Wildflecken’s 2018 Outlook: First quarter complete...

Here’s Wildflecken...

1.) Time sure does move quickly. This is the type of season one wants to savor every moment. Rams fans suffered for many seasons, performances like this just should not go by so quickly.

2.) McVay is an offensive genius. Finding ways to align his receivers on routes traditionally run by a TE resulting in them going one on one against a linebacker seems an almost unfair advantage. Defenses will adjust it is out there on tape, but I trust McVay will stay one step ahead of them.

3.) Gurley is the best rb in league hands down. He has improved so much as a receiver I do believe he could make a living as one. Wonder were Gurley would rank if he underwent a positional switch when compared against all the rostered receivers in the league? Rams front office was very, very wise to lock up Gurley when they did.

4.) Cut Wade some slack folks. Not believing Wade Phillips in one of the top defensive coordinators in this league is just false. Remember 1999 anyone? What was the final score in the conference championship game against Tampa?

When your offense is putting up the points ours is, when they score rapidly, well your defense is going to be on the field alot. It will also force the opposing offense to attempt to match our offense score for score. Our defense is facing a 2 minute offense often.

The calendar will turn, as well as the weather around the country. Opposing defenses now have a quarter season of tape and the running game will become more and more important each and every week. Yesteryears preseson is now complete and offenses will not have the same margin of advantage over the defense as they do in the first quarter of the season.

Wade has had some injuries to deal with and some all important ones. The roster was thin at linebacker, Wade's best linebacker is currently injured and talent we drafted at the position is not yet ready for full time duty. They should be shortly as we near the mid point of the season. I expect the play at linebacker to be much more proficient in the second half of the season than they were during the first quarter.


5.) Staying on the defense, the defensive line is beginning to gel. They are taking over games late and this will be a huge key moving forward regarding the overall team sucess this season. Wade is just now starting to have some serious fun, moving around the likes of Suh, Donald, Brockers, JFM, Lawler and Westbooks to create a maximum advantage for each talent. The shortage of linebacker talent has forced Wade to incorporate a 5 man front. This man is a genius, he simply finds a way to get his best talent on the field.

I predicted during camp JFM would be a future pro bowl talent. He is not disappointing to date. I expect his snaps to increase from here on out.

6.) One simply cannot end a post about the first quarter of the season without mentioning the play of Jared Goff.
Jared is following the path his draft profile predicted and improving each and every season. The scary factor for opposing defenses, his college career was only 4 seasons. Just exactly what is Jared's ceiling in a long NFL career of 10 plus seasons?

I love to point to the draft gurus blunder of the 2015 draft. They had the Winston/Mariotta combo rated so high at the top of the draft and stated in 16 the Goff/Wentz combo was not nearly as impressive as the season prior.
I did not see one franchise qb at the top of the 2015 draft and certainly not one worth considering a move up to obtain.

The Goff/Wentz combo could be seeing each other frequently in the conference championships similar to the Brady/Manning battles of years past.

7.) The second quarter of the season brings two divisional opponents in the Seahawks and 49ers, Denver in Mile High and the Packers at home. Rams are embarking on their first long road trip of the season and will play in two of the tougher road venues in Seattle and Denver. I expect by the time we face Rodgers he will be close to 100 percent health wise.
It is going to be a fun ride as our defense continues to gel and we get to see what tricks McVay has in store for the next four weeks.