your relation to this season is…? same as usual? losing interest? etc?

I’ve expressed this elsewhere. My strong allegiance to the Rams has waned. I am a little surprised at how much. I will try to watch the beginning of the first round of the draft, and try to be part of the chat room, but even as I type that, I realize that I’m not nearly as excited as usual. And the NFL Draft used to be “the thing” for me this time of year.

I think my waning interest is due to two factors:

1) The Move. It’s not just that the Rams may move, it’s that Kroenke has pre-determined that they should move to L.A. If there were discussions, I would be optimistic. But, there aren’t. And, that means the Rams’ move sure seems inevitable. I’ve looked at it from various angles, and it all comes back to Kroenke is doing everything he can do to hightail it to the West Coast. And, that bums me. Because I thought the franchise was at least headed upward. However …

2) … I am tired of a weak offense and inconsistent defense. But, worse, are the slow starts each year. After reflecting on last year, and looking at Fisher’s history, I wonder if he has the coaching acumen to bring the best out of an offense. He might be too “old school” and not innovative enough. Now, we have Foles at QB, and that doesn’t excite me, either. The whole QB situation is pretty weak. There’s not much to this team that really excites me right now, until I know that the D will be dominant, and I’m not sure about that. … Still, if the Rams weren’t trying to move to L.A., maybe I’d be more optimistic or engaged, I don’t know. Perhaps that’s coloring my view of the team (or, opening my eyes).

I personally am as excited and optimistic about 2015 as I have been for the last 45 seasons. We are not only returning our starting defense, but with one exception we are returning our second string defense as well. We have a new QB, young and upcoming weapons, and the best coach in the division. Yeah, I am a huge Fisher fan, and I am one of the people who try to look past the record and see whether the team has gotten better over the last three years. He started with an absolutely miserable roster, and had to compete in the NFC West just when it was ascending to its crescendo. And he had to compete with back-up journeymen QBs the last season and a half going up against the division’s first string QBs. Under those circumstances, I am not sure who could have done better.

This team is ready to turn it around, right now. Go on a big run. Start crushing people. In 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . .

zn wrote:

zn wrote:

It’s appropriate to ask this before the draft.

Some people I think are disheartened because of the move.

Some are getting worn down by Fisher—they have doubts about him.

Some (like me) are still the same optimistic idiots they’ve always been every other off-season.

wv wrote:

I think they are a solid healthy OLine
away from double-digit wins
and playoffs.

All the other Units are
good enough, i think.

One unit left.
w
v

But that implies you have an emotional interest running fairly strong. (Me too.) But we’re nomads. It’s going to be a strange season in many respects. But a lot of us are still invested. Some? Not as much, maybe.

So that’s a fair description on my part? You’re still chugging along, interested as usual? Plus (also like me) you see the potential for good things….

.

Oh, i get your question now. I misread it, i think.
Sure, I am as invested as ever. A move to LA
wouldnt change my feelings.

Heck I followed this team for years with
Georgia and Shaw and Zygmunt at the helm,
and I couldnt stand them. I mean, i loathed
them. Now, i loath Kroenke. So it goes.

For me, the ‘team’ is the players and coaches.
I just try not to vomit when I think of
the Owners and corporate PR-suits.

The Rams are the Horns to me.
Which includes the blue and white Merlin
and the blue and yellow Youngblood,
and the gold and blue Warner.

w
v

I’m interested, but hateful. I am every off season. I hate waiting for the season to begin. Then it begins, and we only get to watch once a week.

I HATE that it takes so long for the draft to happen.

I turn my brain off to the rest of this stuff. If they move, they move. I’m married to this team now. Just like in marriage, I both love and hate it. It won’t matter where they play or who the coach is.

Same for me – anxious to see how the next year plays out on the field and anxious to see how the draft goes. I have a good expectation that the Snisher draftees youthful experience is going to start paying off. Health is the big issue. Williams being there again with a great young group he knows. A healthy QB. I’m optimistic the Rams can compete for the division.

• This reply was modified 9 years ago by sdram.

I’m very optimistic. We’ve been saying “this team is built to win in 2015” for awhile and now it’s here.

I really don’t care if they play in outer space.

Home is where the heart is and my football heart is with the Rams.

If we take care of our OL, and there are several paths to doing that, then we should not only make the playoffs, but be that team in the playoffs that no one wants to face.

Am I excited? Hell yeah!

I’m less engaged than I can ever remember being. While I seldom post, I’ve always checked this board (or one of its predecessors) at least a couple of times a day, even in the off-season. This year it’s been once or twice a week. I’ve hardly read any draft coverage at all. I don’t even have any players that I’m really hoping they’ll take and that’s very strange.

I think that there are a lot of things playing into it. Fisher is part of it. I don’t have much faith him. I’m pessimistic about the OL, and I’ve reached a point where I just assume that when week 1 rolls around this team won’t yet be ready for the season and will – yet again – just concede some of the early games. Part of it’s the move. While I don’t live in STL anymore, it’s home and their leaving will make me sad. The way that it’s been handled is even worse. Reading so much news that involves Kroenke has created a sort of conditioned emotional reaction that transfers to the team as a whole. Some of it’s the league too. All the coverage of injuries and the league’s response, Ray Rice, public subsidies, etc. also saps a bit of my enthusiasm. It’s not that I’m just learning that there is so much about the league that is evil; it’s just that it’s getting harder to ignore.

In spite of all that, when the bill for Sunday ticket comes, I’ll pay it. When they kick off on week 1, I’ll be glued to the TV with my dad on speaker phone, and I’ll be rooting for the Rams; just with a bit less enthusiasm than in the past.

I don’t have any conscious memory of a time before I was a Rams fan. I don’t have a second-favorite team. I am a sucker for the Rams, because I require nothing from them in order for them to retain my total allegiance. No Ram owner or front-office executive – in fact no Ram of any kind, ever – has ever known or cared that I exist. I have no voice in the Rams’ realm. There have been some dismal years. Stretches of years. Difficult to watch years. I am critical, but I don’t waver.

My enthusiasm frequently manifests in the hope that I will be pleasantly surprised at how well the Rams play.

This season represents a potential step backwards, with a new QB and a first-time OC. That scenario has become monotonous. I have no clue as to which Foles we will see.

Everybody knows that priorty number one is the offensive line this offseason. Nothing but crickets so far, but that just means they’ve passed on two or three free agents. This isn’t the time to worry yet, even though we want all problems addressed immediately.

I already know how I will react if they move. I went through it when they left LA. I don’t hope they move back to LA. At this point, I think it will hurt Stl more than it will help LA or the Rams if they leave. I hope they stay put. But in either case, I’ll still be a Rams fan.