zn wrote:

I don’t see the Rams acting like this OL has to be fixed.

well i don’t see it as needing to be fixed either. this is just one of many possibilities. another possibility is drafting a corner at that spot and a center later. or if they trade back and get more picks that would be great too. draft that kid from oregon. jackson powers-johnson. sounds like a late first rounder at this point. then draft secondary later in the rounds.

they’ve got options which is great. i do think they need to draft a pass rusher at some point. and add another through free agency. even if it isn’t a marquee signing. and a tight end for depth. running back maybe. it depends on what they see in evans. depends on what they think of him. maybe it’s a matter of him getting the pass protection down. i don’t know, but as a runner he seems to have potential looking back at the scouting reports. a receiver might be necessary. in the later rounds for depth. and i’m a little worried about kupp’s health.

i’m hoping they can draft a cb. i like cooper dejean. when i read his profile i immediately think jalen ramsey. probably doesn’t make it that far though.

ack. good for him though. i’d rather the rams promote from within if possible.

Billy_T wrote:

The above changes, of course, if the Rams make miracles happen and sign Brian Burns. He gives them a top-flight edge, age 26 for the next season, so they can focus elsewhere.

i’m pretty sure he’s gonna get tagged. so then you’re looking at giving up significant draft capital.

zn wrote:

If you lowball Jackson you’re inviting the rest of the league to think about poaching him, and therefore getting a solid experienced veteran starting LOT at a very cheap price.

i agree. i was at one point wanting to draft a left tackle to replace jackson but at this point i’d rather they opt for continuity. bring back jackson. bring back dotson. they may have to draft a center. but i’d try to bring back as many starters as i could on the oline.

Billy_T wrote:

Speaking of age: Nacua is listed as 23 on the official Rams site, but 22 elsewhere. Wiki has him with a 2001 DOB and 22. A few other sites do as well. Weird that they can’t get a consensus age for players.

he’s listed as 22 on the official website.

it might not be the worst idea to trade down. just add volume and see what sticks.

i would like to see them make one major fa signing outside bringing their own players back – preferably a pass rusher.

yeah. this all of a sudden becomes the rams biggest need on offense.

zn wrote:

Yeah Hopkins is a UFA in 2024. But I doubt they pay him because the Rams have used Allen far more than Hopkins, which makes you wonder if they even want Hopkins. (Allen has 192 snaps to Hopkins 96. Heck Hunter Long saw 55 snaps and he was on IR for all but 4 games.)

yeah. doubt they bring back hopkins. i like what i’ve seen of allen but they can’t go into next season with just allen and long. maybe they draft one. or another trade.

zn wrote:

Analysts I’ve seen have shown that he still runs routes like a rookie and can improve in that area.

this. i remember seeing a video of him and kupp. they were doing these footwork drills. the difference between the two was so drastic. if puka can improve this skill, i gotta think his route running will improve make him so much more effective. not just getting open but having more space after the catch when he gets the ball. also maybe make him more effective in the red zone where there’s more traffic.

and i agree too that his hands can improve. he seemed to have occasional concentration lapses. kupp had this problem his rookie year and was able to improve dramatically.

matt lafleur has done an incredible job in green bay.  he’s had to oversee a qb change – replacing arguably the greatest qb of his generation.  all the wide receivers and tight ends are either rookies or sophomores.  wow.

zn wrote:

veteran starting caliber qb

but i wouldn’t even consider him a veteran starting caliber qb. by its strictest definition sure he was. in reality he was a sophomore qb on his second offensive coordinator in as many years. looking back on goff’s career you can say that but at the time he wasn’t. and i would also argue that exacerbating goff’s lack of experience at the time was the fact that mcvay himself wasn’t much older than goff. their combined age didn’t even equal vermeil or fisher when they first took a job with the rams which is insane to me when you think about it.

and it’s not a knock on fisher at all. in fact i credit him with providing a lot of the essential foundation work with which mcvay had to work with including goff. and at the time i thought fisher was given a raw deal by getting canned that year. obviously i feel different now, but fisher was the best coach the rams had since vermeil.

i’d rate mcvay over vermeil. took the rams to two superbowls with two different quarterbacks – won one of them.

it’s true that he inherited a much more talented roster than vermeil. so there’s that. and it’s true that mcvay has had snead to lean on regarding personnel decisions, but vermeil also had martz running that offense while i think mcvay has had much more control over the current offense. it’s my opinion that vermeil was much more of a delegator. that’s not necessarily a bad thing. like with mcvay it’s good to realize your shortcomings and be able to delegate to others. vermeil with martz and mcvay with snead.

and i also take longevity into account. vermeil was here three seasons and left. mcvay is about to complete his seventh season and will be here at least through 2024 making it eight seasons. he’ll have been here a decade if he completes his current contract.

i’m like zn in that i can’t speak on the coaches i haven’t seen.

if he can win another superbowl i think the debate is over. for me. i can at least see an argument for putting vermeil on par with mcvay but another superbowl and i don’t think it’s even a question anymore. that would be three superbowls and two wins.

• This reply was modified 10 months, 1 week ago by InvaderRam.
• This reply was modified 10 months, 1 week ago by InvaderRam.

Zooey wrote:

I wonder what the odds in Vegas are that this will be a forgettable game. Seasons and games come and go, and some of them leave an indelible, Instant Recall impression, and the others mush together like a couple of donuts left on a summertime dashboard. I think I will have instant recall of this season and of this playoff game 10 years from now.

yes.

which stafford will show up @ det?

 

no qb was hotter during wks 12-16, staff threw 14 tds, 1 int, and posted 100+ qb rtg in every game during the 5-game stretch.

 

for wk 17 tho he ranked: #23 qb rating, #21 epa, #30 when pressured, #27 when clean, shades of his shaky 2023 start.

that is one worry i have. he’s a very streaky qb. hopefully the rams get the dialed in stafford for the playoffs. and i also worry about nacua. he’s already played 17 games. he always seems to have energy but 17 games has got to wear on a player who’s only played double digit games in one season of college football.

if kupp can get right. and he’s only played 12 games this season which might actually benefit the rams in the playoffs. the rams offense could go on a roll. kyren too. 12 games so he should have plenty in reserve.

another thing i was thinking. i hope lafleur can stay here for awhile. i don’t see any buzz surrounding him regarding a hc gig so i think he’s good for at least one more year. but i hope he can stay for at least another year after that. his stint with the jets and lack of play calling duties with the rams may just help the team keep him.