Quote
zn
Quote
alyoshamucci
This is stuff that can and will be proven right or wrong based on his performance this year ...
Old friend, there are just some things that can't be proven right or wrong this year.
If he fell off his game last year, for any number of reasons, and comes back this year, then, what will coming back definitively prove?
I for one think it will mean that along with other improvements, he personally stepped back up and overcame his own problems from 2016.
But some don;t put any of this on him, and think it was any number of things except him. (My view is that it was any number of things PLUS him.)
So if I think I am right, and I think those who didn't put any of 2016 on him personally are wrong, how would I prove that to them?
I could say 2016, he was a problem too in his own right, and in 2017, he stepped back up (assuming he does). They can just say---what makes you think any of it was on him? What changed was everything else.
IMO it';s an unwinnable debate both directions.
...
To be honest, people are going to deduce what they want to deduce. But I do think the future can shed light on some probabilities. And I think if the offense improves to some real extent, fair or not, I am going to believe the coaching is better. Nearly everyone had a down year in 2016 and it could have been due to several reasons. But years of terrible offense is a pattern and if the offense gets better then people, me included, are going to look for reasons to quantify the change.
So if any or all players improve, I think Fisher and Boras will be considered the problem. If they don't improve... well this board may implode.
As for Gurely. I was not a fan of the pick. And I was not as impressed as some by his rookie season. However, last season was inexplicable, because from what I could tell, it almost seemed like he lost the ability to play the position. He seemed unsure of where to go. I never saw tape of him in college where he would run into the back of his lineman or seem to run where the lane wasn't. Its hard to say what was happening. When a lineman says that the OL and Gurley are not on the same page then something is wrong I would think.
From the beginning GRob was a HR or a strike out. Many said it could take years for him to develop. But physically he was said to be the closest to HOF material if he could develop. Fisher said they were drafting HOF'ers before the draft. So why the LOL's when he's traded for a 6th rounder is beyond me. It was a risk that failed. At the same time, no one knows why he didn't excel. Maybe he was so dominant in college that it was no longer easy for him. Maybe he doesn't love the sport. Maybe he can't learn the protections. Perhaps he wasn't coached well. Perhaps he was tired from the move or allowed himself to give up because the coaches were using the move as an excuse for their performance. Or perhaps he was still developing and just taking a little longer. Or he has some personal issues that he just can't stop being a distraction. But the consensus is he sucks. Period. And its another stupid move by the Rams. I actually agree there but not because it turned out to be a bad pick. It was because he was a huge project and by the time he developed he was going to demand an LOT salary. It appeared that there were more pro ready players. Nonetheless, it will always be black and white with fans and very little gray area. But most of the times its gray area and reasons aren't knowable and debates aren't winnable.
At any rate, I hope for massive improvement and I will be fine with most of the arguments to explain the upturn. I just want the Rams to improve.
