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Deadpool
some thoughts after 3 weeks.
1. I'm happy Brian Allen is playing well, because I never loved moving Corbett (as most of you know). I was skeptical until he handled Vita Vea. who has been dominate.
2. Not even when I mocked Kupp to the Rams years ago did I think he would be this good. He's on pace for a pro bowl.
3. Staffords arm is insane. that dime to Jefferson week 2 rolling left and throwing right is a throw few qbs can make. very few.
4. I didn't like the Morris hire, because he us a Tampa 2 defense guy and not near the radical thinker Staley is. that said. I think he is more than a DC, he's a vet coach McVay knows well and can lean on and can trust. McVay needs that in his ear. Plus he knows Morris' d won't let him down.
5. I also think part of Morris' soft zone scheme is that he knows that the Rams lack an outside pass rush. so play it safe. trust your back end, know the offense can keep up with anyone and win that way until a pass rusher steps up.
6. If the Rams have a hole right now, it's the safety group which everyone thought was deep. Well Fuller has his hands full calling the D in a new defense, Rapp is not a fit I'm a cover 2, he is a big nickel that Staley loved to run. Burgess is more a nickel back and Scott, as much as I love him is a ST demon, with spot d playtime. Reed might be the answer, but he needs seasoning.
7. the run game is not great, but they have been down their #1 rb, and last week their #2. I think the run game improves as defenses have to start defending the backend of the field. secondly, the bears and bucs are great run stuffing teams. oh, and last year teams ran for an average of 117 per game, this year, only 108. rushing is down across the board.
8. we need to remember a couple of things early on: new DC, new QB, and no time together in a preseason game. This team will actually get better. On both sides of the ball.
9. one more thing on Stafford: you can outwardly tell the defense knows they have a QB on offense that will ball out. And Ramsey and AD and those guys are gonna give it all because they believe Stafford is a guy you can go to war with. I never saw this type of reaction over Goff. no offense to Jared. Ramsey and AD are nuts over Stafford. this is a really under rated aspect of acquiring Stafford. Belief is a hell of a drug.
10. The west may not be as tough as everyone thought. Seattle has no secondary, and no lines. That's not good. esp against the Rams. SF has no secondary and they cannot run the ball. And Garrapolo is mediocre. something is off with that team, maybe they miss Salah more than anyone will admit. Arizona might be the toughest out. but are far from perfect. I like the Rams chances.
11. If the Rams can stay healthy, and the defense and offense can continue to evolve as they get acclimated to their new DC/scheme and QB respectively, I love their chances this year.
this year in college I am looking at OTs, edge rushers, OCs (Allen is a fa) and RBs, I'm not sure Akers is ever the same again, and Hendo is not the answer. Breece Hall would look amazing in horns fyi.
Excellent post as always and I agree with all of it. Couple notes and semi-random thoughts...
* The Rams' DL won the LOS vs the Bucs. Winning at the LOS is how the Bucs made that run last year. This is a big deal IMO. The teams that are going to feel the difference the most are the teams that had the LOS in their favor in previous seasons, teams like the 9ers. Bosa is still a beast, but overall 2021 is going to be a different experience for SF, Green Bay, etc.
* The Cards have been weak vs the run and won't have time this week to focus everything. This means the pass game will take up most of their time and the Rams are likely to roll on the ground. Of course with this passing game I also think Stafford will have another strong day, but that ground game has been improving and the timing of Michel's arrival with his power run style plus good vision is great with this opponent. If you play fantasy Michel is a nice choice this week.
* What I see in the Cards favor is the Rams speed or lack thereof off the edge. Speed off the edge is crucial for containment of a guy with his juice. With that plus our struggles in the secondary this is a really big challenge for the Rams' back end. They're gonna have to be ready to cover a few seconds longer. So my expectation is a high scoring game and I like our chances for the record, but if they can contain the QB then the Rams could easily blow them out. He's not the same guy when he's locked in the pocket. This really is the determining factor for the matchup IMO.
Lastly I want to say that I'm a big fan of Rapp. So even though I agree he's likely to be replaced and maybe sooner than later, there's plenty of room for a smart player like him to figure things out and show dramatic improvement. I'm pulling for him that's for sure.
