Respectfully, can someone show me where the fault lies?

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Medium-sized Lebowski
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Messages
35,576
Name
The Dude
The 2008 draft was controlled mostly by Linehan (this has been confirmed). Devaney became the GM in December of 2008, so he didn't really have a scouting department in place in April of 2008. Stands to reason, right? But since a great deal of people MUST include 2008 in the Devaney "era", this is who "he" brought in here, and who are on the team to this day (UDFA's included).

Sam Bradford
Robert Quinn
Chris Long
Jason Smith
Rodger Saffold
James Laurinaitis
Lance Kendricks
Bradley Fletcher
Austin Pettis
Justin King
Darell Scott
Greg Salas
Michael Hoomanawanui
Eugene Sims
Marquis Johnson
Chris Chamberlain
Josh Hull
CJ Ah You
Darian Stewart UDFA
Jacob McQuaide UDFA
Kevin Hughes UDFA
Dominique Curry UDFA
Tim Atchison UDFA
Danario Alexander UDFA

(that's 6 players per year, drafted and undrafted, who are still here)

*This doesn't include players they plucked off of other teams' practice squads (Gibson, Amendola, Drew Miller, Josh Gordy, Brian Jackson, Nate Ness, Quinn Porter, Bryan Mattison. That makes it 8 players per year (averaged out over 4 years).

A lot of them are on IR, so it stands to reason that a team with very limited depth after a 2009 housecleaning would tend to be more adversely affected by a rash of injuries like that. Wouldn't it? Stand to reason? So in 2009 they lose all their quarterbacks in various games, and lose receivers in such excess that they have to trade for one (Gibson) mid-season. And start him immediately.

In 2010 the CBA relegated hundreds of UFA's to RFA's unless they had accrued 5 years. So the market was very limited with available talent. We all remember that. The only names being bandied about with any serious consideration were Moss and Owens here. So they go into the season with receivers that everyone says "suck." Outside of conjuring some up out of thin air, not a whole lot anyone can do about that. Started a rookie QB and won 6 more games than the previous year and with one of the youngest teams in the league.

In 2011, everybody got injured. 10(11?) corners, 4 tackles, 3 receivers (4 now), the starting TE, the starting QB, backup QB, Long playing on a bad wheel, Robbins playing with a bad back, no off-season with multiple new players at new positions, new offensive system improperly implemented, stout schedule, offensive line shuffled to and fro, and whatever "excuses" anyone wants to add on top of that.

I ask you. Is there a coach who would notch more than 8 wins with that set of circumstances thrust upon them? Anyone? Does anyone here think a cumulative pile of crappy circumstances like this warrants proper evaluation of the head coach? Or the GM? In three years, and with all of that, we're done giving these guys a shot? Honestly? I'm not thrilled with the lack of playmakers, so hindsight re-drafts certainly give people ample ammunition to say Devaney has failed. Maybe he has if you use that criteria. I don't know though. I can't render judgement on him anyway; but even if I could, I wouldn't do it after 3 years and with all of the variables in place that show he didn't have a fair shake either.

Anyway, as the title suggests, can someone show me where the fault lies for the record Spags has to date?
 

superfan24

Starter
Joined
Jun 25, 2010
Messages
916
Todd Hewitt :boing: Sorry had to do it.
Seriously, great points and I'm convinced no other coach could have done better with what they have gotten.
 

Ram Quixote

Knight Errant
Joined
Jul 10, 2010
Messages
2,923
Name
Tim
IM(semi-sane)O, the media talk of Spags imminent ( :bs: ) firing is knee-jerk and agenda based. I wouldn't be surprised if one of these so-called sources being used has a strong desire to have Spags back on the market as a DC, or even a HC (football people aren't blind to what has happened during Spags time here, losing aside). The Rams recent history with HCs (3 and out) probably has someone eyeing the calendar.

Fortunately, Kroenke doesn't have much to do with the Rams' recent history with HCs.
 

Stranger

How big is infinity?
Joined
Aug 15, 2010
Messages
7,182
Name
Hugh
Great OP and followup.

Thank God Kroenke isn't listening to the media hacks.
 

Angry Ram

Captain RAmerica Original Rammer
Joined
Jul 1, 2010
Messages
18,000
We could also look @ the # of players that were let go or not resigned or retired after Spags took over:

Torry Holt
Orlando Pace
Drew Bennett
Dante Hall (wow 3 WRs right there)
Alex Barron
Will Witherspoon
Chris Draft
Quinton Culberson
O.J. Atogwe
La'Roi Glover
Marc Bulger
Keith Null
Trent Green
Fakhir Brown
Corey Chavous
Ricky Manning, Jr.
The 2006 and 2007 draft classes...
Plus 2008, when Spags wasn't here and Devaney had just input...only 3 players remain. One (King) won't likely be here next year.
 

steferfootball

Starter
Joined
Sep 24, 2011
Messages
854
Angry Ram said:
We could also look @ the # of players that were let go or not resigned or retired after Spags took over:

Torry Holt
Orlando Pace
Drew Bennett
Dante Hall (wow 3 WRs right there)
Alex Barron
Will Witherspoon
Chris Draft
Quinton Culberson
O.J. Atogwe
La'Roi Glover
Marc Bulger
Keith Null
Trent Green
Fakhir Brown
Corey Chavous
Ricky Manning, Jr.
The 2006 and 2007 draft classes...
Plus 2008, when Spags wasn't here and Devaney had just input...only 3 players remain. One (King) won't likely be here next year.
Amazing. Only one player (Atogwe) was any good.

I guess Witherspoon was okay, but he isn't a great player anymore.
 
Joined
Sep 14, 2011
Messages
129
Owners are KneeJerks!

Spags took a gutted team to within one game of winning the division last year with a rookie QB, 2 rookie OTs
and a gutted roster in FULL rebuild mode with no talent or depth. Now, after staggering injuries...Spags is OUT!?!
Raheem Morris had his boys playing great last year....now he SUCKS?
If Manning played, and wasn't injured, Caldwell & Colts would be in the Play-offs!! But, now Jim Caldwell sucks now too?
It's getting to be that INJURIES really are an excuse...to FIRE your coach.

This whole short term PROFIT motive is rampant throughout our society...even outside the NFL.
The time when players were allowed o learn at their own speed and be groomed for spots are OVER
(except for Pittsburgh Steelers...they groom players slowly they know how to do it).
This is how players/coaches are discarded and wind up being part of the answer somewhere else.
It's simply foolish.

How does an owner hire a first time HC and not expect him to learn on the job.
I have a hard time thinking we'd see the same crappy team if Spags/McJosh/Devaney had one more season to develop the SAME systems for both offense & defense.
The teams with directions/plans/identities established have often had stability.
Another draft, OTAs, etc are needed before we render a judgment. Remember now, Spags stepped into a FULL tear down of a roster!!!
And so he & Devaney signed top FAs to build the OL/DL, made trades for Gibby, LRobinson, etc
...they also made some mistakes on personnel....well, duh!

Every talking-head said the Rams signed a great group of FAs this offseason and predicted winning the division....
and the 49ers near the bottom with that old horrible cardboard cut-out of a QB - Alex Smith.
OOPS! It reminds us that nothing is easy judge...especially human beings.

We have purged the roster of TURDS...we have an unbelievable group of character players that do NOT quit...even after most of the fans have!
As a former QB, most people have no idea how much it means to have those types of guys in a huddle...
or how important it is to have time to practice
and get a new offense/passing game down...with new WRs.
It all takes time....and CANNOT be compared to other teams, because each situation is different.

Sadly, our culture doesn't see the value in allowing time to let people/players learn anymore.