[Stranger]

For example, I can imagine Goodell making a call to a high power x-coach and convincing him to take the Rams OC job. And perhaps another powerful NFL exec convincing Jeff to hire that former coach.

Lots gotta be going on behind the scenes. But no one wants the Rams to fail, or perform badly now, except for perhaps Deano, McNair and Richardson.

[TomSlick]

If the NFL wants the Rams in the playoffs they would demand they fire Fisher.

Or the league says all 7-9 teams, with curly horns on their helmets who play in LA, get an automatic invite to the Super Bowl, bypassing all the playoffs, and are spotted 50 points in the big game.

[moklerman]

I can certainly appreciate a good conspiracy theory but what about the Jets? They can't seem to find...well, start a list. Being in a big market doesn't mean a team is going to get taken care of.

[Stranger]

Steelers & Patriots have been "taken care of" for years. And just look what happens to a team in the NFL bad books (eg. Raiders)

[Hacksaw]

I can certainly appreciate a good conspiracy theory but what about the Jets? They can't seem to find...well, start a list. Being in a big market doesn't mean a team is going to get taken care of.

I think his premise is about the move and putting a winner in LA while they are in the spotlight. It makes the Shields choice appear more legit.
Winning helps sales at this critical transition time. The shield doesn't want empty seats..

[Indrid Cold]

I can certainly appreciate a good conspiracy theory but what about the Jets? They can't seem to find...well, start a list. Being in a big market doesn't mean a team is going to get taken care of.

Gotta agree. The NFL cares about $$$. As long that's rolling in (and it will for about 5 years...until the new stadium gets built, and for couple of years after), I extremely doubt there is any kind of back door assist. They assume the Rams are competent enough to field a team worth watching. We'll see. It's easy to say to Pats and Steelers get assists, but those are stable, well coached, good drafting teams (the model Kroenke wanted when he hired Fisher). And if the fix is in, it's a lot easier to perhaps "assist" perennial playoff teams (guided officiating, slaps on the hand for obvious cheating) but a decade longer loser? Hey, I'm excited about the Ram's future as anyone...but there's no magical OC or QB elixir coming soon without effort and change by the Rams.

[Hacksaw]

What do the championship playoff teams all have in common? A quality QB.

Hard to find? Yes,, but a better effort needs to be made to change that affliction. So I agree completely that this team need to fix that problem or we will see the sosalar roll out their next 500% campaign in 2016. If they stay the course the best we can hope for is sniffing the playoffs but only if we stay incredibly healthy and win the ones we are supposed to (and the close ones too).

I can still see favorable things happening on our behalf to make the transition more notable, but we have to earn the wins either way.

[aeneas1]

I can certainly appreciate a good conspiracy theory but what about the Jets? They can't seem to find...well, start a list. Being in a big market doesn't mean a team is going to get taken care of.

Gotta agree. The NFL cares about $$$. As long that's rolling in (and it will for about 5 years...until the new stadium gets built, and for couple of years after), I extremely doubt there is any kind of back door assist. They assume the Rams are competent enough to field a team worth watching. We'll see. It's easy to say to Pats and Steelers get assists, but those are stable, well coached, good drafting teams (the model Kroenke wanted when he hired Fisher). And if the fix is in, it's a lot easier to perhaps "assist" perennial playoff teams (guided officiating, slaps on the hand for obvious cheating) but a decade longer loser? Hey, I'm excited about the Ram's future as anyone...but there's no magical OC or QB elixir coming soon without effort and change by the Rams.

the patriots landed a 6th round qb who will be a first-ballot hof inductee once his career is over, the seahawks landed a 3rd round munchkin who has risen to become one of the league's premier qbs, a guy who propelled the seahawks offense from bottom 3rd in offensive scoring to top 10, not sure how the league went about making that happen? as fun (hopeful?) as it might be to believe, the league isn't the puppet master in terms of which teams succeed and which don't, that's up to the teams, and unless a team has a quality qb under center, or one helluva stingy defense in points allowed, the team typically won't go anywhere...

[Stranger]

Colts didn't have to trade Marshall to Rams, but they did. And without him, we dont have GSOT.

All I am saying is that:

1. there is lots of room for back room dealing.
2. there is strong motive on the part of the NFL for the LA Rams to be successful
3. there is strong motive on the part of Goodell for the LA Rams to be successful
4. Goodell has the ability to ask for "favors" from lots of influential folks
5. Goodell can repay those favors in a number of different ways

The above can result in a number of outcomes that helps he LA Rams be successful.

[Hacksaw]

Colts didn't have to trade Marshall to Rams, but they did. And without him, we dont have GSOT.

“They wanted our draft choice, and we wanted Marshall Faulk, and Jim Mora was the head coach there,” Vermeil said Thursday. “Jim and I worked together at Stanford as young assistants. Jim was my linebacker coach at UCLA, so we had a relationship. “And it worked great for us. It worked great for Marshall Faulk. They got the running back they wanted out of Miami who had a great career for them, Edgerrin James, had great success. They already had a great quarterback who was really starting to come on in Peyton [Manning].
“So they got what they wanted. We got we wanted.”

I'm on board with anticipating the Rams getting the benefit of the doubt more this upcoming season then in the past,, bit nothing covert. Even the lopsided Faulk trade you mentioned wasn't league driven imo. But I agree that those listed items would benefit the league too.