I am not actually surprised that it happened quickly.
Conventional wisdom says that team building has to happen incrementally, over a several year period. That assumption has always seemed to me to be faulty.
A good team has two things: 1. a capable roster and 2. a culture of competitive focus.
Of course, there are teams with extremely poor rosters which take time to re-build. But, more often than I think is generally understood, NFL rosters have a pretty solid level of competence. And, in our case, we have not had a poor roster in quite a few years.
We have had significant weakness at a few spots. But, since we shored up many of those spots in 1 off-season with no #1 pick, there weren't that many. There are a lot of guys playing well now that were part of the disaster that was the Rams the last few years.
Some of those guys are now playing at a level way above what they did last year. Gurley. Havenstein. Of course, Goff. They are playing well, now, in a culture of competitive focus that they believe in.
Now, in my view, when that cultural shift happens, it always happens pretty quickly. We've endured decades without it. Even Vermeil's Rams in years 1 & 2 didn't have it. But then, when it shifted, it shifted in a couple of weeks. That's of course partly because of Kurt and Marshall and a couple of OL. But it's also because Vermeil listened to his players, changed his practice approach, and enlisted his players in a vision they had not previously bought into. When they bought in, all the talent kicked in and they were able to soar.
'99 was a once in a lifetime experience. But I think that's a matter of degree not of type. When the light switch went on the for '99 Rams the team rode Hall of Fame talent. Rarely does a team breaking through have that much talent. But, I think the cultural shift generally occurs in a particular moment and the change seems startling because it really is like a light goes on.
We have endured decades of mediocrity and worse. But when it changed, I think it was always going to change more or less at once. McV inherited a pretty fair amount of talent that needed a few key acquisitions. Snead made those acquisitions. And McV's leadership and plans for success took hold of a talented but moribund group and let them out of jail.
When we got the right leader, the light went on. I am not surprised it happened quickly when at long last it happened.
Every year, 3-5 teams "shock" the league by suddenly learning how to win. It always seems startlingly rapid, but that's the way it works. At least, as I see it.
