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GroundPounder
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Rams43
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no name
You lose a year while paying for them. You are essentially being ok with average players so long as they don't bust. Seems like a losing strategy.
I see it far differently, no name.
I see Rams acquiring very affordable BPA types in the mid to late rounds that can be slowly developed by coaches and strength trainers to best prepare them for the NFL as future starters or as quality depth.
As opposed to teams that are annually forced to draft for immediate needs and then throw a largely unprepared rookie into the fire when the season starts, which creates a very steep learning curve. A learning curve that many do not survive. How many times gave we seen players struggle with their initial team and then later thrive after going to another team where they benefit from a more gradual transition?
Other benefits include having the cap be less of a restriction on moves because of the low salaries of these youths, less need of competing for expensive outside FA’s every year, and less need for overpaying expensive vets (such as a Saffold type) at contract time because there is a perceived “hole” behind him.
Four things are necessary in order to implement this strategy.
An existing fairly talented roster.
A GM and HC that communicate well in terms of types of players that fit the planned schemes.
An ability to consistently properly evaluate talent, especially in rounds 3-6.
And a coaching staff that excels in developing young players.
Well, Rams have all four of those things in place and functioning well.
The Rams are hardly an exhibit of a “loser strategy”.
Snead becomes GM in 2012. From this past SB team -
2012 -
Brockers and
Zeurlein are left from his draft (10)
2013 - No on on the roster he drafted (7)
2014 -
Donald and
Joyner (11)
2015 -
Gurley,
Havenstein, J. Brown?, Mannion, Hager (9)
2016 -
Goff,
Higbee, Thomas (6)
2017 - Everett,
Kupp,
Johnson,
Reynolds (after Kupp's injury),
Ebukam, Smart (8)
*** McVay comes on board2018 - All on roster (11 total)
0 StartersUsing this information, what basis are you using to declare that Snead "consistently properly evaluates talent in rounds 3-6" and "excels in developing young players"?
The toll from 2012 includes free agency, injuries, and a regime change that favors different types of players.
Given all that, McVay had more retention of players from the former regime than Fisher did in 2013, or Spags did in 2010, or Linehan did in 2007, or Vermeil did in 98.
When Carroll's Seattle team started winning in his 3rd year, there were 3 players on the entire team who had been there before him. With Vermeil in 99 it was 6.
Turnover is normal and good players become free agents after 4 years (5 if they are a 1st rounder and you exercise the option). Guys like Jenkins, Johnson, and McLeod were from 2012 and they are still in the league, but they could not pay them all.
As of 2018, 8 of the 17 players taken by the Rams in 2012-2013 are still in the league, which is a basic hit rate of about 47%, which is actually quite good. If you count just the ones who continued as starters, it's 6 of 17, or 35%, which is above average. But the Rams were not going to pay for all 6 of those guys when they became free agents.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/24/2019 01:32AM by zn.
