All Things Rams - Stafford Thread

[chemiclord]

Still can't help but notice that the "defense first" guy has yet to make a defensive comparison between the two teams.

It's very curious.

[Cody_Russell]

2014 Lions defense vs 2021 Rams defense? Think they'll be close in a comparison AFTER the 2021 season. I don't know that much about the Rams D heading into this year. Guessing they will probably take a small step back from their elite 2020 defense.

2014 Lions:
- Top 3 to 5 defense by most metrics.
- Lions gave up 24 points in the playoff game vs Dallas
- Excellent DT (Suh) and CB (Slay).
- Think the Lions had more quality starters with guys like Levy, Quin, and Ansah. Losing Fairley in the London game hurt because he was having the best season of his career. Could have put the Lions D over the top.

2021 Rams:
- Top 1 to 4 defense in 2020 by metrics I've seen. Elite last season.
- Godly DT (Donald) and CB (Ramsey). Better than the Suh + Slay combination.
- How will the 2021 Rams defense look after losing John Johnson, Troy Hill, Michael Brockers, and DC Brandon Staley? Guessing this unit will still be great.

[wcfwtf]

Another narrative that Stafford wanted to go to a dinner.
He has publicly said he had no specific teams in mind and only wanted a fresh start.
It was reported she didn't want to go to New England.
So the thought that he went to a team that is going in the opposite direction and that he chose LA is complete crap.
The Rams were it because the perfect storm happened for him to go there. That's it, nothing else.

[wcfwtf]

If Rams don't have a running game they will probably still score good amount of points. But if they score fast and can't control clock their defense will be on the field a lot more and may wear down at end of games.
Rams lost 4 starters on defense. They may not have the depth to be the same as last year.
As Patricia would say you have to play complimentary football to win. Of course he and Quinn couldn't practice what they preach.

[Futureshock]

There is no evidence whatsoever the Lions are going in the right direction... yet. Lions fans get excited with damn near every new coach/gm... it hasn't paid off for us yet.

Agree.

It just feels so much different then anything I've seen here in 50 years. If it doesn't work then what? I hope to the heavens we aren't hoping for that answer in 3 years. This year , any wins above getting a top 3 pick is gravy. I actually am not looking towards wins.

The best situation would be if they followed the Pistons blueprint and were really competitive in games, but just don't have enough firepower to close out games. Then get a high (and another 1st from the Rams) pick to get that firepower.

Fingers crossed

[Futureshock]

I KNOW I am wrong, but, it feels to me that they are going to be better then we (or anyone) thinks.

[CGVT]

I KNOW I am wrong, but, it feels to me that they are going to be better then we (or anyone) thinks.

Well... It is that time of year.

[froot loops]

You can always find new ways to attack the problem it this approach fails.

[chemiclord]

I KNOW I am wrong, but, it feels to me that they are going to be better then we (or anyone) thinks.

It's going to depend a lot on how you define "better."

I think they'll be a better "team," but are going to lack the firepower to win too many games. This team talent-wise remains very poor. Patricia and Quinn did a wonderful job ejecting nearly all the talent from this team.

But if you define "better" solely by the win-loss column... well, let's just say the Hater's Club should think Jared Goff is one of the worst one-on-one QBs in the league.

[Fraquar]

The thing about Stafford is he got better and the team got worse. His best chances with the Lions were early in his career, maybe he wasn't good enough in 2014, it was really the only plausible team that was a contender.

It's true that with every new coach or GM, Lion fans get over enthused but I think this is the first time I've been been excited about a coach/GM combo, maybe since Wayne.

I was bought in on Mariucci and Schwartz but I didn't like the front office.

Quantify better.....
If he got better he'd have had more say in the offense during the Caldwell/Cooter years.
Watching every game was like watching Groundhog Day.
Lions offense beyond the first scripted drive of the game does nothing - and they try to get some consolation before halftime with a 2 minute drill.
Rinse and repeat for the second half - or until that game got so uncontrollably out of hand they had to ditch the offense altogether.

They'd spend ALL WEEK coming up with those game plans - and yet they'd never adjust during the game.
Keep doing the same shit that doesn't work, week after week.
That shit can't all be on the OC, unless we think the QB is nothing but a robot and only does what he's told and nothing more.

Is he better now, after the Caldwell/Cooter years? In my mind he's only as good as his OC - which isn't really a reflection of the QB.....

[froot loops]

I define better is he was carrying the fucking team, every time he was out they lost and they appeared to be the worst team in the league. That's how I quantify it and that is sufficient. Shaun Hill actually won games early when Stafford was hurt.

[Futureshock]

It's going to depend a lot on how you define "better."

I think they'll be a better "team," but are going to lack the firepower to win too many games. This team talent-wise remains very poor. Patricia and Quinn did a wonderful job nearly all the talent from this team.

But if you define "better" solely by the win-loss column... well, let's just say the Hater's Club should think Jared Goff is one of the worst one-on-one QBs in the league.

I hope you're right Chemi.

[Futureshock]

Akers.jpg

Matthew Stafford on Cam Akers injury: “It’s next man up”

Posted by Mike Florio on July 26, 2021, 6:42 AM EDT

Getty Images

The high expectations for the L.A. Rams became tempered last week by the season-ending injury suffered by one of the most promising young running backs in the league, Cam Akers. As quarterback Matthew Stafford arrived for his first training camp with any team other than the Lions, Stafford addressed the impact of the absence of Akers on the team.

“Really tough to see that happen to a young guy that’s a really promising, talented player,” Stafford told reporters. “Unfortunately, that’s kind of the name of the game in the NFL. You hate to see it happen in the offseason when we’re playing a game or something, but it’s next man up. Those guys are going to battle it out and I’m sure we’ll do whatever we can to make the running game as good as we possibly can. Cam was a really productive player as a young guy last year. And we were looking for a lot out of them this year. But next man up, we’ll go from there. Wish him the best obviously.”

Stafford remains confident in the running game, even without Akers.

“I think I have a lot of belief and a lot of trust in the guys that we have in that locker room and on the coaching staff to no matter who’s back there, we’re going to have a successful running game,” Stafford said. “Really the biggest gut punch was for the kid. I think it’s so difficult. I dealt with injuries my first couple of years. Really throughout your career, you end up doing it here in the NFL. So that one’s obviously a tough one and one that’s going to take some time. So I really feel for him, more so than I do us as a team. I know we’ll miss him out there. He’s a great player, but just feel bad for him to not get the opportunity to go out there and play the game that I know he loves to play. We’ll do everything we can to make him proud.”

Given that Stafford played with Adrian Peterson in 2020, the quarterback potentially can give the Rams input as to whether the future Hall of Famer should be signed. It sounds like the Rams haven’t sought Stafford’s input on Peterson, yet.

“They haven’t really talked to me much,” Stafford said. “I think other than the fact that kind of saying, ‘Dang,’ like we all are. We wish we wish him the best of luck in his recovery. [I] feel great about the guys that we have in that room and the guys that we have up front and the scheme that we have to help guys succeed at that position. So that’s the name of the game in this league. You got to have some depth and got to have guys step up and we’ll definitely have that.”

That meshes with the team’s intended approach, at least for now. Next man up, with the possibility of potentially adding a veteran later, if necessary.

No matter how they try to sell this one, the absence of Akers hurts. If he’d become the player he looked to be ready to become, Akers could have had a special season. The Rams could still have a special season without Akers, but it will be more difficult than it would have been with him.

[Futureshock]

Well, we won't be getting any COVID forfeits from the Rams...


Sean McVay: Rams will be “around” fully vaccinated at start of regular season

Posted by Mike Florio on July 26, 2021, 7:24 PM EDT

Getty Images

Los Angeles currently is a COVID hot spot, again. The Rams are ready for it, with a high vaccination rate among staff and players.

“It’s been really good,” coach Sean McVay told reporters on Monday regarding the team’s willingness to get vaccinated. “All of our staff is. [I] don’t want to get into the exact numbers, but we are really close to 100 percent of our players having the vaccination. Some of those guys are in the process of getting that started within the last week. . . . I think you do want to be understanding and respectful of everybody has an individual approach, that resonates with me. Where you want to be empathetic to why they may feel good or why they might have concerns. Our guys have done a great job of trying to educate us on their perspective. We’ve gotten close to 100 percent of our guys that are committed to doing that, which is good.”

McVay stopped short of saying that the team will be fully vaccinated by the start of the season.

“I would say that it will be around there,” McVay said. “If certain guys feel adamant that they don’t want to — totally respect and understand that. I think for me as a coach, you want to be understanding of it. What it does do is, it eliminates some of the things that you naturally have to just navigate through with the obstacles that are in place, whether you are or aren’t [vaccinated], some of the protocols that we have to follow. I feel like we’re in a really good place and it’s not going to be any reason for it to be a distraction for our team.”

McVay’s inability to predict a 100-percent vaccination rate likely means that one or more players who definitely will be on the team have made it clear that they definitely won’t be getting vaccinated.

[Futureshock]

Sean McVay: Signing Todd Gurley is not something we’re exploring right now

Posted by Myles Simmons on July 26, 2021, 4:17 PM EDT

Getty Images

After news came out that Rams running back Cam Akers tore his Achilles while training for the upcoming season, Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson floated the idea of Los Angeles bringing back Todd Gurley.

Dickerson called it a “no-brainer” given how well Gurley knows the offense adding that it would be an “easy fit.”

But last week, head coach Sean McVay said in an interview that L.A. wasn’t yet planning on bringing in a veteran to help replace Akers. Asked directly about Gurley on Monday, McVay reiterated that same stance.

“I don’t think that’s something we’re exploring right now, just the veteran route,” McVay told reporters in his press conference. “Todd’s obviously been a huge part of a lot of good things for the Rams. And I know for me personally, I’m very grateful for all the good things that Todd did and what that meant for our team’s success and the leader that he was.”

McVay noted that the difference between now and in 2018 when the club brought in C.J. Anderson and he helped propel Los Angeles’ Super Bowl run is that there’s a lot of time between now and the start of the regular season. McVay named Darrell Henderson, Raymond Calais, Xavier Jones, and Jake Funk as players who have an opportunity to display what they can do in training camp.

But, McVay didn’t completely rule out the idea of a Gurley reunion.

“To say that you’d never do it — you don’t want to pigeon-hole yourself into that,” McVay said. “But we are going to use camp as an opportunity to let [RBs coach] Thomas Brown pour into these guys and see how they compete and handle probably a little bit heavier a workload than they anticipated.”

Gurley accumulated 7,494 yards from scrimmage with 70 total touchdowns in five seasons from 2015-2019. He was the AP Offensive Player of the Year in 2017, McVay’s first season as Los Angeles’ head coach.

Gurley spent last year with the Falcons, rushing for 678 yards with nine touchdowns.