[aeneas1]

top 10 winning teams since 2018, you know, when the rams failures began by trying to build a dream team (suh, talob, peters, etc.):

[SoCalRam78]

Packers have choked many nfc title games with Rodgers.

Problem with the rams is they are paying the price for terrible contract extensions. Yes. They’re all in or whatever. But they have over 30 million in dead cap hits for Goff and Gurley. Stafford makes like 23 against the cap. The cap is 180 million. Think that money couldn’t be used to retain some free agents or sign outside free agents? That’s 1/6th of the cap this year in dead money.

[SoCalRam78]

Another thing. The team mcvay inherited in 2017 was better than people think. Fisher was just a joke of a coach. So they looked much worse than the my were.

[aeneas1]

Packers have choked many nfc title games with Rodgers.

Problem with the rams is they are paying the price for terrible contract extensions. Yes. They’re all in or whatever. But they have over 30 million in dead cap hits for Goff and Gurley. Stafford makes like 23 against the cap. The cap is 180 million. Think that money couldn’t be used to retain some free agents or sign outside free agents? That’s 1/6th of the cap this year in dead money.

the rams entered 2021 poised to make a deep postseason run despite dead cap commitments, and next year their dead cap sitch is all but completely gone... 2021 will also mark the 4th time in 5 years the rams will reach the postseason.... seems that the rams believed that they were only a stafford -level qb short of being a super bowl roster, so they went out and got him, but he and mcvay have struggled against tougher opponents and injuries have become somewhat of a factor, as they are with most teams.

[max]

Boy, the defensive posts are running hot and heavy.

The Rams have been to one SB and needed a unbelievable PI no call to get there, then got embarrassed by Belichick, scoring only 3 points. Otherwise, they’ve been in 3 playoff games and won only 1 WC game. So let’s be honest about what the Rams have accomplished in McVays 4 years to date. And this year doesn’t look so hot right now as we’re gonna be a WC team again at best.

I call it like I see it. We haven’t been as good as the Packers, and the idea that we have done it anywhere close to the Pats is just plain lunacy.

McVay and Snead still have a lot to prove about their method being any good. I’m rooting hard, but I’m realistic about what I’ve seen so far. And I don’t see an elite top 5 team.

[PARAM]

Are we talking about the same thing? Elite top 5 team for 2021 OR Elite top 5 team under Sean McVay?

If it's the former, there are 7 teams with better records than the Rams right now. And is that the definition of a top 5 team....the top 5 records? If it's the latter what is the definition? Record & SB appearances? Record and playoff appearances. Playoff and SB appearances. Lots of things to define.

There have been 4 Superbowls since McVay arrived in L.A.. New England has been to 2 (1-1). Kansas City has been to 2 (1-1). Philly (1-0), the Rams (0-1), SF (0-1) and Tampa (1-0) have been to 1. New England is leading their division this year. KC is leading their division this year. I think they'd have to be 2 of the top 5. How do we arrive at the other 3?

Philly has won a Superbowl, has been to the postseason in 3 of the last 4 years BUT didn't go last year and don't look like they're going to make it this year. I wouldn't count them in the top 5.
San Francisco has been to a Superbowl and lost, BUT that was their only postseason appearance in the last 4 years. They could make it this year but does that qualify them for top 5?
Atlanta went to the Superbowl and lost, made it back to the playoffs (beating the Rams) BUT haven't been back since 2018. The odds don't look good for them changing that trend. Surely not top 5.
The Rams went to the playoffs in 3 of the last 4 years, made it to a Superbowl and lost AND appear to be poised to make it back to the postseason again this year. Top 5?

How about teams who haven't made the Superbowl in the last 4 years?

Green Bay has been to the postseason in 2 of the last 4 years, will do it again this year but haven't won a conference championship. Top 5?
Baltimore has made it to the postseason 3 of the last 4 years (last 3) and will make it back again this year. No conference championships, 1 postseason win in 4 tries. Top 5?
Pittsburgh has been to the postseason 2 of the last 4 years without a win but could make it back this year. Top 5?
Buffalo has made it 3 of the last 4 years and are in good position to make it back this years. Top 5?

Who are the top 5 for the last 5 years (including 2021)?
I'd say.....in no particular order, New England, Kansas City, Baltimore, Buffalo and the Rams.

Who are the top 5 teams this year?
I'd say.....Arizona, Green Bay, Dallas, Tampa, the Rams, Baltimore, New England, Buffalo, Kansas City, Cincinnati and Tennessee. Pick any 5 and you won't be wrong. Because they change from week to week.

Max, if your top 5 teams are among those, I'd agree with you. If they're not, tell me where I went wrong.

[AltiTude Ram]

Aikman has short term memory loss.

I remember the Cowboys going out and getting Dion Sanders and Charles Haley among others to win Championships.

The Rams are an easy target because they’re on a 3 game losing streak. You need only to go back to last season when the Bucs went out and got Brady and AB to see results from adding stars to an already good roster.

[PARAM]

The Rams are an easy target because they’re on a 3 game losing streak.

That is the crux of this entire biscuit.

3 losses in a row and....

"they're not as good as we thought"
"top teams don't lose 3 in a row, they're not a top team"
"they've been figured out....again"
"they'll be lucky to make the playoffs and if they do, they're 1 and done"
"they have a lot of stars and no identity"

Those are the 'top 5' claims about the Rams

[AltiTude Ram]

That is the crux of this entire biscuit.

3 losses in a row and....

"they're not as good as we thought"
"top teams don't lose 3 in a row, they're not a top team"
"they've been figured out....again"
"they'll be lucky to make the playoffs and if they do, they're 1 and done"
"they have a lot of stars and no identity"

Those are the 'top 5' claims about the Rams

Can't see the forest through the trees.

It has nothing to do with Woods, Akers, SJD, Mundt ect...

Losing players in FA.

They aren't winning because they went out and traded for Stafford and Von Miller and bonus points for getting OBJ on the cheap.

I can see the Rams pulling it together and making a run similar to the Bucs last year. That may not happen but when they're playing good football they can compete with any other team. IMO

Let's get a win against the Jags and start the ball rolling in the right direction.

[PARAM]

Let's get a win against the Jags and start the ball rolling in the right direction.

And that's all they can do. Move forward. Can't replay the games. They're history.

It's so hard for fans. They have to explain to themselves or others what happened. Why it happened. And more important, what it means.

The players (and coaches) know, to a man, what they did or didn't do to contribute to those 3 losses. They know the game plan and how hard they worked throughout the week to prepare for the next test. It easier for them.

And it's getting close to 'that time of the season' when all you have to do is your job. Win and everything before that doesn't matter.

Should be fun to watch