The article is pointing out the importance of keeping the players that know how to get to the big dance and that’s clearly true.
The salary cap and dead money can help keep players on the roster.
But I think what the best coaches do is create a campaign. You have to set specific goals, during the parts of the season and for the big picture, reaching the championship.
So, you can’t repeat what got you there previously. The other teams are plotting against that version of the team. And every season a team will have strengths and weaknesses. So, a team has to be flexible to strengthen where they are weak.
Plus part of the campaign is winning your division, so you have to come up with a strategy to unseat the top teams in your division.
For the Rams their weakness was clearly a softness on offense that lead to the inability to run and pass protect. The personnel that kept them from running the ball and protecthe QB need to be reevaluated.
On defense, the weakness was the lack of take always, sacks and the ability to force teams into punting situations.
The Rams thus far have made moves on the coaching front to address that for next season’s campaign. Hopefully they made the right hires. DC is still perhaps in flux.
But if they have to move on from some players—-since that’s the focus of the article—those personnel decisions need to align with the campaign strategy for next season.
You just can’t field players and cross your fingers that they win each game. You’ve got to direct them toward short and long term goals and they have to have the aptitude to implement that strategy.
We Not Me
