[ramsww]

When AD sez he was blindsided, you can’t fault the fans. I’ll enjoy the season win or lose. It reminds me of the Banks/Phillips/Kennison years without the 1st round draft picks. A lot more talent on this team than the egg-spurts credit though.

“It’s a young team. We don’t know what to expect, right? All you can do is work,” he said. “All you can do is make sure the young guys know what they’re doing, even though you want to make sure everybody’s clicking, understanding how to play with each other. You never count a team out. Obviously, it’s not what you expect. Me personally, being in Year 10, I didn’t expect this to happen but we’re here now so just trying to find a away to be a good leader, a good player for this team and try to bring the young guys along. And hopefully we have the year we want.”

[PARAM]

There's no fault involved. It's all a matter of perception. Right now, it's an unknown. Fans are going to be fans. Of all types. But nobody knows. And that's the greatest thing about sports. It's why we watch the games.

[ramsww]

Many players showing potential but I expect good things from Yeast, Young and Witherspoon. I also see no way to keep D Robinson off the field if he stays healthy. Tu Tu may be on the bubble barring other injuries but we need his speed badly. My wait-and-see approach to Avila may be more my concern of the Bruss pick last year but it would be great to see both starting.

My 4 rookie starters would have the be Avila G, Kobie Turner DE, Young OLB and Tre T. in the nickel. Five if we get Puka full time returning punts.

[/zn/]

When AD sez he was blindsided, you can’t fault the fans. I’ll enjoy the season win or lose. It reminds me of the Banks/Phillips/Kennison years without the 1st round draft picks. A lot more talent on this team than the egg-spurts credit though.

Have to respectfully disagree. It's not a rebuild and yes it's "retooling."

To me, if they actually were rebuilding then it was a bad, bad plan to keep Stafford, Kupp, and Donald. That's not rebuilding. Rebuilding means getting picks for those guys.

This is a new thing we're not used to. We've seen rebuilds before. We've never seen "retooling" before.

This is all deliberately aimed at adding to what they have in 24, with picks and cap space. Meanwhile they hand the baton to a lot of young players, although that's mostly on defense.

On offense it all depends on the OL but then they have a long list of holdover players with experience on that OL. That's the silver thread in the middle of the 2022 OL injury hurricane. They do not lack for OL players (and adding Avila is a big plus, literally and figuratively).

On defense we're mistaking "don't know yet" for "they have nothing." When you don't know yet you don't know yet, and that's not the same thing as authentic pessimism. I think odds are a lot of the guys we don't know about yet will actually work out and stick (eg.--the DL. There's Brown, Copeland, and Williams--they could come through. This is the same team that surprised us when both Sebastian-Day and then Gaines came through as solid. So it's not unreasonable to think they might have a guy or 2 already).

When DV rebuilt starting in 97, by 99 he had 6 starters out of 24 (counting the kickers) who were already there before 97. Just 6.

In 23, they have more than 6 on offense alone. A lot of the new defensive starters are 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year guys who were on the team before. In the end they will have a lot more than 6 starters total who were on the team before 23.

...

[snackdaddy]

Sounds like Aaron sees the writing on the wall as far as this season. I'm hoping for the best but I'm also resigning myself to the possibility of another losing season.

The defense is what concerns me. With so many young guys you know there will be blown assignments. Big runs with guys out of position. Open receivers with a break down in communication.

All we can do is hope the offense can keep up and maybe as the season goes on the defense gets better and tightens those things up.

[snackdaddy]

As far as this season, there is something else to think about. 4 of the first 5 games they will be the underdogs. If that holds true they could be 1-4 at that point. They will be 8 games in by the trade deadline. If they're 2-6 at that point would they consider trading one of their core guys? Kupp, Donald, Stafford? Or do they think they all have enough in the tank to make a run in 2024 and 2025?

[/zn/]

The defense is what concerns me. With so many young guys you know there will be blown assignments. Big runs with guys out of position. Open receivers with a break down in communication.

And there will also be a re-tooled defense that is built around a new strategic approach. In the off-season Rodrigue reported that Morris and the Rams staff were (direct quote) "sick to death" of constantly facing quick ball control passing. They strategically shifted away from a team built around Donald and Ramsey to being a team whose front 7 is more aggressive and quicker. That will include a lot of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year players---in fact most likely just one rookie will start in the front 7 (Young).

Talking just about the defense here, but will communication be an issue when you have a lot of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year starters? It's the same system, the same coordinator, and many of the same position coaches, so most of the starters will know the system. Adjusting general strategy (from Donald/Ramsey to an attacking front 7) is not the same as changing systems.

Yes it's possible the D will start out slow but it's just as possible that even if they do, they will be in sync by the 2nd half of the season. Not promising a top 5 defense but it could be a lot better than the more pessimistic account tends to think it will be.

[snackdaddy]

And there will also be a re-tooled defense that is built around a new strategic approach. In the off-season Rodrigue reported that Morris and the Rams staff were (direct quote) "sick to death" of constantly facing quick ball control passing. They strategically shifted away from a team built around Donald and Ramsey to being a team whose front 7 is more aggressive and quicker. That will include a lot of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year players---in fact most likely just one rookie will start in the front 7 (Young).

Is communication an issue when you have a lot of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year starters? It's the same system, the same coordinator, and many of the same position coaches, so they know the system. Adjusting general strategy (from Donald/Ramsey to an attacking front 7) is not the same as changing systems.

Yes it's possible the D will start out slow but it's just as possible that even if they do, they will be in sync by the 2nd half of the season. Not promising a top 5 defense but it could be a lot better than the more pessimistic account tends to think it will be.

To me its all about the offense. That side of the ball will have the most experience. And they do have playmakers in Kupp, Akers, Jefferson, Tutu and Higbee. The line is key there. They stay relatively healthy I think they will run better and protect Stafford better. They have to be better prepared for the inevitable injuries that happen.

[ramsww]

Have to respectfully disagree. It's not a rebuild and yes it's "retooling."

To me, if they actually were rebuilding then it was a bad, bad plan to keep Stafford, Kupp, and Donald. That's not rebuilding. Rebuilding means getting picks for those guys.

This is a new thing we're not used to. We've seen rebuilds before. We've never seen "retooling" before.

This is all deliberately aimed at adding to what they have in 24, with picks and cap space. Meanwhile they hand the baton to a lot of young players, although that's mostly on defense.

On offense it all depends on the OL but then they have a long list of holdover players with experience on that OL. That's the silver thread in the middle of the 2022 OL injury hurricane. They do not lack for OL players (and adding Avila is a big plus, literally and figuratively).

On defense we're mistaking "don't know yet" for "they have nothing." When you don't know yet you don't know yet, and that's not the same thing as authentic pessimism. I think odds are a lot of the guys we don't know about yet will actually work out and stick (eg.--the DL. There's Brown, Copeland, and Williams--they could come through. This is the same team that surprised us when both Sebastian-Day and then Gaines came through as solid. So it's not unreasonable to think they might have a guy or 2 already).

When DV rebuilt starting in 97, by 99 he had 6 starters out of 24 (counting the kickers) who were already there before 97. Just 6.

In 23, they have more than 6 on offense alone. A lot of the new defensive starters are 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year guys who were on the team before. In the end they will have a lot more than 6 starters total who were on the team before 23.

...

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.

[TomSlick]

Sitting here in August, with nothing to base an opinion on, I'm looking forward to young guys filling the ranks. While youth can have its drawbacks, they are also enthusiastic, motivated, fast and aggressive (if given the coaching staff to remove to bridle off the young colts).