[CanuckRightWinger]

Dear Mr. Demoff,

Whilst your boss Mr. Kroenke is out working tirelessly on surpassing Seattle's Paul Allen as the NFL Owner with highest net worth (mostly thru Real Estate Development), here's a FOOTBALL idea to help you sell 2017 PSL's....after all, you are the closest thing this Franchise has to a "President of Football Operations", right?

Also, let me emphasize, following your last year's "Return To LA" rollout debacle, it is damm clear that you NEED some help in the Marketing/Public Relations area. I mean, I don't think you could have screwed up the return of the Rams to America's second largest market any worse, even if you had tried. Think about it....in that humungous market of some 14 million Pro Football-starved Southern Californians, who initially greeted Los Ramos with grateful and welcoming arms (and open wallets)......by the end of that 4-12 clusterfook of a 2016 season, which YOU led:
--Rams management was having open warfare in the media with Ram HOFer Eric Dickerson
--your home fans were chanting "Fire Fisher!"
--the Rams were being booed off the field by the Coliseum faithful at halftime
--after a hot start in September, ticket sales tanked by season's end & there were lots of empty seats for ALL to see....which translates to this thing called "Revenue Erosion"....and Mr. Demoff, you do realize that's not going to make Mr. Kroenke happy, right??

I mean, returning the Rams to LA after two decades away, was supposed to be a glorious and magnificent event.....an NFL-SoCal lovefest right?? Instead, by season's end, the Cardinals were slapping your charges around before empty seats, as increasingly the SoCal football faithful went off to swim, surf, party, yoga......ie. do something that didn't make them feel nauseated.

In a normal situation, firing the scapegoat Fisher, and hiring Doogie Howser to replace him, might've worked in putting those SoCal football fan undecideds, into a buying mode for 2017 Rams PSL's (ya know, that whole "new season, new start, perpetual Ramsnation optimism Kool-Aid Ingestion Annual Ritual we faithful do) ....

...BUT THIS IS NOT A NORMAL SITUATION!!
BECAUSE...
The Los Angeles Chargers are coming to town.
Right Fooking Now!!!!

Financially, I am sure that Mr. Kroenke likes that he splits his New Stadium costs in half by having a tenant, the Chargers....that's good for ESK's Balance Sheet going forward.
BUT ....what if that tenant, Mr. Spanos's Chargers end up being the #1 darlings of SoCal Football fans, huh??!! That's not so good for ESK's ego is it?

What if, just as the Lakers dominate the LA Roundball Market, Spanos's team ends up dominating the LA Pro Football fan base's preference & affinity???? ....and Mr. Kroenke's Franchise ends up being the ProFootball SoCal equivalent of the LA Clippers, huh??!!
Stan would definitely not like that!!!

If Stan's Rams were #2 to Spanos, ESK might even decide to make additional personnel changes in Rams Upper Management, n'est-ce pas? I mean, let's face facts Mr. Demoff.....since you joined the Rams, the team has stunk!!! The product on the field, especially the Offence is hard to watch. SO...it's not as though you have a coupla Ram SB wins under your belt and are indispensable eh!!

Ergo, if Mr. Kroenke's storied Franchise, the Rams, end up as second banana in LA, to the former AFL upstart from down the Coast, owned by the upstart (and also ego-driven) Spanos crew......whew, could be trouble for you eh, Mr. Demoff?

So here's a Marketing Idea for you as to how to get a head start on the Spanos clan for the 2017 Season....AND TO ALSO HELP SHAPE THIS THING CALLED "A LA RAMS TEAM IDENTITY"....which right now does not exist.

Here you go Kevin....

In the upcoming NFL Draft, wherever the talent potential Draftee level is close, instruct Les NoLongerFOJF Snead, to draft the positional player from either USC or UCLA in that Round. eg. We need a solid CB in Rounds 2 or 3?? Okay, select USC Trojan phenom Adoree Jackson, over Ohio States's Gareon Conley or Washington Husky Kevin King.
More examples....later in the Draft you need a OT....why not grab UCLA Bruin stud Conor McDermott, over Michigan's Erik Magnusson or Arkansas Razorback Dan Skipper?!

At WR, try for Ju-Ju Smith-Schuster....another Trojan star....and LOS ANGELES FOOTBALL FANDOM FAVORITE.

I can hear it now....critics crowing about "coruption of the BPA principle", but like I said, "where the talent level is close", like a cointoss difference, why not tab the LA Favorite where SoCal Trojan and Bruin fans will want to continue to watch their favorite players in the Pros (& support Los Ramos over the Bolts)???!! Let's piggyback on the SoCal football love already in existence, for decades, for the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins. We'd be dumb to waste it IMO!

You need to win over the hearts and minds of the Football fanbase in SoCal Mr. Demoff. Your job may well depend on it! So I'm just giving you a common sense idea that BTW, the Spanos clan have probably already thought of!

Of course, all of us long-suffering Rams fans will tell you that regardless of the 2017 Rams players' origins and Alma Maters.....THE NUMBER ONE WAY TO WIN OVER LOS ANGELES IS...

...JUST WIN BABY!!!

BTW, it's been done before by that Al Davis guy.


For Your Consideration & Action,

CRW,
Vancouver, BC

[Rams1PlateSince1976]

Nice post. Especially the part about WINNING!. I am not sold on drafting home town (or local college) heroes. I guess the Gaston Green experiment has still left a VERY SOUR taste in my mouth.

Remember that 'Malmedy Massacre'? Coach Robinson wanted Thurman Thomas. But no. The front office wanted UCLA hero Gaston. Thus we worked our way into the 90's.

[BuiltRamTough]

The Rams will eventually surround Goff with talent. But it all still comes back to Goff.

Goff holds the key to everything. If Goff is great then Stan and Demoff will be Gods in LA.

[RamsFanSince82]

Why are you giving Demoff advise on who to draft? He's not involved at all in making the draft picks.

I want the Rams to draft the best players available for all of their eight draft picks. I don't give a crap if any of the draft picks played college football in So. Cal. or are from the So. Cal. area. If the player isn't good in the NFL, fans won't care that he's a local guy. That novelty will end very quickly.

[BuiltRamTough]

Why are you giving Demoff advise on who to draft? He's not involved at all in making the draft picks.

I want the Rams to draft the best players available for all of their eight draft picks. I don't give a crap if any of the draft picks played college football in So. Cal. or are from the So. Cal. area. If the player isn't good in the NFL, fans won't care that he's a local guy. That novelty will end very quickly.

I wonder how many people here are USC/UCLA fans?

I watch the big bowl games and the college playoffs but I don't watch regular season college football. I tried but I just can't get into it.

Watching games on Friday night or Saturday just doesn't do it for me.

But ya, drafting players bc they went to your teams nearby college is the dumbest thing I ever heard. Sorry Canuk.

[RamsFanSince82]

I wonder how many people here are USC/UCLA fans?

I watch the big bowl games and the college playoffs but I don't watch regular season college football. I tried but I just can't get into it.

Watching games on Friday night or Saturday just doesn't do it for me.

But ya, drafting players bc they went to your teams nearby college is the dumbest thing I ever heard. Sorry Canuk.

I'm more of a USC fan, but I don't hate UCLA. I like college football, and college basketball, but I prefer the NFL and the NBA. I use to be more into college football, and basketball than I I'm now.

When I was younger, I was more into having local college players or players that I liked a lot in college on the Rams.

[CanuckRightWinger]

Let me say again....regarding BPA corruption fears, (as I said in the OP)

if the talent level is very close, then don't flip a coin, just draft the Trojan or the Bruin at that spot. You still get your BPA.....and if SoCal locals already have been cheering for said USC or UCLA player....what's the harm??

We live in a social media meteor shower folks.....and the sports media are going to start interviewing and hyping the Los Angeles Chargers.....or did you all think that zero Los Angelenos NFL fans ever rooted for the San Diego NFL team just 2 hours down the freeway from them these past 22 seasons??

The Rams are in a competition now with another LA NFL Franchise....
for fans
for players
for ticket sales, etc etc

Having some former local College stars on the Rams roster, who are already popular with local LA fans is NOT a negative. Somebody explain to me how "popularity" is a bad thing when marketing an Entertainment Product....which is exactly what NFL Football is.

[RedAlice]

I think it's more important that the Rams win games, and far less important where the rookies come from this season.

I also don't see the Chargers as some immediate competitor - have you watched them play? I think they have more sad fans than me as a Rams fan just based on them playing.

Chargers will do fine in LA for their 30k seats at Stubhub, I am not all in on thinking this is some massive war of Chargers v Rams.

Whichever team wins, will be fine. If both teams win, both will be fine.

Chargers could draft ONLY USC and UCLA players this year, and yet Rams become a winning team and Chargers do not: Rams would be more popular.

It's about winning.

[dieterbrock]

I'd love me some Schuster and Adore
As an ND fan I still see Jackson scoring td's in my sleep. That kid has some serious skills, and has that Deion Sanders type electricity
I totally get where you're coming from and if they are on the board and we are looking WR/DB at that spot, it doesn't hurt for the "local" bit to be the tie breaker

[snackdaddy]

If USC players are BPA, then fine. But that won't fill seats as much as winning. Win games and you'll win the hearts and minds of the LA fans. Win a Superbowl and the Rams are the toast of the town. Keep winning and making playoffs and the Rams are neck and neck with the Dodgers and Lakers. Keep losing and move over Clippers. They'll be the red headed step child no matter who else is in town.