First, let me stipulate that the OL injuries are the root of at least 90% of Rams woes on O. I seriously doubt that ANY other team could have survived them any better. Just catastrophic.
I will further stipulate that Morris has managed his own player injuries rather well. I hate watching his soft zone D but it was both pretty darned effective and appropriate while dealing with so many inexperienced rookies he was forced to start. I do have issues with his scheming vs the 49ers, though. But that’s for a different thread.
Here’s why I said Rams roster and coaches have been exposed.
These are things that have been creeping up and yet have been ignored while I hadn’t noticed. I was too busy enjoying that SB winning season. But our opponents have noticed them and are attacking our weaknesses relentlessly.
Rams OL, even when healthy, hasn’t been good at run blocking. This is not just a ‘22 problem. It’s been going on for years. Is McVay’s preferred zone blocking types still the best way to go? I haven’t seen a strong consistent run game since Gurley’s heyday. That’s way back in mid-2018. I think McVay might want to reconsider his OL draft profile strategy because recent results have sucked. They simply ain’t working, Sean. To the point that you now lack confidence in our running game and it shows in your play calling. Opponents have noticed, btw. And scheme accordingly to the point that they practically ignore our run threat. It’s a vicious circle.
Perhaps Rams OL is suffering from being on the back burner too much while McVay focuses too much on skill positions? Recent examples include the Atwell pick over Humphrey, declarations about bringing back OBJ, apparent interest in trading for Cooks. It smacks of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic while Rams are struggling on OL and RB. OL should be officially Job One, Sean.
Which brings me to our pathetic RB situation. When was the last time you felt confident that Rams could run for a 1st on 3rd and short? Michel last year, maybe? Not to mention that our top 3 RB’s are notoriously unable to stay healthy. One RB, maybe. But all 3? There’s something else going on. McVay needs to self scout to determine whether he’s even seeking optimum effective RB’s with his current draft profiles. Rams have been hampered too long by too many RB’s to call themselves unlucky there. There’s something else going on that’s hurting our RB situation. Rams should leave no stone unturned in their RB examination.
Let’s talk TE. We currently have an inconsistent Higbee and a couple of nobodies. Is it coaching or is it drafting? Or both? I vote for both. And the maddening thing is that TE has been an orphan for years, too. SOMEONE should have noticed these trends at OL, RB, and TE and gotten into the ears of both Snead and McVay.
Now let’s talk Edge. It’s been a weakness opposite Floyd for years. Von Miller fixed that nicely last year but at a very high price for 6 months of work. Point being Rams have been deficient at edge for years. This is another core position and yet weakness there has been tolerated for far too long. Are Snead and his scouts incapable of finding just one quality Edge player? Or is the problem coaching? Including scheming those edge players. Maybe all 3 are at fault simultaneously?
Now I have a couple of coaching questions. Why is Evans starting on this crippled OL? Hell, why is he even on the roster? Insert either Skura or Brewer and bench Evans until Shelton returns. To do otherwise seems incompetent. Gawd!
Why is Rapp starting? Give Yeast a shot for crying out loud. Burgess. Or somebody off the street, dammit! Does Rapp have incriminating pictures of Morris? I’m only half joking. Starting Rapp is a self inflicted wound.
These are shortcomings of our current Rams that have been glaringly exposed already this season.
Yeah, I’m angry, frustrated, and upset. All the above are creeping problems that were never identified and addressed for several years. And now, even though we are defending SB champions, these things are killing us.
I’m sure I missed a few, but these are the ones off the top of my head this morning.
Thoughts?
