And hasn’t rebounded. The team hasn’t said much but watching hard knocks. Few years ago I seriously question his worth ethic and will to be great
Something is over with Gurley too. The staff doesn’t involve him in the passing game anymore at all - which had been one of his best features - and his touches are generally limited.
Oh and Kupp didn’t have a touch today lol
In short a total mess - but if you ever had coffee with mcvey you are a head coach now. Most of those teams are struggling. Shocking.
The biggest reason. Whitworth finally hit his wall and they lost a couple of guys to FA and retirement. Replacements haven't been good. Gurley falling off was big too. Teams have also figured out McVay around the 2nd half of last year and he hasn't been able to counter. All of those factors led to the neutured offense they have now.
They were the catalysts of that offense, not the QB or the passing game.
OL has regressed for sure. And Gurley isn't a bell cow anymore...
Wait a minute, RBs are fungible according to you, so you can't use a RB in decline as an excuse. Try again using an argument that you have actually supported.
But the Rams over-invested in him and when it came time to keep their good OL together this offseason they just didn’t have the funds. So now that is a key reason why they aren’t running the ball as well. And plus Gurley is showing the classic wear and tear most running backs exhibit after about five seasons.
because play action was the key to their passing game. Gurley is clearly not the same player, and Goff isn't good enough to put the team on his back. They're in a bit of trouble, with so much of their cap tied up in Goff, Gurley and Donald.
They were comparing the Minkah Fitzpatrick and Jalen Ramsey trades. The Fitzpatrick trade has catapulted the Steelers right into the thick of the playoff race. The Ramsey trade has had an inverse effect with the Rams as they are heading in the wrong direction.
may end up being yet another cautionary tale about anointing a young QB and/or coach too soon.
What separates the franchise QB's from those who shine early on is their longevity and consistency over many years. Goff had been a beneficiary of a very good OL, and excellent RB and some innovative play-calling. With a pedestrian OL and a RB who is banged up, you see the effectiveness plummet.
It also has the impact of making a whiz kid look ordinary too, because the spotlight starts getting put on poor clock management and questionable decisions, decisions that succeeded far more with a better roster.
They don't have a first round pick for the next 2 drafts and have some big contracts on the books. They also have players on the roster that they will have to pay including Ramsey.
Fatman McVay is a very good coach, but Goff sucks, and the biggest Â
blow is Gurley falling off. The built an older talented roster and its all starting to fall apart and they have no 1st round picks moving forward. They sold out for a short superbowl window, but Gurley breaking down took their chances away from a Lombardi. The Ramsey trade is interesting because instead of recognizing this, they doubled down, not sure if that was the right move.
especially ones like Donald who's signing bonuses have been paid - they'd get a haul for him. So yeah they've got limited draft capital but they can "restart" and get a lot of it back if they wanted to (I don't see them doing this but its possible). Gurley can even be cut after 2020 and not take too massive of a hit and can easily cut him after 2021.
Goff is the killer, he's untrade-able and unless he figures it out the rest won't matter.
is also a good one to look at as the norm. The natural progression of how many short-term contenders are built.
They create a two year window where they have a shot to be in the SB with high priced FA acquisitions tied to the same time-frame as a QB and skill positions on the 1st contracts.
And it worked. It worked for the Panthers too. Worked for the Falcons. The problem is - it only got them close and then the window closes.
It is damn hard to win consistently in the NFL because if you are successful with young players, they will get paid. and if you want to be successful with older players, they either come with a high-price tag or they blossomed late.
what does it even matter if people think McVay will be a great HC? I guess that sucks for Rams fans if it isn't the case but its not like there's any reason to fire him either.
Goff I think people pegged pretty dead on. A QB who benefitted from an all-star supporting cast but kept coming up small in big games. Now that that supporting cast has weakened a bit his play has fallen off a cliff. And the coaching isn't resonating which is compounding it.
They should have done what Dallas is doing with Dak - franchise him and figure out if this guy can handle it when things go wrong. Massive mistake.
I'm surprised how little Goff has grown into it. It's not a remote control car out there, he's the one who was making it look easy for 18-20 games.
I said I'd give it to midyear to assess whether Goff was a top a QB, and I admit he isn't.
McVay is at the cross roads all coaches go through, is he a play caller or a head coach. He's a smart guy. He needs to reassess or he's going to be a burn out.
The Rams are a relatively easy game winning FG by Zeurlein in Seattle from being 6-3. Plus, the refs absolutely screwed them in that game on several calls, especially because they dared to breath on Russell Wilson.
They need to unload Donald. That would help restore some significant draft capital.
Great, great player. But someone has to go at this point considering their situation...
Donald's contract would leave $41 mill in dead money next year, so they really can't move him until after the 2020 season. This is who they are for the next year and a half at least.
Lightning in a bottle last season, that offense is predicated on having multiple options in the passing and running game and not tipping your hand by personnel or formation. Gurley was the engine and his decline is in step with the rest. Goff isn't a great or very good QB, he's a caretaker type. The other side of the coin is a defense that isn't strangling teams every week. Football is the most complementery sport that exists and one side suffering will affect the other side as one side performing well will buffer it's opposite as well.
They are still very good just not as good as last year. It's not terribly hard to figure out.
Something is over with Gurley too. The staff doesn’t involve him in the passing game anymore at all - which had been one of his best features - and his touches are generally limited.
Oh and Kupp didn’t have a touch today lol
In short a total mess - but if you ever had coffee with mcvey you are a head coach now. Most of those teams are struggling. Shocking.
OL has regressed for sure. And Gurley isn't a bell cow anymore...
Quote:
They were the catalysts of that offense, not the QB or the passing game.
OL has regressed for sure. And Gurley isn't a bell cow anymore...
What separates the franchise QB's from those who shine early on is their longevity and consistency over many years. Goff had been a beneficiary of a very good OL, and excellent RB and some innovative play-calling. With a pedestrian OL and a RB who is banged up, you see the effectiveness plummet.
It also has the impact of making a whiz kid look ordinary too, because the spotlight starts getting put on poor clock management and questionable decisions, decisions that succeeded far more with a better roster.
Goff is the killer, he's untrade-able and unless he figures it out the rest won't matter.
The league has definitely figured Goff & McCvay out. It's their move now to adjust.
The Rams should be investing in their offensive line, it was a huge factor in their success in 17 and 18.
You look at that Gurley contract and woof. They are paying 17M for that next year.
Great, great player. But someone has to go at this point considering their situation...
They create a two year window where they have a shot to be in the SB with high priced FA acquisitions tied to the same time-frame as a QB and skill positions on the 1st contracts.
And it worked. It worked for the Panthers too. Worked for the Falcons. The problem is - it only got them close and then the window closes.
It is damn hard to win consistently in the NFL because if you are successful with young players, they will get paid. and if you want to be successful with older players, they either come with a high-price tag or they blossomed late.
Goff I think people pegged pretty dead on. A QB who benefitted from an all-star supporting cast but kept coming up small in big games. Now that that supporting cast has weakened a bit his play has fallen off a cliff. And the coaching isn't resonating which is compounding it.
They should have done what Dallas is doing with Dak - franchise him and figure out if this guy can handle it when things go wrong. Massive mistake.
I said I'd give it to midyear to assess whether Goff was a top a QB, and I admit he isn't.
McVay is at the cross roads all coaches go through, is he a play caller or a head coach. He's a smart guy. He needs to reassess or he's going to be a burn out.
Great, great player. But someone has to go at this point considering their situation...
Donald's contract would leave $41 mill in dead money next year, so they really can't move him until after the 2020 season. This is who they are for the next year and a half at least.
They are still very good just not as good as last year. It's not terribly hard to figure out.