And that’s right when Woods got hurt, so that didn’t help.

They adjusted. He adjusted. And he was clicking with OBJ at the end.

And you left out Higbee.

An offseason with Woods, OBJ, Kupp, and Higbee? Sign me up for that spectacle.

Right now? He may get in, but not immediately. He would be debated.

Seven more years with McVay?

He’s in.

Probably 3 more years.

After this Super Bowl stuff dies down, and people get bored and start looking at 2nd tier questions, people are going to start looking more carefully at his Detroit years. And I don’t know what that examination will reveal, exactly, because I sure didn’t watch him play in Detroit, but a man who has those stats while never winning is probably going to get a more favorable review. I would think.

If he retired today? He might get in several years after eligibility.

But his trajectory is HOF. If he is a stock, I’m buying.

Sapp has changed his tune.

He downplayed Donald the first few years. And I guess that’s fair.

Longevity and consistency are certainly factors.

The fact that Aaron Donald made this sack is 🤯

That man is unreal. pic.twitter.com/TNlAsutDFE

— Super Bowl CHAMP jonah (@j_nametag) February 16, 2022

1000%%% #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/YvzNfGIBZe

— OBguey objs twin brother! (@mikeyayye99) February 15, 2022

Eli Apple trying to guard Cooper Kupp in the fourth quarter pic.twitter.com/gQ2tM29P2I

— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) February 14, 2022

Such an incredible experience providing coverage at my first Super Bowl, unlike Eli Apple. pic.twitter.com/7QelePlnfE

— Annie Agar (@AnnieAgar) February 14, 2022

“There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”

~ Matt Stafford, The Picture of Dorian Gray

wv wrote:

Well, i dont think its a coincidence that Kupp elevated his game right when Stafford became the QB. Kupp would not have had this kind of year, with Goff. Its some sort of symbiosis type thing. Stafford and Goff are more than the sum of their parts. Their skills and weird-psychic-connection make the combo lethal. Btw, I predicted Kupp would be injured at some point this year. But he proved to be quite strong and durable. Instead, Higby, Woods, and OBJ went down. w v

Yeah, in the beginning of the season, I thought Stafford was a bit better, and just more mature/experienced than Goff. I now think the gap in talent between the two of them is larger than I initially believed. The book is not closed, of course. We will see how Stafford and Goff each perform next year, but…man. I believe in Matthew Stafford now. I’m a Staffordite.

While there was a lot of noise about that holding call at the end of the game, I saw only one person (Cowherd) make the observation that it was 3rd down. Without that flag, the Rams still have the ball, and I don’t really have doubt that they would have scored on 4th and goal. I just think on 4th and 8, Stafford would have scored anyway. What, in the 4th quarter, did my man Stafford do all season long?

I just now think that the Rams are basically in the playoffs as long as Stafford and Kupp are playing together. Damn, they just won the Super Bowl with no #2 or #3 WR, a #3 or 4 TE (who had ONE regular season possession), and a run game that did nothing but maybe keep the defense honest. Seriously, after OBJ went down, Stafford had Kupp and some filler. The filler did just enough, but that game was about the stars, as others have pointed out.

I underrated Cincy’s DLine, btw.  They shut down the run. But they got to Stafford only twice.

Billy_T wrote:

Right now, I think it’s clear: Kupp is the best wideout in football; AD the best defensive player; Ramsey the best corner; McVay top three coach. I still don’t know where to place Stafford, but his playoff run gets him into the conversation for at least top five.

I agree with that. And I am still trying to process the idea that the Rams have two players on their team who are arguably the best player in the game.

I think there’s a part of me that just didn’t believe my eyes with Cooper this year. He’s always been scrappy and productive, but not…sensational…or something. I don’t know what I expect from a great WR…maybe somebody huge and fast like Moss or Owens. But, man, you look back on his season, and right through the playoffs, and it just could be the greatest season a WR has ever had. That just isn’t a lie. Cooper Kupp is just a cheat code. He gets open, he catches the ball, and he can’t be tackled. He is surreal.

And just to add to what I said earlier about the Millers and Beckhams finding LA attractive, all of these guys – Beckham, Stafford, Ramsey, Floyd, even Miller to some extent – they all came in with a bit of a chip on their shoulder. Something to prove. I suspect that was more luck than design, but McVay/Snead have put together a team of hungry football players who put in the work. It was rumored that Goff didn’t work as hard as he could have, and it’s rumored that Stafford works. This is a team of workers. They just were not going to be denied, and even with a ton of weapons watching from the sidelines, the OL came through for Stafford, and Kupp was enough.

This angle of Matthew Stafford's no-look pass. 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/vwWRUsMekn

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) February 14, 2022

McVay: This guy has grown up. I think he learned from the loss to the Patriots, and just generally. He stuck with the run even though it wasn’t working (at all). This is the kind of game where he would have given up on the run. AND…I think the game plan was focused on OBJ. He thought the Bengals would do everything they could to take out Kupp (which they didn’t, even after OBJ’s injury, and I don’t understand not doubling Kupp every damn play). OBJ was wide open, even on the play he got hurt, and was on his way to having a monster game. I think the Rams would have won this game substantially with OBJ. The Rams were missing Woods, OBJ, Higbee, Blanton, Fuller and Weddle…they were playing backups to the backups, and McVay made it work. He adjusted.  And the culture he has created is 2nd to none. Kroenke had better open up his wallet for both McVay and Snead.

Donald: A case could be made that he should be the MVP because the Bengals knew they couldn’t block him, and the gameplanned for that. Instead of their signature 7-step drops and chuck the ball, Burrow was releasing the ball in 1.8 seconds. Donald and the DLine made the Bengals sacrifice their strength before the game even started. That’s incredible. And when they went away from the run, the DLine just ate the Bengals alive. After that 75-yard TD to start the 2nd half, the Bengals got just 50 yards the rest of the game. Burrow got sacked 7 times in 22 plays. (I heard Peter King say today that he thinks Donald will retire. He was at the Rams party until 4am).

Stafford: I didn’t notice that no-look pass until I saw the highlight this morning. That was ridiculous. And Matthew Stafford is clutch. That guy’s playoff run was amazing. 15 play drive when they needed it most, making 3 playoff games in a row where he led game-winning drives. Aaron Rodgers has 2 such drives in his playoff career. Stafford got 3 in one post-season. He is Nails.

Kupp: I think Cooper Kupp is in the conversation of best player in the NFL. Everybody KNEW the Rams were going to Kupp, and he just worked them anyway. The guy just catches and runs and he is unstoppable. In his last 3 games, he had 28 receptions, 6 TDs, and 4xx yards receiving against playoff teams. Stafford to Kupp is going to be a big problem for the NFL for a long time. I don’t know if they can get any better because they both work their butts off, but even as they stand right now, this is as dangerous a duo as exists in the NFL, and may be the most dangerous. Kupp is ridiculous. This guy might be Jerry Rice.

OBJ: I am sorry for that guy. I think he was headed towards a huge game, and now he’s out until who knows when. He is probably going to get a one-year deal as a consequence, too. I think he will stay with the Rams. He loves the team, and OBJ can make more money outside of football in Los Angeles anyway. He is made for those opportunities, and if he is a star on the Rams, he can bank really big money on the side. I was going to put $200 on OBJ yesterday. I heard a prop set on him at 63 yards. I was going to bet the over on that because he was going to get that easily, imo. But I hadn’t wagered since the 2018 season, and my account was deactivated, and I couldn’t get it re-activated in time, and did not get that bet placed. So OBJ’s blown knee did not blow a hole in my wallet.

Kroenke: I am going to say something nice about an owner. This guy had a vision, and he worked it, and worked it, and worked it. I remember reading that he just patiently hammers away at his goals back when he bought the team, and when it was clear he was going to LA. He built the crown jewel of the NFL right in LA, the city where no stadium deal could ever get done, that had 2 NFL teams leave, that people said did not care about football. Then he hired the right people, and let them make the football decisions. He let Snead reinvent team-building philosophy, and trusted McVay on Goff, and Demoff on money, and he just won the Super Bowl last night in what was a 6-hour long commercial for Los Angeles. I don’t think that attracting Millers and Beckhams is going to be a problem for this team as long as McVay is around. Stan knew what he was doing, and he did it. Right now, the Rams are THE model franchise. That is what Kroenke just did.

zn wrote:

The Rams got to the end without Woods, OBJ and Higbee

The Rams won the Super Bowl.

And I am happy about it.

InvaderRam wrote:

i can’t take it.

You can.

And you will.