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Billy_TParticipantMcVay said he’ll retire too if that core three leave. After getting whacked in the head, it may only take two. It would not surprise me if the two you mention do decide to leave, Nittany, and that may be enough for McVay too. It must be damn frustrating for him along another front as well. He keeps losing coaches and scouts. I don’t keep tabs on the rest of the league all that much, so I’m not positive about this. But I’d bet no team has lost more coaches in the last few years than the Rams.
If Donald and Stafford go, that may be the last straw, and then the Rams will have to rebuild. Not sure how the cap works with players who retire, but the Rams seem to be the kind of team that won’t ask for their core guys to refund monies, though I think they legally can. So the Rams are likely to be in Cap hell and lack draft picks too. The Super Bowl win is so hard to achieve, it’s easy to say “it was all worth it,” and I agree. But I think they could have had their cake and eat it too. They could have managed player retainment, drafting, trades, and the cap better . . . . win the whole enchilada and remain competitive. It’s doable. Other teams have done it, etc.
Billy_TParticipantSome positives for me: Hoecht hustles. He’s a pretty good athlete for his size, though he needs to get a lot stronger to play well along the D-line. I saw him numerous times downfield, trying to make a play. No quit, and he’s good on ST too. Arcuri seemed to play well for his first start, though not perfect. The o-line was overmatched, of course, going against the first team KC defense. The Rams are essentially playing their exhibition season team, and they showed No Quit as well.
Perkins is obviously good as a runner. He needs some serious help, though, with his passing. Puts waaay too much air under his throws, and that’s a pic waiting to happen. He showed more zip in college, if memory serves, so I think he can throw the ball hard. But there may have been changes since then, so I’m not sure. It’s another positive that the team seems to like him and want to do well while he’s on the field.
I think the Rams need to try to trade Floyd in the offseason, but if they can’t, find the ideal time to let him go for cap savings and a comp pick. I’d like to see them keep Scott at safety, but I’m guessing they won’t. If they do move on, I think they should at least cross-train Kendrick for safety. He seems to be a willing tackler, and aggressive, but lacks the speed to play corner, IMO. Safety may be better for him. Which leads me to a more radical idea: Ramsey should play safety as well, but that would depend on the Rams upgrading their corner spots. Free agency is the most likely route there. If they can field two good corners, move Ramsey to safety. The flipside is obvious: major upgrades at safety would mean Ramsey stays put.
(They never should have let Johnson go)
Even with the loss, I’m glad I watched the game. That hasn’t changed for me since 1966.
Billy_TParticipantI think the NFL is owned and run by some very stupid people. They shell out mountains of cash for players who inevitably get hurt, often seriously, too often losing them for the year. Even if we leave out the dire moral and ethical implications, it’s just moronic to keep doing this without addressing the environment that causes those injuries — bad turf, too many games, not enough time between them, and rules that fail to protect the players.
Endless greed. Sociopaths in charge of it all.
The Rams aren’t just in a period of insanely bad luck. These injuries can be prevented, in some cases, and at least radically reduced overall. The league created golden geese and don’t seem to give a damn about caring for them.
Billy_TParticipantFor comparison sake, thought I’d list Christian Watson’s metrics. Of course, the usual caveats: No pads, relatively ideal conditions, etc. How these guys play on Sundays is what counts, not their Combine or Pro Day stats.
But it’s at least a rough picture of potential athleticism. A blueprint of sorts:
6 ft 4+1⁄8 in
(1.93 m) 208 lb
(94 kg) 32+1⁄2 in
(0.83 m) 10+1⁄8 in
(0.26 m) 4.36 s 1.45 s 2.45 s 4.19 s 6.96 s 38.5 in
(0.98 m) 11 ft 4 in
(3.45 m) 18 repsAgain, I want the Rams to get faster, quicker, bigger, more athletic, across the board, with guys who can maximize that on Game Day.
Billy_TParticipantHenderson is the Rams’ best runner, easily, IMO, and Hollins is a solid starter and good athlete for his size. Green Bay already grabbed Hollins off the waiver wire.
To me, these are inexplicable moves. They get nada for them. Unless I’m mistaken, the in-season release negates any chance for comp picks. It’s baffling, and the folks covering the team seem baffled too.
Are they really so loaded in the running back and linebacker rooms that they can afford to do this? Doesn’t appear so. They may be high on Williams, but he hasn’t proven a thing yet, and Hendo has. Henderson is also bigger, faster, quicker. Williams is pretty slow for a small back, at least on paper. Doesn’t have quicks, either. Note his ten-yard split and 3-cone.
5ft 9+1⁄4 in
(1.76 m) 194 lb
(88 kg) 28+5⁄8 in
(0.73 m) 9 in
(0.23 m) 4.65 s 1.57 s 2.69 s 4.33 s 7.07 s 32.0 in
(0.81 m) 9 ft 8 in
(2.95 m)Hoping he has the proverbial playing speed, etc.
McVay and company get a ton of slack due to last year. Can’t take that away from them or we fans. But they seem determined to stretch that slack to the limit.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by
Billy_T.
Billy_TParticipantJust saw a few highlights, but the bomb to Tutu was nearly perfect. A great, great throw and catch, and the line, at least on that play, gave Stafford plenty of time. He led the speedster with precision, Warner-like.
Tutu is possibly a smaller, faster version of Tavon Austin, but he still worries me out there. If they can keep him clean, in space, he can do some damage. But I also think they need to work with him on ball security. Teams will likely go after him with extra hard hits to strip the ball, etc.
Anyway . . . . the freakish injuries keep happening. How much of this is due to turf? I’d bet most of it. The Rams need to change SoFi to grass, as does every team.
Billy_TParticipantWV,
Again, agree with your take.
Billy_TParticipantI think we may see team needs differently, and what a “rebuild” would entail. I know the injuries along the O-line have been crazy, extreme, once in a decade, etc. But I don’t think it was a good line going into the season. They’ve neglected it for too long, IMO, relying too much on late-rounders and UDFAs.
I doubt they’ll end up doing this, but I wish they’d at least try to trade for picks, with the caveat of saying No, if the current Rams player has more value staying than leaving for X amount . . . as was the case with Woods, for example. Candidates would be Floyd, Noteboom, Rapp, ARob, and Akers. I’d float trial balloons for Higbee, too, and any of the late rounders of recent years who lack athleticism, but may be attractive to other teams. In short, I want the Rams to get faster, twitchier, bigger, more athletic. I think the draft is the most cost-effective route, too. Rookie contracts almost always help the cap.
Just tossing stuff around. The Rams have their own plans, and they’ll obviously do things their own way.
Billy_TParticipantThe issue of too many injuries is a given. But the Rams weren’t playing well from Game One. They weren’t playing well even before the rash of injuries. Looked flat. Out of sync, and all the usual cliches.
And a rash of injuries doesn’t hurt a team (as much) if they have a good bench. The Rams don’t. They’ve drafted poorly for several years, and have been without a first rounder since 2016. The roster is very thin, except at the top. “Next UDFA up” can only work so long, and will fall apart once a team hits a threshold for those injuries. The Rams have.
Also: you can “rebuild” without getting rid of the core. The Rams’ current team-building strategy is basically in a constant mini-rebuild anyway, around that core. I’m saying they need to change up a bit and trade for draft picks instead of vets, and surround that core with those draftees instead. Sign FAs when possible too, preferably ascending FAs. Stop shipping their picks for those vets, especially for rentals.
Shutting things down (in part) this season helps them do the above, and lets Stafford heal for next season. I’m betting he’s playing hurt, and not just the concussions. He’s never been the kind of player who lets people know.
Just my two cents, etc.
Billy_TParticipantWV,
I agree with you. Shut it down. Start Perkins. Let Stafford heal up. Play the rookies and youngins, though I’d play Floyd on passing downs. He should be auditioning for trade possibilities.
Start Jacob Harris, Tutu, McCutcheon. Lotsa targets for Robinson, cuz they should audition him as well for a trade. Sit Higbee. I’d love to see them use Hoecht at FB and blocking TE too. Basically, a lineup like they might have during the exhibition season.
Chalk this season up to ye old Super Bowl hangover, and get ready for 2023.
They’ll be good — maybe great — with some solid drafting and FE work. At least if Donald and McVay come back.
Billy_TParticipantMy criticism may seem too harsh, given last year. It also may sound “angry.” I’m not, at all. I’ve already resigned myself to the Rams missing the playoffs and likely failing to break .500, which is my prediction. I’m okay with all of that. I was almost there after last week; after this Sunday, I’m there.
Last year’s win carries more than enough for me to carry me through. I’d just like them to course-correct for the future, and I think they need to do that now.
Following up on my pre-game hopes, I definitely want them to do this now, especially with Kupp probably missing some games, too:
Shut down Stafford for the season, start Perkins (not Wolford) for the rest of the way, and find a path to increase their draft capital for next season and beyond. Think in terms of a rebuild. As others have mentioned, it’s quite possible that Donald will retire, and that might provoke others into similar decisions, including McVay.
We Rams fans may be in for a rough ride in the future, but we’ll always have Paris, I mean XXXIV and LVI
Billy_TParticipantThe Draft, of course, is a crap shoot. That said, the best chances to win at craps start with the first round and decrease after that. Obviously, you just have fewer and fewer shots at great players as the Draft goes on, and you also lose the ability to trade down for more good shots.
The Rams strategy can work if they hit on all of their late picks, and the guys they trade for (like Ramsey) live up to their rep. But if they end up with a lot of rentals, and relative failures (Watkins, for instance), it’s not going to work. If they don’t hit on their picks, their roster will be extremely thin, so they won’t be able to handle injuries. They haven’t hit on their picks, with a few exceptions. Turf Show Times has done some recent breakdowns of their drafts, and they’ve really been abysmal in the last few years.
Another issue: The Rams have let too many players go who could have helped them this year. Corbett and Blythe, for instance. I also think keeping SBD would have been a huge help on defense this year. The Rams let too many ascending players go, and rely far too much on the “next UDFA up” approach.
For those who say they didn’t have the money to keep these guys: they’ve been far too quick to extend a few core players, and that makes re-signing those ascending players, and the guys they trade for, next to impossible.
In short, I think the Rams have defeated the Rams this year, but the process started a few years ago.
Billy_TParticipantI wish the Rams would start Perkins today, or at least bring him in once the Rams get near the goal line. Run RPO, etc.
Wolford will get the nod, and if he loses the game, I’m leaning toward shutting down Stafford for the year, and starting Perkins for the rest of the way.
My guess is also that Rams fans are very thankful I don’t get to decide such things.
;>)
November 7, 2022 at 5:32 pm in reply to: Defensive Coordinator? Offense? Both? What’s the problem? #141566Billy_TParticipantI think Morris is doing a fine job, given the limitations of his personnel, and he’s likely to go elsewhere on his own, anyway. If the Rams continue to impress on D, he will be in the thick of things for HC consideration next season.
The O is the problem, not the D, in my view as well. Though I think the D could go from Top Five to Best in the League if they can find faster, more athletic and twitchy players to surround Donald and Ramsey. That’s been a weakness in their strategy in recent years, though I think bringing Hill back helps counter that trend a bit. They still need more athleticism, especially at edge and DB. Can’t play tight effectively without finding size/speed guys, the freakier the better. If you were to create that player in a lab, you’d probably come up with players like Seattle’s Tariq Woolen:
6 ft 4+1⁄8 in
(1.93 m) 205 lb
(93 kg) 33+5⁄8 in
(0.85 m) 9+1⁄8 in
(0.23 m) 4.26 s 1.47 s 2.49 s 4.30 s 7.10 s 42.0 in
(1.07 m) 10 ft 11 in
(3.33 m) 12 repsOr Zyon McCollum of the Bucs:
6 ft 2+1⁄8 in
(1.88 m) 199 lb
(90 kg) 30+3⁄4 in
(0.78 m) 9 in
(0.23 m) 4.33 s 1.46 s 2.51 s 3.94 s 6.48 s 39.5 in
(1.00 m) 11 ft 0 in
(3.35 m) 15 repsAnyway . . . to me, it’s not Morris. The Rams are in the midst of an offensive collapse.
Billy_TParticipantObviously, a tough loss. The offense is awful. Perhaps the worst it’s been since pre-GSOT days. Bad line, with, IMO, Evans being the main problem, and a much too predictable play-calling scheme. I don’t think Stafford is sharp, though he has his moments. It’s pretty much the Kupp show, and you can’t beat good teams with one guy.
On D, the soft coverage isn’t working, but the Rams don’t have the athletes to play tight. Rapp is too slow, as is Kendrick, to recover if the receiver gets past them. I just wish the Rams, especially with their late picks, drafted great athletes whenever available. Ironically, the Bucs went that route with Zyon McCollum, and Seattle with Wollen. When “freaks” are still on the board, take them. Amare Barno, out of Virginia Tech, is another. Couldn’t the Rams use a big edge rusher with sub-4.4 speed right now?
Bright spots on D, aside from the obvious? Troy Hill is playing very well. Wagner is proving to be an excellent pickup, though I’m betting most Rams fans expected that.
Anyway . . . TSRF, agree about Perkins. I think they should have been using him all along on goal-line situations, at least. RPO, etc. Give the offense a kick in the pants. Might be too tricky to work out, ego-wise. But I’d love to see it happen.
Billy_TParticipantDidn’t know Sofi was so bad. No excuse for it, given the five billion price tag, especially. For that kind of money, you’d think they could go full Mars terraforming.
If the players were smart, they’d say No grass fields? No play. And, again, drop back to 14 games, and no more Thursdays.
The players have more power than they seem to realize. They haven’t made the most of that, IMO.
Billy_TParticipantJust guessing that Akers doesn’t want a Running Back by Committee situation. I’d bet he wants to be the Bell Cow, but I don’t think he ever will be. He isn’t the best blocker, and he fumbles. If they were going to go running back with that pick, I wish they had chosen AJ Dillon instead. A hoss. Nearly 250. He could be that guy. It’s not Akers.
In Jourdan’s recent 11 Personnel Podcast, they finally talked about something I’ve been saying for awhile. The Rams have missed on too many draft picks recently, and when a team has their strategy of going all in for the Ramseys and the Staffords, etc. . . . they have even less wiggle room for those misses.
(Atwell, for example, was an unforgivable pick. Nothing against him. But it was an atrociously dumb choice, IMNSHO.)
Rams are a victim of their own success, in many ways, and they’ve had a staffing Brain Drain too, which includes scouts. Time for a major re-evaluation and reversal of that Brain Drain, and much better drafting from here on out.
Billy_TParticipantAlso makes me wish the NFL had stayed with 14 game seasons. Far better for player health, and I think it makes the individual games matter more. Best way for the NFL to protect the players, if they really cared about that . . . along with mandating grass fields, and no more Thursday games.
And while I’m still in that Old Guy “get off my lawn!” mode, hate to see the Rams on the other side of those kinds of trades, all too often, especially for the one season rentals. It’s time for the Rams to get a slew of picks for someone nearing the end of their careers instead. Can’t remember the last time they did that, but I’m betting it’s been decades.
That’s how you sustain a competitive team, IMO. You find that sweet spot in time when you can get a high return for your older stars nearing their sunset years, and you draft well to keep reloading. Recent example: It looks like Seattle chose the perfect time to trade Russell Wilson. In other sports? The Lakers should have already (at least) tried to trade Lebron.
Know when to hold ’em. No when to fold ’em, etc.
Billy_TParticipantSad to hear about Fanning. He was a really good Ram.
Quick look at the players they got, via wikipedia. I had forgotten what an amazing trade this was for the Rams. Hell, I would have traded Hadl for just Harrah. Or Slater. Or 99% of the guys in this list. One for one.
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Dennis Harrah = Thirteen seasons for Rams. Six Pro Bowls; 4.8 forty, benched 500 pounds.
Doug France = Two Pro Bowls; seven seasons for the Rams
Jackie Slater = 19 seasons for the Rams. HOF. Seven Pro Bowls;
Nolan Cromwell = 11 seasons for Rams. Four Pro Bowls; 1980s All Decade Team
Monte Jackson = Gave them 14 seasons. Two Pro Bowls
Pat Thomas = Seven seasons. Two Pro BowlsMike Fanning = excellent starter for eight seasons
Billy_TParticipantInjuries happen to every team. Recent articles on league averages show the Rams at about the middle of the pack, and their injuries haven’t been to the team “stars,” unlike other teams. They haven’t lost their key guys. But because they’ve relied on late round picks and UDFA signings to fill out the rest of the roster, even with starting O-line guys, they’re extra susceptible to major downgrades when injuries do happen.
When was the last time the Rams invested high picks in the O-line? When was the last time they HAD high picks?
There is no way it can’t come back to bite them, and it would have been crazy to think the Rams could keep mortgaging the future and never have to pay for it.
To me, it’s just bad chess playing, for far too many years. Trading draft capital for rentals, or near-rentals — Watkins, Cook, etc. Asking far, far too little for players they trade to others, like Woods, Ogletree, Young. As in, in general, the Rams pay far too much for players, and receive far too little for players they trade away.
It’s also problematic, IMO, to rely so heavily on late picks cuz they tend to develop later, and when they finally are good enough to start, the Rams cut them loose and say, “Next man up!!” But, the next men up are late rounders or UDFAs who are later rounders in large part because they’re not ready to start early in their careers.
The cycle would catch up to any team.
I love that they won it all last year. But I think they’ve been playing the F the Draft game for far too long, and I’m far from the only person who thinks that.
As always, hope they prove me waaay wrong.
Billy_TParticipantIt’s probably a consensus among fans that the O-line is the issue. But I think Stafford is a problem, too. His passes lack zip. They flutter. And, yeah, Robinson is a bad fit. I thought he’d help them a lot more than he has. Wrong guy, wrong team. He’s a jump ball guy, and the Rams need someone who creates separation instead. Stafford isn’t accurate enough on his own to have it come down to just those jump balls. Even with the great gain by Kupp today, it was all Kupp, on a poorly thrown pass.
Akers, IMO, is not an NFL back any longer. He’s still not recovered, and may never be. Henderson is the much better player. Not that other teams would want them, but if the Rams could get something in trade for Akers and/or Robinson, I’d go for it before the deadline. Preferably O-line help this year, but picks, if not.
Rams do not look like a playoff team at all at this point. All of those trades have caught up with them. Counting far too much on late picks and UDFAs has caught up with them. Not enough depth to weather an injury storm. Cliches R Us, but their strategy of putting all of their eggs in a coupla baskets did yield a Super Bowl, but it may well lead to limbo for several years afterward.
Those of us who have followed the Rams for a long time . . . well, we may be in for a very rough stretch in the next few years. Been there, done that, etc.
Billy_TParticipantI can’t really decide if Akers isn’t recovered, or if the line is just really bad. It may be both. The Rams aren’t going to win against good teams if they can’t run the ball, for obvious reasons. And they’re going to kill Stafford without that part of the offense.
I guess it’s a part of being a Rams fan for so long, cuz I’m already thinking about offseason moves. The majors being they’ve GOT to sign the best LT possible, plus another guard and center, and draft early for the O-line too. Biggest area of concern, IMO.
13 (regular season) games to play, so they have time to work some magic this season. But they don’t look like a Super Bowl team thru 4 games. Injuries have been devastating. Can’t remember it being this bad so early.
Billy_TParticipantI’d highly recommend the following. Apologies if you’ve already read them, etc.
Never let me go, by Kazuo Ishiguro. Modern classic. The movie is also excellent. One of the best adaptations of a novel I’ve ever seen.
We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin. Among the first dystopian novels. Came out in English in the early 1920s. Really good.
Kallocain, by Karin Boye. Read it back in the early 1990s, so have forgotten most of it. Just remember loving the story and the writing.
The Handmaid’s Tale, and its recent sequel, The Testaments, by Margaret Atwood. Classics, both.
Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel. I liked the sequel too, Sea of Tranquility, but not as much. Have not seen the series of the former yet.
Zed, by Joanna Kavenna. One of my favorite novels of the past few years. A great read. Wish they’d do a series about it.
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Will add some more, later, when I recovered a bit from last night’s game.
;>)
Billy_TParticipantHorrible game. Rams need to draft early and often for offensive line. Creed Humpreys intead of Tutu, 8 days a week and twice on Sunday.
I know it’s sacrilegious to say this, after the Super Bowl win, etcetera . . . but, yeah, the Rams gave up waaaaay too much for Stafford. He’s not the essential difference. Goff could have won with last year’s team, IMO. And Stafford is not looking good this year. He’s not as good as Herbert, Mahomes, Allen, etc. If the Rams had mortgaged the future for Herbert, I’d be all in. But not a guy who’s been beaten to a pulp for more than a decade and is on the Back Nine of his career. And they’re stuck with him. Cap hell for at least three or four years.
Stafford is the What If QB par excellence. If drafted by a decent team, he’s All World from Day One. But far too many years in Detroit. Rams got him too late, except for One Year — which was, of course, an awesome One Year.
The Rams also need a powerhouse back. Akers is not the guy. I like Henderson more, but he can’t stay healthy. They need a 240 pounder, to hurt the defense. Beef up the O-line AND the running game.
Too many injuries for the Rams this year. I hope they prove me wrong. But I don’t see them getting back to the Big Dance right now.
Billy_TParticipantDidn’t see the game, just the highlights. Happy for the win, but really surprised that the Rams let the Falcons back into the game. And I still don’t get taking the safety on purpose.
Stafford’s got to find a way to stop throwing pics.
Not worried about Kupp’s fumble. It looked like the perfect play by the defense. Just doesn’t happen very often. Kinda like bowling a 300.
I think the Rams are suffering a bit from the lack of early picks, especially when it comes to their O-line. They can’t keep going with the “next man up” thing when most of those guys are very late picks or UDFAs. With plenty of exceptions, of course, the best players are chosen early. That’s just the way it works. I want them to start to rebuild the trenches with a full slate of picks.
Also think they need a bell cow back. Gurley, in his prime, with Stafford? Sheesh. That would be unreal. No way to defend all of those weap0ns.
Of course, last year proved nearly all of my football theories wrong — in the best of ways — so there’s that. :>)
Billy_TParticipantThe Persians sent pressure around the flank and collapsed the pocket from behind.
But they had to cheat to do it. So it really doesn’t count.
Everyone knows the Persians had cameras inside wooden horses at all the Spartan practices, but the Pan-Hellenic League covered it up for years. And one of the Spartans gave the Persians the game plan. Kurtius Wagnericles and Leonidas Martzia really never had a chance.
Billy_TParticipantGood video of Gabe, given the limitations of media in that era. He really was fantastic.
WV gave more food for thought. It’s kinda nature/nurture, chicken and egg thing. How would the Rams skill guys have done with a Martz offense, or McVay’s, etc.? In the moment, I loved the entire team and didn’t see them as limited, anywhere. But looking back, and comparing this player and that . . . Jack Snow, for example, as excellent as he was, just wasn’t Holt or Bruce . . . but he likely would have gotten a lot closer to his potential with a more “creative” scheme than Allen’s. Same with their running backs. They lacked speed, overall, though Willie Ellison was a burner, with good size. Can’t remember why he didn’t last with the Rams longer. Then, of course, you have Billy Truax. He’s an Olympian in any era.
Anyway . . . yeah, comparing one era with the next is basically impossible. But it’s “fun” from time to time. Not so fun is the reality they lived in, financially. If memory serves, Rams starters back in the 1960s likely made in the 20-30K range, and often had to work summers. Merlin and Deacon, I think, worked at car dealerships to supplement their income. And, of course, sometimes starred in TV and movies. The Undefeated, with John Wayne, had Gabe and Merlin in it, and a coupla other players. It was a great movie for a Rams fan still wet behind the ears.
Has there ever been a player who seemed to age so . . . I don’t know . . . so unlike his football days as Gabriel? Olsen, OTOH, seemed to be who he was destined to be.
Billy_TParticipantI may have said this before: I despise exhibition games. Should be outlawed. If I were king, so it would be written, so it would be done. That and shaky cams.
The game is rough enough as it is. It beats the bejeesus out of players, day in, day out. But to lose an entire season over a completely meaningless game? Goddess I hate that. If you’re going to get hurt, let it at least count.
Blanton is a surprise. Thought he was a lock after last postseason.
Billy_TParticipantWV,
The rise and fall of Foles is strange. And then throw in Joe Flacco and Trent Dilfer winning Super Bowls for the Ravens. Neither QB is a tier one guy.
. . . .
Back to Gabriel. My memory of him is of defensive linemen and linebackers draped all over him as he still gets the pass off. Toughest QB evah. Cannon for an arm. And in those days, the defense could basically maul the QB. Yes, Warner took incredible punishment, especially because he tended to throw at the last split second — to optimize run after the catch, typically. But he also benefited from rules intended to protect that position. Gabriel had no such protections, aside from perhaps the most consistently good O-line in the NFL for a good decade.
Again, I think if he had had decent skill position weapons, the Rams would have won several Big Dances and he wouldn’t have been traded to the Eagles.
Billy_TParticipantMy old bias still stands. Gotta put Gabriel in the first tier. I think he had four great seasons, which (arguably) is one more than Warner, and he never had the skill position guys Warner had. Not even close. Plus, he played for the Rams for eleven years.
Checking his wiki page, I had forgotten he was drafted so early. First pick in the 1962 AFL draft (Raiders); second choice in same draft for the NFL (Rams).
IMO, you give Gabe players like Faulk, Bruce, Holt, and Hakim, and he would have bettered Warner’s production. He benefited from the stronger D, but he just didn’t have GSOT-level weapons.
Always thought Bulger was a lot better than he was given credit for by too many fans . . . caught up in the crazed football warz of that time. And Bradford was a real let down, cuz he was truly gifted with serious arm talent. IMNSHO, he just didn’t have much in the way of “drive.” May have been beaten out of him as a rook, etc. But he seemed to play flat nearly every week.
Goff? He’s an arm-kink away from being almost as good as Stafford, in my view. Best chance to have fixed that was McVay’s first season, but he soured on Goff all too soon and basically threw him under the bus. Which was hard to do, given that Bettis had retired and wasn’t in town.
;>)
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This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by
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