refine their game some more during this off-season and coming summer? Jackson? Alvila? Allen? Zach Evans? Lake?

that’s probably what i’m most excited about. how these young players develop. sure they could regress. you can have injuries. but at least in the case of avila, young, nacua, turner, and williams, i don’t see any letdown in terms of work ethic or mental toughness or intelligence. they seem to draft some pretty high character guys. even in the case of older but still young guys like jackson i still see them getting better. they’re entering the prime years. dotson. i’d love to see him come back, but the rams have been successful in the past making similar acquisitions. there was that browns guard they traded for a couple years back who made a similar contribution. austin corbett. i’m sure the fo and staff have a list of guys they follow.

but if they have eleven picks i’m thinking they can draft a third wr to replace robinson. they still have atwell who regressed a little bit but looked much better than his rookie year. add a bunch of bodies at oline through draft, bargain fa, and trades and just see what develops. i read a tweet talking about how dotson regressed with hav out of the lineup and picked up again when he was back in the lineup which makes me wonder if he isn’t necessarily the difference maker he appears to be. regardless i have a lot more faith in the fo these days to make the right decision. although yes it’s possible they have some duds like robinson in the past.

• This reply was modified 4 months ago by InvaderRam.
• This reply was modified 4 months ago by InvaderRam.

I remember when the Houston Oilers built a very good team.   Onliest problem was the Steelers had built a super-team.

I hope the McSnead-Rams dont end up being the Houston Oilers over the next few years.

Cuz, the 49ers look like they built a super-team.

We must burn sage and manifest crippling injuries for that north-calif team.

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