Here’s OntarioRam…
With Akers and Woods, the Rams are just barely tough enough at the skill positions to win a slug-fest. The Rams are a finesse team either way. But with Akers and Woods, its gives us *just* enough jam to play a tougher style of football. Woods is a very tough runner after the catch, despite his skinny frame. He is also an elite run blocker, as far as WRers go, and opens thing up with his pre-snap movement, which lets you run the ball more. Akers also has a much more physical running style than Hendo. If Hendo even tried to be a bruiser, he'd only get injured.
Losing Mundt hurts as well - he is valuable in two TW sets.
Without the aove players, this team will never score enough points on physical fronts.
How can you build a football team that, after losing only 2 players, none of which are your QB or WR1, completely falls apart physically?
This all, of course, ultimately falls on McVay and Snead. The team is built in their image. All they want to do is be pass happy. That is NOT a recipe for a deep playoff run. It can win you some games, and you need a passing game with explosive plays. But diversity of attack is just as important.
Look at our yards per carry. The running lanes are there. The offensive line is playing great. Why are the RBs not being used?
Even with a prime Gurley, McVay still didn't want to run the football. If you won't run the football with a top 3 RB of the decade, with simultaneously only a middling QB in Goff, you need your head examined.
It has been at least 5 years of the same mistakes. "I need to self reflect". " I need to put players in a better position to succeed". "We have to do some soul searching". "That's not who we are". At this point, he is either lying, or simply incapable of adjusting. At this point, I am just as offended by McVay's lines as I was by Jeff Fisher's "we'll fix that".
I think the Rams will be in danger of losing the room soon. That leads to a crossroads. Do we become a huge dumpster fire? Or does the coaching staff FINALLY make adjustments?
Ramsey already was giving Morris some smack talk - rightfully so.
Whitworth after the loss to the Titans already commented that the offensive line was opening up running lanes and holding up well in pass pro to hit a variety of short and intermediate routes - but McVay kept calling long developing pass plays, for some crazy reason, against a tenacious pass rush. How much longer until the offensive line says "enough is enough"?
Ass kickings happen to every team. 7-3 is still a good record. There is nothing wrong with being a wild card or playing on the road in playoffs. None of that stuff matters. The only reason I am pessimistic that this team will ever go anywhere with McVay at the helm is because the Rams lose the same way, consistently, for several years on end. The sample size is undeniable at this point. Any team with the horses to out muscle us will do so. We will have no answer. We'll be bounced in embarrassing fashion.
