Rams Fans United - Los Angeles Rams Fan Discussion Forum

I have not given up on the goal of making the playoffs this year. I see value in doing so, even if the Rams are not good enough to challenge for the Super Bowl this year.

That said, we also have (at least) 7 games to figure out some important things for 2020, including the following:

1. What parts of the OL are salvageable? There is no question in my mind that we're going to need to an infusion of OL talent this offseason, but there may be parts that are worth saving. Could Austin Blythe be a better long term solution at center than Brian Allen? Can David Edwards and/or Bobby Evans, with some experience, develop into starters? Does Whitworth have enough left to consider bringing him back (he apparently might not wish to retire). These are all things to watch.

2. What is Brandin Cooks' future? It seems that, while they are being cautious, Cooks will likely return this year. If he does, and has no further issues, he's locked in as a starter for 2020. If not, could his career be cut short? Again... something to watch.

3. Are we set in the DB? The following players are all signed through 2020: Jalen Ramsey, Troy Hill, John Johnson, Taylor Rapp, David Long, Eric Weddle, Nickel Robey-Coleman. They've been playing fairly well in recent weeks (D is giving up an average of 10 points/game since Ramsey arrived). This may be the most stable unit on the team.

4. Fowler vs. Littleton vs. Ramsey extension. These are the biggest contract issues on the defense for the 2020 offseason. Without knowing how much the cap will go up and who might be willing to restructure, its hard to know how many of these issues can be addressed. If the answer is "less than all of them," what is the priority? Both Fowler and Littleton are having excellent years, and are UFAs. Ramsey has one more year, but is itching for a new deal. How will the final 7 games impact these decisions?

5. What's up with Gurley? I'm not going to pretend to know. All I can say is that the words we hear at the podium and the things we see on the field just don't match up. There's really no option to move Gurley this offseason, but I'm still interested to see in these final 7 games what his future might look like (or could this be like 2016 - a down year that precedes a resurgence)?

6. McVay 2.0. Is he ready, willing, and able to make adjustments, particularly in the face of a decimated OL?

Still a lot of reasons to watch.

The days of the "Bell Cow" running back being necessary to win in the NFL are over. The league is trended to the good offensive line and accurate passer for success. That's what makes the Gurley contract hard to swallow going forward. Barkley in NY is starting to be questioned "What's Wrong" as he struggles with injuries. The RB by committee will be more effective and cost saving in the future as San Francisco is proving and the Patriots have always believed in.

Rams defense is playing great and continue to turn it up.
Rams offense will realize it doesn't need to win games, just not lose them and things will be ok.

Question is, how viable is Goff in leading this offense with the issues on the line? Everyone knows how bad the line is. There is also the perception that Goff cannot handle pressure. He makes mistakes under pressure. I know that's probably overblown because no quarterback can handle consistent pressure. But the perception is enough that defenses are trying hard to come after him. And he does seem to make mistakes under pressure.

I watched a show today on ESPN. High Noon. Two guys were debating whether or not they should cut bait and try to trade Goff next year. One guy said the whole thing with Goff was his rookie contract allowed them to fortify other areas. Now they don't have that with the extension.

The other guy disagreed. He said they are trying to win now and a rookie would likely need more than a year or two. Especially one drafted in the second or third round. They have to see it through with Goff and hope he gets better. The one thing he finished with did bother me though. He point blank said now they're stuck with Goff.

Trade Goff? No. Dumb idea.

AvengerRam wrote:Trade Goff? No. Dumb idea.

I would agree. But I hope we won't be "stuck" with Goff. I still think he's pretty good if you protect him. They haven't been able to do that this year.

Many of his fumbles are correctable. Just got to drill it in to him next off-season. Don’t hold the ball so low. It is not like he doesn’t have enough arm where he has to wind up. Hold it at the chest.

When I see people say things like "trade Goff and draft a QB," I just roll my eyes. Here is a list of all the QBs taken in the Top 10 since 2014:

Kyler Murray
Daniel Jones
Baker Mayfield
Sam Darnold
Mitch Trubisky
Patrick Mahomes
Carson Wentz
Jameis Winston
Marcus Mariota
Blake Bortles

How many of these guys would you take over Goff right now?

Mahomes? Sure.

Wentz? I'd say they're about even.

Murray? He's shown flashes, but I'm not ready to anoint him.

Any of the others? Nope.

So, based on this, taking a top 10 QB to replace Goff would give you a 10-20% (30% if you favor Wentz and Murray passes Goff) chance of getting an upgrade.

I don't know about you, but I don't like those odds.

AvengerRam wrote:When I see people say things like "trade Goff and draft a QB," I just roll my eyes. Here is a list of all the QBs taken in the Top 10 since 2014:

Kyler Murray
Daniel Jones
Baker Mayfield
Sam Darnold
Mitch Trubisky
Patrick Mahomes
Carson Wentz
Jameis Winston
Marcus Mariota
Blake Bortles

How many of these guys would you take over Goff right now?

Mahomes? Sure.

Wentz? I'd say they're about even.

Murray? He's shown flashes, but I'm not ready to anoint him.

Any of the others? Nope.

So, based on this, taking a top 10 QB to replace Goff would give you a 10-20% (30% if you favor Wentz and Murray passes Goff) chance of getting an upgrade.

I don't know about you, but I don't like those odds.

Not to mention what is a rookie going to do with a line that cannot protect him? With a predictable offense that isn't fooling anyone anymore. Might as well stick with Goff and see if they can do something about pass protection. Maybe he's making bad decisions and his release is slow, but I seriously doubt a rookie would do better in those circumstances. Probably worse.

Barring a miracle, I'm already looking into the 2020 season. It is hard, to do much of a draft, since we don't have a first round pick. In fact we don't have a first round pick in 2020 & 2021. Ugh. We will need to draft on both lines. Also, if we lose Dante Fowler, we are in desperate need of a pass rushing Edge Rusher, because we don't have one on this team, but it will be hard to draft one, again, we don't have a first round pick in 2020 & 2021. Signing Fowler is a must.