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BearlyThere
You bring up a great point that later in the season the game gets more physical as:
1. refs let them play
2. injuries wear down certain teams
3. the weather gets poor
A lot of throwing teams tend to do great early in the season in warm weather only to falter later when they can't rush on 3rd and 1.
Is McVay's offense better early in the season and not built for December/January? Zone/Wide concepts less effective later? We've seen them struggle in the redzone even in good weather. Will be interesting to see if some of the same issues come up this season.
I would argue that Stafford is better built for the end of the season when it gets cold due to his arm, ability to throw off-schedule, and experience.
As to accuracy, Stafford is plenty accurate. I don't think he is as accurate as Goff from a clean pocket but likely more accurate from a dirty one. What he may lack is touch in certain scenarios.
How much of this is Stafford and how much was Stafford in Detroit?
He was not as good as Goff against the blitz, on third down overall (though MS was great on 3rd and long), and in the redzone.
But he is also not going to be easy to slow down with disguised coverages or with certain defensive fronts because he has seen it all. In this regard it also helps that McVay will (and does) listen to Stafford, because a lot of what happened when the Rams O did not match up with this or that defense had to do with play calling and slowness to adjust. I really see an expansion in McV's offense because he listens to Stafford--it's not just that Stafford has more in LA than he did in Detroit.
I think the combination of Stafford, Stafford and McVay being on the same page, and adding some deep speed means a more downfield attack--combined with a stronger run game than anything MS has seen for years.
Stafford brings many things to the table and unlike Detroit he will have (as mentioned) a run game, a defense, and will not play from behind as much.
In terms of the Detroit complaint that Stafford was not great in big game situations, it's easier to control a team that has only the pass and no run game and no defense.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/02/2021 08:28AM by zn.
