Thought this deserved it's own thread...
Who Is The Best Player On The 2016 Los Angeles Rams Roster?
By misone @MightyOrMisone on Jul 11, 2016, 12:17p 65
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Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Rams are stacked with young talents. Which one stands tallest among them all?
Short, sweet, and to the point...who the hell is the best player on the 2016 Los Angeles Rams roster?
I have narrowed it down to six candidates, and honestly, it wasn't that hard. These players are head and shoulders above the rest.
There's probably not much debate about it that the biggest playmakers on the team are as follows:
RB Todd Gurley
WR Tavon Austin
DT Aaron Donald
DE Robert Quinn
CB Trumaine Johnson
LB Alec Ogletree
If you disagree, stop reading. I kid I kid, keep reading it's about to get interesting.
Gurley made an immediate impact just as so many expected. Despite not being 100% healthy and starting only 12 games, Gurley had some big time production. He played in 13 games, but his first appearance he saw extremely limited action, and finished with seven yards. Which means he compiled 1,100 yards -- 1,288 from scimmage -- and 10 touchdowns in 12 games. His peers voted him as the 22nd best player in the NFL, and he's already receiving praise from writers who believe he may surpass Adrian Peterson this year as the best back in the league. Hell, even Peterson has given the young man a loud and proud endorsement.
Austin is a rare player in his own right. Easily one of the top five most explosive and elusive players in the league, Austin creates his own plays. What this means is he can catch a pass and reverse the entire field while still setting up blocks and break loose for a huge gain. Not many players have ever played in the NFL whom the entire stadium knows that an end around -- of all plays -- is coming for, and the player still can pick up 20 yards. Austin's big play ability played a huge role in Gurley's rookie year success.
Donald is a special cat. I loved him coming out of college. Through criticism and all, I kept him at number 10 overall on my big board. Turns out we were all wrong, he should have been number one or two (Khalil Mack is up there, because he's the truth too). In fact, by the halfway point of the season, I personally already had Donald surpassing Quinn, and Quinn was just coming off of a 19 sack season and well on his way to another ten and a half. But what Donald does coming from that clogged up middle of the line is so impressive. There's not many players as polished, strong, fast, quick, and smart playing on the interior. It's harder to do what he does, than it is to do what J.J. Watt does. Fact!
Quinn is somehow the forgotten man. I don't give a damn about him being injured last year, people forget that there's no one in the NFL with a faster get off on the edge. And there's no one in the NFL, who can rip and dip, and bend the corner as well as he can. Seriously, it looks like he doesn't have bones at times. It's scary to think that Quinn is an afterthought and about to take a lot of players, who forgot, by surprise.
Tru is officially the biggest playmaker on the back end. His 15 interceptions over the last four seasons has flown under the radar quite a bit. In fact, it continues to fly under the radar as he was overlooked for the Pro Bowl, multiple postseason awards, and even being left off of the list of top 100 players by his peers. However, his 15 interceptions over the last four seasons ranks in the top 7 over that span. Let's remember, he held Calvin Johnson catchless for an entire game. Johnson finished 2015 as the number nine fantasy reciever (over 1,200 yards receiving and 9 TDs), and last I checked, he was still 6'5" 237 lbs, and running a 4.3.
Ogletree just makes plays. He's a fast, hard hitting, linebacker who still shows the coverage skills he possessed as a former safety. He gets his hands on a lot of balls whether it's by interception, strips, or deflection. He just somehow manages to always be around. Also a good blitzer and run defender, it appears that Ogletree has developed into the perfect linebacker. He's as they like to say, complete. Although he might be the most under-appreciated player on this list. Ogletree in his new position should only increase his interception total and give him some shorter distances to the ball carrier allowing for the opportunity for more strips.
If it's up to me, I'm taking Donald over everyone, followed by Gurley and Ogletree. Although that third slot is flexible, and will probably be different if you ask me tomorrow...
But let's hear from you.
Who is the best member of the 2016 Los Angeles Rams?
