Some recent Ram coaching/FO decisions that I still don’t understand…

[Rams43]

Honestly, I’m starting to lose confidence in these coaches and this FO.

Here we go…

Why pick Atwell over Humphrey?

Why keep starting Evans with Brewer, Aboushi, and Skura in the wings? Now we’ve got Stafford in concussion protocol. Geez…

Why take forever to integrate AR in the O after a reportedly stellar camp?

How and why did they allow TE corps to be reduced to essentially one functional player (Higbee)? They virtually unilaterally neutered their own TE room.

WTH happened between McVay and Akers?

Why is it that we have a non-productive RB corps that is habitually injured? Is it a scouting problem or a usage problem?

Why have they tolerated a weak overall run blocking OL, even when healthy, for years? Are they scouting/drafting the ‘wrong’ types?

Once the Atwell pick was already made, why have they not at least given him targets to see what they’ve got? Especially after a reportedly stellar camp?

How in the world did the ‘genius O savant’ McVay oversee the utter disintegration of his O so quickly this season while defending a SB victory?

The Liam Coen hire is looking like yet another misfire. O’Connell’s career path is looking infinitely better right now.

So, who exactly was it that thought Hollins/Lewis would be fine at edge, pressure wise? An asst coach, Morris, McVay? SOMEBODY screwed up, that’s for sure.

Why did Morris start Kendrick vs Brady after the 49er game performance? The kid had a target on his back from the jump. I predicted this in a Sunday morning post. WTH couldn’t Morris see this coming? It’s not as if Morris didn’t have 4 other healthy choices available.

Why didn’t Ram D deny the sidelines to Brady’s WR’s in that final drive? That’s prevent D 101.

Whose brilliant idea was it to have Dixon start out-kicking his coverage in this game? Was it because the Bucs’ kicker was kicking so deeply and so well?


Anybody that can logically explain any of the above? If so, I’m all ears.

 

[AZRams]

That first is easy...they've been sold on Allen since 2020.

 

[Psycho_X]

There's basically a thread (or twenty) on each of these items already being discussed ad nauseum.

 

[OldSchool]

One answer fits every one of these. Trust in McSnead

 

[iamme33]

Why pick Atwell over Humphrey?

i was thinking that we might have to look into making changes to our scouting department.

 

[AvengerRam]

ERROR... ERROR... HINDSIGHT OVERLOAD... ERROR... ERROR

 

[OntarioRam]

I generally trust in McVay and Snead, and I think they have earned that.

But I just think they got lazy, to be honest, this past off-season.

Too much time basking in the Super Bowl win (and/or even thinking about retirement?!) and not enough time spent on roster evaluation, both in-house and externally, with a view towards improving the roster.

Case in point, in free agency, it felt like they just went for the "biggest name" available and called it a day. Wagner is working out great. ARob less so, but his play has really come around - he is getting open and making lots of contested, high difficulty catches. If we could fix the o-line and Stafford had time to find him and we had time for routes to develop, I really think ARob would be a weapon, and I am very optimistic that will still prove to be the case as we get bodies back on the offensive line and into next season.

Need a new LT? Let's just hand it to Noteboom despite a very small sample size, despite that still always being injured, and some of his body of work being pretty unimpressive (e.g. at LG).

This is all speculation of course. But it's just my view / gut instinct.

It did not feel like a very Rams-esque approach to me.

 

[Tano]

This is a draft where we didn't draft one o-line player until one of the final picks in the 7th round (and he looked decent before he got hurt).

https://theramswire.usatoday.com/20...20-players-bust-recap/?itm_source=parsely-api

I have been saying over and over that we should draft at worst 1 OL in the first 4 rounds in every draft - that is the most important position imho

 

[Tano]

I generally trust in McVay and Snead, and I think they have earned that.

But I just think they got lazy, to be honest, this past off-season.

Too much time basking in the Super Bowl win (and/or even thinking about retirement?!) and not enough time spent on roster evaluation, both in-house and externally, with a view towards improving the roster.

Case in point, in free agency, it felt like they just went for the "biggest name" available and called it a day. Need a new LT? Let's just hand it to Noteboom despite a very small sample size, despite that still always being injured, and some of his body of work being pretty unimpressive (e.g. at LG). This is all speculation of course. But it's just my view / gut instinct. Wagner is working out great. ARob less so, but his play has really come around - he is getting open and making lots of contested, high difficulty catches. If we could fix the o-line and Stafford had time to find him and we had time for routes to develop, I really think ARob would be a weapon, and I am very optimistic that will still prove to be the case as we get bodies back on the offensive line and into next season.

Yeah I really believe Evans has hampered Staffords ability to look for Robinson

 

[Kupped]

Honestly, I’m starting to lose confidence in these coaches and this FO.

Here we go…

Why pick Atwell over Humphrey?

They wanted deep speed and they thought they had a center on the roster. They were right. They picked the wrong guy or just have no idea how to use him.

Why keep starting Evans with Brewer, Aboushi, and Skura in the wings? Now we’ve got Stafford in concussion protocol. Geez…

Jourdan has a great explainer on that today.. seems like, basically, they needed him there for the silent snap count because Skura and Oday haven't been there long enough. Hopefully he's gone this week.

Why take forever to integrate AR in the O after a reportedly stellar camp?

Mystery

How and why did they allow TE corps to be reduced to essentially one functional player (Higbee)? They virtually unilaterally neutered their own TE room.

Looked like they had two at the end of last season. No idea what's going on with Hopkins.

WTH happened between McVay and Akers?

Jourdan has written/talked a lot on it.. who knows if there's more than just a strong difference of philosophy/misunderstanding.

Why is it that we have a non-productive RB corps that is habitually injured? Is it a scouting problem or a usage problem?

Bad luck.

Why have they tolerated a weak overall run blocking OL, even when healthy, for years? Are they scouting/drafting the ‘wrong’ types?

Because pass blocking is more important and you can't always get both.

How in the world did the ‘genius O savant’ McVay oversee the utter disintegration of his O so quickly this season while defending a SB victory?

The NFL adjusted in a way the Rams weren't ready for. You need a strong run game to fight the Staley/Fangio scheme and the Rams don't have it.

The Liam Coen hire is looking like yet another misfire. O’Connell’s career path is looking infinitely better right now.

What was the decision here? Tell O'Connell not to leave? I have no idea how good Coen is and don't feel like I can judge him in any way, at this point.

So, who exactly was it that thought Hollins/Lewis would be fine at edge, pressure wise? An asst coach, Morris, McVay? SOMEBODY screwed up, that’s for sure.

No one. That's why they tried to keep Von and kept trying to trade for a premier edge before the deadline.

Why did Morris start Kendrick vs Brady after the 49er game performance? The kid had a target on his back from the jump. I predicted this in a Sunday morning post. WTH couldn’t Morris see this coming? It’s not as if Morris didn’t have 4 other healthy choices available.

Because no one on the roster is better right now.

Why didn’t Ram D deny the sidelines to Brady’s WR’s in that final drive? That’s prevent D 101.

My guess is they were gassed and scrambling. They didn't want to call a timeout to reset and that may have been the difference... again.. my guess. Because no one would say... "yeah... just let them run out of bounds."

Whose brilliant idea was it to have Dixon start out-kicking his coverage in this game? Was it because the Bucs’ kicker was kicking so deeply and so well?


Anybody that can logically explain any of the above? If so, I’m all ears.

Hope that helped.

 

[Kupped]

I generally trust in McVay and Snead, and I think they have earned that.

But I just think they got lazy, to be honest, this past off-season.

Too much time basking in the Super Bowl win (and/or even thinking about retirement?!) and not enough time spent on roster evaluation, both in-house and externally, with a view towards improving the roster.

Case in point, in free agency, it felt like they just went for the "biggest name" available and called it a day. Wagner is working out great. ARob less so, but his play has really come around - he is getting open and making lots of contested, high difficulty catches. If we could fix the o-line and Stafford had time to find him and we had time for routes to develop, I really think ARob would be a weapon, and I am very optimistic that will still prove to be the case as we get bodies back on the offensive line and into next season.

Need a new LT? Let's just hand it to Noteboom despite a very small sample size, despite that still always being injured, and some of his body of work being pretty unimpressive (e.g. at LG).

This is all speculation of course. But it's just my view / gut instinct.

But it did not feel like a very Rams-esque approach.

It's tough for me.... because with THAT MANY injuries to the same position group, it's almost impossible to overcome.

I don't think it would've been a great season.. but it wouldn't have sucked if there weren't so many injuries.

 

[OntarioRam]

It's tough for me.... because with THAT MANY injuries to the same position group, it's almost impossible to overcome.

I don't think it would've been a great season.. but it wouldn't have sucked if there weren't so many injuries.

I agree with you for sure. My post is just speculative. But you are right. Cluster injuries at important positions can derail any team's season. The Rams are seeing that now. Winning in the NFL is hard. The margins between victory and defeat are razor thin. Every year, it feels like 50% of playoff teams from the previous year do not make it back. Some years will be down years. I think this year, with the cluster injuries, Super Bowl hang-over, and tougher schedule, we are seeing a bit of a down season for the Rams.

I do expect that the Rams will be back to contending soon. McVay and Snead have proven to be able to consistently win in a league where that is very tough to do. And I am not convinced this year is done yet, either, as we get bodies back in a pretty weak NFC.

But my gut feeling is that the front office did not have its usual off-season hunger and obsessive roster evaluation in focus and we are seeing that reflected now too.

 

[Kupped]

I agree with you for sure. My post is just speculative. But you are right. Cluster injuries at important positions can derail any team's season. The Rams are seeing that now. Winning in the NFL is hard. The margins between victory and defeat are razor thin. Every year, it feels like 50% of playoff teams from the previous year do not make it back. Some years will be down years. I think this year, with the cluster injuries, Super Bowl hang-over, and tougher schedule, we are seeing a bit of a down season for the Rams.

I do expect that the Rams will be back to contending soon. McVay and Snead have proven to be able to consistently win in a league where that is very tough to do. And I am not convinced this year is done yet, either, as we get bodies back in a pretty weak NFC.

But my gut feeling is that the front office did not have its usual off-season hunger and obsessive roster evaluation in focus and we are seeing that reflected now too.

That's a narrative I hear a lot.. but, maybe, they were just exhausted and didn't have as much time to evaluate the roster?
But.. again.. that's speculation.
What does this team look like if everyone's healthy? If the Oline is Noteboom, Alaric Jackson, Allen, Bruss and Havenstein? If Kyren Williams had a full camp and played the entire season?
Like you said.. the margins are thin.

 

[Soul Surfer]

i was thinking that we might have to look into making changes to our scouting department.

However it is Snead that makes the final decision with the okay from McVay.

 

[Angry Ram]

 

[OntarioRam]

That's a narrative I hear a lot.. but, maybe, they were just exhausted and didn't have as much time to evaluate the roster?
But.. again.. that's speculation.
What does this team look like if everyone's healthy? If the Oline is Noteboom, Alaric Jackson, Allen, Bruss and Havenstein? If Kyren Williams had a full camp and played the entire season?
Like you said.. the margins are thin.

It's possible but I don't buy the exhaustion line. Mcvay and Snead are both young, comparatively. At least when you compare their ages to most of their colleagues. If they are burning out now.... how do all the people decades their senior do it, that have been in this league for far longer? I get that McVay is known as an obsessively hard worker. But so too are many other NFL head coaches. It is well known how all-encompassing the job is, and how it leaves little time for anything else. Everyone in an NFL head office is likely exhausted. So I don't think exhaustion would explain things. Who knows though. I do think the cluster o-line injuries are impossible to ignore. Or try and plan for / protect against. It's a salary cap world. You can only have so much depth at every position.

 

[Kupped]

It's possible but I don't buy the exhaustion line. Mcvay and Snead are both young, comparatively. At least when you compare their ages to most of their colleagues. If they are burning out now.... how do all the people decades their senior do it, that have been in this league for far longer? I get that McVay is known as an obsessively hard worker. But so too are many other NFL head coaches. It is well known how all-encompassing the job is, and how it leaves little time for anything else. Everyone in an NFL head office is likely exhausted. So I don't think exhaustion would explain things. Who knows though. I do think the cluster o-line injuries are impossible to ignore. Or try and plan for / protect against. It's a salary cap world. You can only have so much depth at every position.

I think you may be overlooking the fact that they won a Super Bowl at the end of the longest season in NFL history. We don't have a precedent yet to know what that does to an organization.

 

[Corbin]

Honestly, I’m starting to lose confidence in these coaches and this FO.

Here we go…

Why pick Atwell over Humphrey?

Why keep starting Evans with Brewer, Aboushi, and Skura in the wings? Now we’ve got Stafford in concussion protocol. Geez…

Why take forever to integrate AR in the O after a reportedly stellar camp?

How and why did they allow TE corps to be reduced to essentially one functional player (Higbee)? They virtually unilaterally neutered their own TE room.

WTH happened between McVay and Akers?

Why is it that we have a non-productive RB corps that is habitually injured? Is it a scouting problem or a usage problem?

Why have they tolerated a weak overall run blocking OL, even when healthy, for years? Are they scouting/drafting the ‘wrong’ types?

Once the Atwell pick was already made, why have they not at least given him targets to see what they’ve got? Especially after a reportedly stellar camp?

How in the world did the ‘genius O savant’ McVay oversee the utter disintegration of his O so quickly this season while defending a SB victory?

The Liam Coen hire is looking like yet another misfire. O’Connell’s career path is looking infinitely better right now.

So, who exactly was it that thought Hollins/Lewis would be fine at edge, pressure wise? An asst coach, Morris, McVay? SOMEBODY screwed up, that’s for sure.

Why did Morris start Kendrick vs Brady after the 49er game performance? The kid had a target on his back from the jump. I predicted this in a Sunday morning post. WTH couldn’t Morris see this coming? It’s not as if Morris didn’t have 4 other healthy choices available.

Why didn’t Ram D deny the sidelines to Brady’s WR’s in that final drive? That’s prevent D 101.

Whose brilliant idea was it to have Dixon start out-kicking his coverage in this game? Was it because the Bucs’ kicker was kicking so deeply and so well?


Anybody that can logically explain any of the above? If so, I’m all ears.

Love this.

I loved a lot of our moves leading up until 2 years ago, since then I there area few that have had me scratching my head and hoping I'm wrong not being in the football business.

You listed my exact thoughts and sentiments to the particular situation and issues I have questioned with a few others to add to it.

I pray and hope it's not like the GSOT era with the two Super Bowls flipped and bone head decisions made afterwards from arrogance and merit.

 

[Ellard80]

4 out of 5 years in the playoffs bro,,,,

2 out of 5 years in the Superbowl.

Outside of the patriot's dynasty everyone going to catch the other side of it.

 

[Kupped]

Love this.

I loved a lot of our moves leading up until 2 years ago, since then I there area few that have had me scratching my head and hoping I'm wrong not being in the football business.

You listed my exact thoughts and sentiments to the particular situation and issues I have questioned with a few others to add to it.

I pray and hope it's not like the GSOT era with the two Super Bowls flipped and bone head decisions made afterwards from arrogance and merit.

Honest question..

Outside of the Tutu pick.. which we all cringe at and think of Trung Candidate.. what draft picks feel like arrogant decisions? Same thing on the rest of the roster?

I'm not being sarcastic, I'm just probing that line of thinking.