Hi 43, here are my rebuttals:
Say what you want about Gurley, but defenses had to game plan for him when he was on our roster. None of our RBs nor the current OL have earned that respect. Thus they will continue to look to derail Goff and the passing game first. Solution? more 12 personnel and running the ball on passing downs to keep defenses honest.
Situational defense will be better overall. But how soon will Staley begin to work his magic? With the lack of a preseason I feel it may take some time. 3 games or more? I think our defense will be MUCH better in Dec than Sept.
Our new kicker is not tested in the clutch, in the NFL. One thing about GZ is that he made clutch kicks before failing in 2019. I think, in retrospect, Bones had worn out his welcome after 8 years (2012-2019) with the Rams and simply needed a change of scenery. Hoping that Bonamego can be the change agent but the jury is still out IMHO. Can B improve our return games and coverage as well?
I agree with you that the pundits are wrong, and that they are seriously underestimating McVay. Having said that, I think the Rams will be a better team in the 2nd half of the season as well as in 2021.
RFS69