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Rams_43
It’s quite a player list and growing:
Atwell
Corum
Hunter
Davis Allen
Ferguson
I could even add a few more that have earned snaps:
X-man
Whittington
Dedich
Dolac
And yet here we are with an offense that scored 14 points against an admittedly good Texan defense.
Here’s what I would like to see effective immediately:
Sit Limmer and start Dedich. If and when Limmer has developed decent pass pro skills then we can revisit this decision.
Sit Parkinson and play Davis Allen and/or Ferguson over him until further notice.
Give Corum more snaps to protect Kyren.
Activate Hunter and give him a handful of snaps. He just might open up our running attack with explosives. I mean, otherwise why in the hell did they trade up for him?
Either start one of Atwell, Whittington, or X-man in 11 sets and then TARGET them, dammit! McVay is gonna get Puka killed at this rate. Geez…
I believe the above changes could and should be made immediately and the O will start to get better results right away.
Thoughts?
McVay will never call a spade a spade. He will never say "X is struggling to execute what we want vs Y" or otherwise explain the rationale of the staff for what they do. Instead what he does is spin. He will tell you that it is on him to get this player or that player more involved, and he protects the fragile egos of his players.
But behind the scenes I guarantee the staff is telling these dudes where they're coming up short. And they work on those things, which is why McVay teams routinely finish the season at their strongest.
So if you want better results in watching McVay's podium moments, try completely disregarding everything he is saying. Because most of it is spin and BS meant to insulate his players. Use your eyes and read between the lines, by considering what happened on the field and realizing that he always protects his players.
Example of what I am talking about, let's take a look at the first five on your list:
Atwell did not stand out. In fact he continues to look like a guy who may have better players behind him on the depth chart. Yes he is fast. But none of that matters if the QB cannot see him or cannot hit him downfield. It is possible that we would be better served with more snaps for others in that room.
Corum is a slower and less active version of Williams. He is depth in this RB room. There is nothing he offers that Williams does not, which is why he will eventually be superseded by Hunter. Because Hunter does offer more in terms of explosiveness.
Hunter is not ready yet. I am sure he is coming along fine and working hard, but when he's ready he will replace Corum as RB2. And I know that, as alluded to above, because he offers things Corum does not.
Allen is a placeholder for Ferguson because while I appreciate his hands he is not instinctive in the pattern nor does he threaten the seams in the way the kid will if and when he is ready to play.
Ferguson we will see if and when he is ready. Probably got set back by the injury in camp. But TE is as we all know a tough position and some of these guys need a little time. The staff is undoubtedly trying to get him ready because of what he could potentially add over the middle. And make no mistake... A big weapon over the middle will get used like crazy by Stafford so there is room for impact given his talent level.
