It's not the players.
Not that this team is not blessed with many good to great players. They certainly are.
Heck, if the Rams have a winning season, they might wind up with as many as 5-6 Pro Bowlers.
Whitworth
Watkins
Kupp
Donald
Quinn
TruJo
All possibilities, imo.
But the real strength of this team is now it's coaching.
McVay is getting the best out of his players. His O players are growing right before our eyes and his play calling is keeping opponents off balance. He adjusts from series to series, much less at halftime. It's a night and day difference from the previous regime. One gets the feeling that McVay's O players are headed toward being all that they can be.
What more can be said about Wade Phillips? Mr Top 5 D? It appears that he's always one step ahead of the opposing O, huh? What a warm and fuzzy feeling that gives a Ram fan. Every week Wade will have tweaked his scheme to maximize mismatch advantages. And he has so many marvelous and football smart chess pieces to work with, too.
Both of these coaches have outstanding assistants to aid them.
I know that there will be ups and downs this season, including inevitable injuries and bad bounces. But I also feel certain that this coaching staff will handle them as they come along. And handle them very well, at that.
And that the result will be a winning season. The first winning season in... Seems like forever, doesn't it?
Here's to our coaching staff! The most valuable pieces on our team!
