Option 5! I missed it... Although I did sort of add it in my initial response to Albany.
And then BC who I thought had a good post but I was going to push back a bit on the "Such a great move"... That is debatable imo. It's more like 51-49 in favor of Simpson, and only after walking through a lot of chess moves and concessions... and still that's my opinion.
The "competing with Bennett for QB2" line is almost certainly ear candy for Stafford and for Bennett himself. The real play is that Simpson is insurance... a capable backup if something happens to Stafford, and the heir apparent when Stafford eventually walks away. Not that Bennett wouldn't have been a capable backup, but you're filling a roster hole and planning for the future in one move.
You also have to factor in that the Rams already made one win-now move before the draft... trading for Trent McDuffie and signing Watson and a few other moves. So this pick isn't really a "punt on the window" the way critics are framing it. And the Rams' arsenal is solid enough that they can probably round out the roster with capable players in free agency.
I believe Snead when he says it was a long, difficult decision... it's more complex than we know because we aren't privy to the info. Someone said the Rams are playing chess while the rest of the league is playing checkers… lol, well, a few teams are playing checkers but most are playing chess too. You only have to be a step ahead to be successful, and I generally think the Rams are that step. The catch is that unlike chess, there are way more variables, and a lot of them are out of your control. Even if you're 6 moves ahead and the rest of the league is 5, that doesn't mean every move pans out.
So the jury is still out. But if the Rams don't win the Super Bowl this year and it's close... the kind of close a blue-chip player would've afforded... there will be people looking back at this draft and asking why.
The Rams are averaging a Super Bowl win every 20-something years. You have to respect the window when you're in it. Two years from now, McVay could retire with Stafford. Puka gets hurt. Simpson turns out to be backup quality. Defenses adjust to 13 personnel once everyone's running it. The defense doesn't adapt to more physical teams... All unlikely, but possible. Who knew the GSOT window would be 3 or 4 years before slamming shut for 22 years? Stuff happens.
I don't care about a winning record for a decade. I want a Super Bowl — for me, for Stafford, for everyone. Hopefully this is the right move to get there. The window is open... I think the Rams understand that. So the moves made are OK. to what I would have done probably... All for "f dem picks" to grab a QB next year or maybe even better a vet QB should one become available.
