I am constitutionally allergic to attempts to pre-emptively assess what might happen in a new season. I don't like it in fan posts or in pundit pontifications.
McVay is bringing fresh energy and vision to the offense to go with some limited personnel changes. Is it reasonable to hope that an offensive guru will lead our unit to improved performance? Sure. How much?
No one on the bloody earth knows. Honestly. No one knows. There are a million variables. And, furthermore, we have little track record for development even if we see it.
Might Higbee be better? Sure. Goff? Indeed. Is this energetic youing HC likely to bring the offense forward? I think so. But how much better? We have no idea. Even if you assume that improvement will be likely, how much and how fast?
One thing that people--fans and pundits--do is to try to make a "realistic" estimate of what can be accomplished in a season. Such estimates are virtually never based on anything but a vague, impressionistic sense of some sort of average of what often happens.
But the Rams are not an average. They are 1 team with a certain personnel mix in a particular context of competition, with opponents in particular rising or falling conditions. Add up all the variables and you get a virtually impossible-to-predict set of likelihoods and possibilities. I think Goff will improve and get to solid at least. Will he do it step by step? Or will the light go on in a flash? Will young receivers like Higbee and Kupp and Spruce be ready to be there for him early this year? Or will it take the season? Or until next year?
No one in the whole, bloody NFL universe knows. Honestly.
I'd hate for our attack unit's ceiling for the year to be limited by some cautious sense of what is too much to hope for.
And I'd hate for it to be held responsible for lofty achievement beyond its developmental level.
WE DON'T BLOODY KNOW guys.
OK, herein endeth the rant.
