[ramsww]

Not saying the Rams can’t beat the lower half of the league, unfortunately, not a lot of them on the schedule in 2023. Burrow gets dinged, other things occur. The field can be leveled. All the better if these young guys step up!

On another note, really bad fortune for some Rams leaving for other teams. OBJ’s knee kept him out all 2022, Von Miller, missed his 1st season in Buff. and now Ramsey goes down, looking at December. No one is immune.

[Elvis]

Did i miss where AD says he was blindsided?

[/zn/]

I’d have to “respectfully” disagree with half of this. I’m very optimistic about MANY young players but re-tooling? Yes, McVay kept the O in tact and added Avila and a productive Robinson for an underachieving ARob but he completely gutted the D without adding the talent back. On paper we will get gashed and smoked…on paper. We’ll see. AD and a guy that didn’t even start in 2022 but hey, get yer ratchet and tool box out. The D will require re-tooling all year.

The D depends on a lot of developed 2nd through 4th year players. Which means we don't yet know the level of talent. So we don't yet know how much talent that amounts to. IMO not knowing is not knowing which means we don't yet know--not knowing is not the same as directly claiming it will be good or bad. So we don't know on paper either. That depends on a lot of 2nd through 4th year Rams players like Hoecht and Copeland etc.

They did add players to the defense this year though, including Young, Turner, and Hodges-Tomlinson. Most likely, though, only 1 rookie will start--Young (if he starts). The rest of the new starters have been in the system and know the coaches.

And if they left the offense intact, the team is not rebuilding. In 2001 the Rams changed the defense overnight after the defensive disaster of 2000, but no one then said THE RAMS were rebuilding.

[PARAM]

In 2001 the Rams changed the defense overnight after the defensive disaster of 2000, but no one then said THE RAMS were rebuilding.

Good call.

A lot of new starters. Rookies Archuleta and Polley starting. Rookies Pickett and Lewis (3 starts) in DL rotation. Rookie CB Jeremetrius Butler. 2nd year DT Brian Young starting. 4th year players Wistrom and Fletcher starting. New additions including LB Mark Fields (Starting), CB Aeneas Williams (S), S Kim Herring (S), DE Chidi Ahonatu (S) and DT Tyoka Jackson a big contributor. 7 "new" starters. Wasn't that a remodel?

[actionjack]

The D depends on a lot of developed 2nd through 4th year players. Which means we don't yet know the level of talent. So we don't yet know how much talent that amounts to. IMO not knowing is not knowing which means we don't yet know--not knowing is not the same as directly claiming it will be good or bad. So we don't know on paper either. That depends on a lot of 2nd through 4th year Rams players like Hoecht and Copeland etc.

They did add players to the defense this year though, including Young, Turner, and Hodges-Tomlinson. Most likely, though, only 1 rookie will start--Young (if he starts). The rest of the new starters have been in the system and know the coaches.

And if they left the offense intact, the team is not rebuilding. In 2001 the Rams changed the defense overnight after the defensive disaster of 2000, but no one then said THE RAMS were rebuilding.

Yes we dont really know what the Rams have on defense. But history can be a guide. The Rams are extremely young on defense with rookies and second year players who maybe played 1/4 to 1/2 of a season. I think it is asking lot to think the defense will be fine with such inexperience and need to lean on unproven players.

Anyway that is why the play the game. If I had to bet I would side on they will struggle early especially since the schedule is pretty tough those first 5 games. I would also expect to see improvement in the second half of the season as the the coaches learn more what works and the players gain valuable experience. Hopefully they have middle of pack and above defense by than.

No one is talking about the offense, but this is a unit that finished last in the NFL last year. Yes it was 80% injuries, lack of Stafford in camp etc etc, but Rams still need to go out an establish themselves offensively. The line must play well, Stafford must play very well (no 2 INT games etc), Akers must be who he was the last 1/4 of the season and most importantly nothing crazy injury wise.

[/zn/]

The Rams are extremely young on defense with rookies and second year players who maybe played 1/4 to 1/2 of a season

From what I can tell right now, it's really only 1 rookie who might start (Young). I don't know what they're doing at safety other than Fuller (so I could be wrong about 1 rookie starting). I will just do the other 9, though warning--I haven't researched this in any thorough way and am just doing it off the top of my head. The rest are all 2nd through 4th year players, the main candidates being Hoecht, Copeland, Brown, Rozeboom (I think), Durant, Kendrick. Of those that's 3 2nd year players and 3 3rd-4th year players. That's with the previous starters--Donald, Jones, and Fuller. So they could have anywhere from 4 to 5 1st and 2nd year starters, according to that tally.

Odds are they will do a lot of rotating so at some positions the "starter" just may be situational. Like (just a wild guess) Young and Hardy sharing a spot and rotating.

Is that a lot of turnover? Yes. But it's also a lot of players who know the system and coaches. I could see a situation where they start out at 1 level then cohere during the season and take it up a notch.

[PARAM]

The way they did it suggests they are accounting for the inexperience with mentors/leaders who may help accelerate the development.

Donald for the DL
Jones for the LB corp
Fuller for the secondary and then they sign Witherspoon for the subset, cornerbacks.

As ZN points out
..Bobby Brown has been around as well as Copeland.

One concern is the DL subset of edge rushers has no leader but McVay explained that. There are a number of guys competing but they may also be complimenting one another.

We believe it all centers on Byron Young.....it does to some degree (he'll definitely be on the 53)....and Hoecht but Hardy and Thomas have some experience; Hampton and Ochan will at least be on the ps. I could see a situation where one of Hardy/Thomas and one of Hampton/Ochan are on the ps, while the other is on the 53 and the competition will be a season long event.

I get the inexperience and the hope that it develops over the season but it's not like it hasn't happened before. The 2001 Rams and the 2022 KC Chiefs and probably another (or two) we can't recall right now. But the success or lack thereof for the 2023 Rams rests solely on the offense's shoulders. The 99 defense was not that talented but the situation TGSOT put them in helped immensely.

There is one positive to youth and inexperience......they don't know what they don't know

[ramsww]

Did i miss where AD says he was blindsided?

AD: “Obviously, it’s not what you expect. Me personally, being in Year 10, I didn’t expect this to happen”

I thought the interview laid it out pretty clearly.

[ramsww]

The way they did it suggests they are accounting for the inexperience with mentors/leaders who may help accelerate the development.

Donald for the DL
Jones for the LB corp
Fuller for the secondary and then they sign Witherspoon for the subset, cornerbacks.

As ZN points out
..Bobby Brown has been around as well as Copeland.

One concern is the DL subset of edge rushers has no leader but McVay explained that. There are a number of guys competing but they may also be complimenting one another.

We believe it all centers on Byron Young.....it does to some degree (he'll definitely be on the 53)....and Hoecht but Hardy and Thomas have some experience; Hampton and Ochan will at least be on the ps. I could see a situation where one of Hardy/Thomas and one of Hampton/Ochan are on the ps, while the other is on the 53 and the competition will be a season long event.

I get the inexperience and the hope that it develops over the season but it's not like it hasn't happened before. The 2001 Rams and the 2022 KC Chiefs and probably another (or two) we can't recall right now. But the success or lack thereof for the 2023 Rams rests solely on the offense's shoulders. The 99 defense was not that talented but the situation TGSOT put them in helped immensely.

There is one positive to youth and inexperience......they don't know what they don't know

Good points but Floyd was around for several years before McVay and Morris tapped his potential. Hoping 2nd & 3rd stringers suddenly have the light go ON is hoping for a lot…and hope is NOT a strategy.

[Elvis]

You also have Les Snead saying he went to Aaron Donald, told him what the plan was and AD said he was on board, just get him guys that care is how Snead put it. So maybe looking at his career, being on a defense this young in year 10, yeah maybe he didn't expect that but this year in particular, he was consulted about it. So no way he was blindsided.

Also, just heard Snead on the radio, said the usual stuff but one thing he said was you could go your whole career as a GM and not find a Matthew Stafford or a Cooper Kupp or an Aaron Donald so he's not ready to sell this team too short...