Rams remake, the tea leaves

When the Rams hired Sean McVay, the head scratching and doubt began. As a relatively unknown commodity with only three years experience as a coordinator, at the age of 30, McVay hired a well seasoned staff that included the very "mature" Wade Phillips. That first season in 2017, the Rams emerged into prominence.

Since then, several Rams assistants have moved on to successful careers elsewhere as McVay is always quick to credit his assistants and promote their opportunities.

When the Rams hired a relatively unknown linebacker coach to be their defensive coordinator, the head scratching and doubt began. Brandon Staley then transformed a defense believed to be deficient in linebackers into a top ranked unit and then promptly departed to be the head coach of the Chargers.

The changes of the front office and coaching staff, impending losses in free agency, and tepid comments about Goff has left doubting Rams fans scratching their heads about what comes next. The clues about the future have yet to be fully revealed. But what is known should give fans hope that history will repeat.

Players like Todd Gurley, Brandin Cooks, and Marcus Peters, enjoyed profound success wearing the horns. In spite of the investments made to acquire and retain them, the Rams brass moved boldly away from them at great financial cost. Such history doesn't bode well for Jared Goff. The decision to start a relatively more mobile QB with questionable accuracy in the playoffs was a jolt that Goff didn't foresee. Even the staunchest supporters of Jared have to admit that change is in the offing.

Most analysts and fans believe the Rams need a center, a deep threat receiver, and a pass rusher to compliment Aaron Donald. Rahim Morris may also desire an upgrade at middle linebacker. While the players to be acquired won't be known for months, the coaching hires over the next few weeks will demonstrate what McVay has up his sleeve.

What is the new identity for Los Angeles? The answer is GROWING DIVERSITY. When the success of the 11 personnel attack began to wane, Sean diversified the scheme. When the defense became too predictable in 2019, Staley turned the scheme into the most multiple in football. Expect Morris to continue this trend. Now, back to the offense. When defenses stacked their backfields closer to the line, McVay spread them out in empty sets as a counter. Doing so requires quick precision and the entire offense responded unevenly. Sometimes it was quite effective, but it never became consistent. And when the first and second reads were unavailable, bad things happened regularly. Since Peyton Manning won't be available this offseason, expect McVay to diversify his options with a more mobile QB. Expect practices to expand the options on the scramble drill. A more mobile QB allows for more options on first down in the running game and deeper routes on play action. Sean will develop three mobile QB's to account for the injury risk. Don't be surprised when the new offensive assistants have more varied ideas about how to implement this approach. The 2021 Rams offense will be an entirely different look. This team will be built around Cam Akers, Aaron Donald, and Jalen Ramsey.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/27/2021 03:48AM by Leoram.