The "Trap Game" discussion last week was a good one to have. First, that
WAS a trap game. An excellent example. The fact that we won handily does not disprove the before-the-fact characterization of the game. Instead, it establishes something else.
Faced with a trap game, the Rams scored 51 points and blew the game away. That is IMO a significant, watershed achievement. Speaking personally, what it means is that I am leaving behind a loathsome form of worry that has dogged me for decades.
For Ram fans, there has almost never been a time--certainly in the last 10 years--when we could TRUST the team to show up for virtually every game prepared, focused, and competitive. Given favorable circumstances--bye week, lesser opponent, opponent injuries, etc.--we were always haunted by the team's pervasive habit of failing to take advantage. After a bye, we'd look unprepared. Facing a team with injuries, we'd make back ups look like All Pros. Etc. No one knows that syndrome better than my brothers and sisters on this board.
After Jax and London, I think many of us were starting to
trust McV & Co. to break out of this sort of malaise. I really thought McV would do very good things with the bye and that he and Son of Bum would take advantage of NY's injuries. I really expected them to do well.
Still, emotional scar tissue heals slowly. I live in Minny and couldn't see the game. I did a lot of stuff I had to do that day, and then, late in the afternoon, I figured I'd check the score. And I could NOT avoid a stab of serious doubt. "OK, they blew it, didn't they?"
And then I saw the score. And, I honestly believe that something shifted in me. I think that the mental trust I have been developing shifted into my emotions. I really do trust McV. & Co.
Let me specify. I
TRUST McV. to properly prepare his team to compete. And I
TRUST him to lead the team through the course of the game. And I
TRUST him to take advantage of favorable opportunities. And the result of all of that is that I
TRUST his team to win a lot of winnable games.
Of course, there is no guarantee in the NFL. Any coach and team can lose any particular game. This week, we play a team that is very vulnerable without its star. We have a large advantage, but we MIGHT lose this game.
However, I do not feel that stab of doubt that we will rise to the occasion. I might feel it on Sunday, but, honestly, I doubt it. Hell, even if they LOSE I don't think I will feel any S O S A R depression.
We have 8 games left, most against really good teams. Again, I feel conditioned by decades of heartbreak to fear that the team will collapse. But I honestly don't expect that to happen. Really. We'll compete against these teams and win our share of them.
See, I
TRUST McV to prepare his team to compete, infuse it with competitive intensity, and lead it in games. I
TRUST that to happen. I don't believe that dropping a few games here or there will affect this. I
TRUST them to compete even in games they drop.
Ain't earned trust a wonderful thing?
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/07/2017 06:44AM by RFL.
