Known V Unknown

I was raised a Ram fan in the 60's and every season, even the bad ones, I expected greatness before the season started because I drank the Kool-Aid every long offseason. After 55 years, my perspective has changed. Therefore, my preseason preview will reflect more caution for two reasons this year...lack of "eyes on" evaluation due to COVID and the meltdowns against the Ravens and Cowboys last year. I will also attempt to avoid regurgitation of the obvious in deference to my well informed brethren here on a board I've lurked for over a dozen years.

Let's start with what is known.

Proven vets like Donald, Whitworth, Jalen, JJ, Woods, Kupp, Brockers, Higbee, and Brown form a solid foundation if they stay healthy and the coaches formulate a solid gameplan. The internal leadership of a team translates to a culture that produces greater consistency than the average squad (think 70's Rams). It may not overcome single game collapses but it does ensure season long competitive effort.

Sean McVay has assumed a greater ownership of the team's performance. While he wisely deferred much of the responsibility to begin his HC career to the likes of Wade Phillips and Bones Fassell, he now has the ability to determine his own brand of football as his assistants will have a more subordinate "check with me" approach to the game. It's a subtle difference he will never promote publicly but make no mistake, his influence will be more pervasive this year.

This concludes what is known and reflects the uncertainty that defines this unusual time in our culture.

The unknowns of every team in every season such as fluke turnovers, injuries, and the rise of teams that unexpectedly put together magical seasons should make pre-season prognostications obsolete. There is also the factor of leaguewide trends that constantly change as teams adjust to their opponents on a weekly basis. The ability to be multiple in scheme on both sides of the ball lends to a higher rate of unpredictability in performance. In short, nobody should have the hubris to know how this season will develop because they will inevitably be embarrassed by season's end.

What we hope but shouldn't expect from this team is daunting. We hope the offensive line performs significant better than its collective recent history. We hope Whit's body holds off Father Time, Hav's body simply betrayed him for a single year, Blythe's body suddenly becomes strong enough to keep powerful DT's from collapsing the pocket, and our guards take giant leaps forward in their careers.

Even if the line outperforms common expectations, the general approach of the offense is still in question. Will McVay pivot to a more quick hitting scheme to limit negative plays or will he roll the dice and continue to attack all areas of the field. My money is on the latter though my heart pleads the former. The same is true when it comes to the mixture of zone and power blocking. McVay was raised on the Shanny approach and Kromer had success in Buffalo with a mostly power approach. As has been discussed ad nauseam, a shift to more 12 personnel is expected since it provided better results in the latter half of the '19 season.

On the defensive side of the ball, one can only hope the more multiple scheme has been absorbed by the players. Nothing makes a defense look as helpless as missed assignments that cause the coordinator to become overly aggressive. Yet patiently developing a defense over the course of the year can bear postseason fruit even if the early returns make fans scratch their collective heads (think Spag's first season coordinating the Giants and Belichick's frequent regular season clunkers that disappear in the playoffs).

While we all anticipate the defensive line (aka Aaron Donald lined up with anyone else) will perform admirably and the secondary is as loaded as any in football, if the linebackers don't do their jobs, the defense can struggle to be anything more than average. We must face the facts that it only takes one missed assignment to give up explosive plays. And yet, in all my years, I've never witnessed a more untested Rams LB corps. To say we know what we will get is ludicrous.

After years of assuming our kicking game would be among the best in the league, aside Hekker, the entire ST unit is an enormous question mark. Sure, it might be great but what logic supports that belief?

Finally, even the first game of the season is simply unpredictable. Dallas has a whole new coaching staff so one might assume a Ram advantage here. But a coach like McCarthy is certainly capable of producing a gameplan that surprises McVay. Even when we swept the 9'ers in '18, Shanahan had a superior plan to McVay even though the overwhelming talent of the Rams made the Whiners look feeble. That won't be the case here as the Pokes have serious talent across the board and plenty "inside info" from Fassel.

While I find it plausible to envision a 13 win season, I wouldn't be shocked to see this team stumble in the beginning and build the foundation for long ranged success at the expense of the playoffs for a second straight year. Hopeful...Unknown