[CanuckRightWinger]

The question was posed: "What impact did Bobby FutureHOFer Wagner have on the field?"

ME: In my best Christopher 'MoreCowbell!' Walken:
"WELL.....ya-a-a-h KNOW,
Bobby Wagner WAS voted 2022 Ram Most Valuable Playah,
by his 2022 Los Angeleze Ram bruthahs!
SO CLEARLY...
...there's THAT!!! So......"



Oh, and regarding "going 12-5 in 2021 with Troy Reeder playing the middle" ....
we went 12-5 in 2021 because we had Whit @ LT and Corbett @ IOL protecting a gunslinging Stafford & his 41 TD passes (2nd in NFL) to mostly Cooper 2021TripleCrownGuy Kupp, which led to a Top Ten 2021 Offense (9th in Yds, 8th in PPG), even without a Gurley nor an Akers to run the rock for us (99.0 Rush YPG (25th).
Troy Reeder, the Delaware Fighting MudHen UDFA, had a great motor for us....
but was merely a hubcap on the 2021 Blue&Gold Machine.

[PARAM]

I clearly value the players the Rams lost more than you do, especially Flo, AShawn and Gaines. The Rams were very good at drafting later round guys, coaching them up, marinating and making there way into a starter. This is new for Rams leaning on 1st and 2nd year players so much. It's not like Young was a 1st round draft pick where you expect to start, but he have to start based on lack of any remotely proven players at the position.

Like you said will see. The good thing for me is a prepared for a uneven season especially on defense, if they somehow perform middle of the pack I will be happy.

I value our players. But as fans, sometimes we 'over value' them. Ramsey was a stud so it would be impossible to over value him. But Gaines? Loved the guy. Loved his motor. But was he that good? No. He was a complimentary piece in the D. Hell, he didn't see aignificant snaps until year 3 Like Bobby Brown is expected to get this year.....in year 3.

A'Shawn? Loved the guy. Laughed out loud when Collinsworth said, "I'll tell you what. If I'm the OC and I see A'Shawn Robinson on the field, I ain't running the ball". But the guy missed 15 games in 3 years. And he ain't getting younger.

It's hard as a fan to keep from over valueing free agents signed and free agents leaving. But the Rams have had significant turnover every year and it's seems, if they have good health, they excel with who they roll with.

[actionjack]

I value our players. But as fans, sometimes we 'over value' them. Ramsey was a stud so it would be impossible to over value him. But Gaines? Loved the guy. Loved his motor. But was he that good? No. He was a complimentary piece in the D. Hell, he didn't see aignificant snaps until year 3 Like Bobby Brown is expected to get this year.....in year 3.

A'Shawn? Loved the guy. Laughed out loud when Collinsworth said, "I'll tell you what. If I'm the OC and I see A'Shawn Robinson on the field, I ain't running the ball". But the guy missed 15 games in 3 years. And he ain't getting younger.

It's hard as a fan to keep from over valueing free agents signed and free agents leaving. But the Rams have had significant turnover every year and it's seems, if they have good health, they excel with who they roll with.

Gaines was good, as you say great motor. He SJD in front of him so not sure what you would expect, but he played and made SJD expendable. IMO Brown is big and slow without the motor, hopefully the light has gone on cause we dont have any other real options.

Ok I will say it, we dont win the Super Bowl with playoff A'Shawn, he was incredible. Again not sure what you are questioning his availability when he missed that chunk due to an unusual illness and played most of the last 2 years without any issues.

What is funny is I feel like we will miss Ramsey less just because I think too often he was used out in space instead of covering the no1 WR. I never agreed with him not being used as the shut down corner he was.

The Rams have never gone into a new season this lean on defense, never. We literally have non starters at EDGE, one LB and 2nd year corners. That is not close to normal.

[CanuckRightWinger]

I agree about our 2023 PeachFuzz D.....IE. that's a helluva lot of green inexperienced yutes!
And, IT IS pretty unprecedented and "not close to normal" in the NFL IMO to cull the herd in the radical way Los Ramos did with our former 2022 D starters...
Gaines
A'Shawn
Floyd
Wagner
Hill
Long
Ramsey
Scott
Rapp

Some can call them JAGs if they want to, but all of them got 2023 NFL Contracts from other teams, except for 34 year old CB Troy Hill. So it's not like those 9 cut Ram D guys were unproductive bums (or anywhere close to that) with Ramsey, Floyd, Wagner et al in the mix.

On the positive side, I'm interested to see how the 40 yutes of our Draft Class & UDFAs perform in PreSeason and shake out, just like everybody else....and watching that will be interesting.

What else is going to be interesting is how Snead shrewdly plucks vet guys off of other teams, like he purloined Michigan Wolverine CB Vincent Gray from the Saints ...
...and RB Sony Michel from that street corner where Ty Nysekhe, AJ Aboushi, and Matt Skura hang out.

Seriously, McSnead know they are going to have to fortify the 2023 Ram D with some castoff NFL vets from other Teams....especially at ER.

If we go into 2023 with ER ranks of only Keir Thomas, Michael Hoecht, Daniel Hardy, Byron Young, Nick Hampton and Ochaun Mathis, then as the opposing Seahawk OC in the 2023 opener versus Los Ramos, I would run wide against those ER yutes who have yet to learn how to set the edge in the NFL. I would double team and trap AD inside, and just keep running wide, side to side, and keep moving the chains, rack up First Downs and moreoverTOP advantage, and wear out the Ram D. Controlling the ball, and not letting the Rams D off the field, also stymies McVay's 2023 Offense, by keeping them watching from the sidelines.

Not only would it wear down that young Ram D, but it would give the Seattle OL a real spring in their step.

The Rams have to be thinking about plucking a vet ER (or two), when that NFL Big CutDown Day comes in early September, no? I think Hoecht showed some jam last season, and looks like he could turn into a strong ER contributor....
but the rest of that inexperienced Ram ER room is learning on the fly, and need some veteran savvy & moxy injected.....the sooner, the better.

As always, JMO.

[PARAM]

I'm excited to see the youngsters in action and watch how they develop over the season. Would it be so bad to have 5 good years culminatung with a Lombardi followed by a year ruined by a rash of injuries, a year developjng a boatload of young talent, then another 5 or 6 good years? After that, I don't care. Might be too old and senial to follow the action. 55 years following the blue and gold has been one great ride. Like to see the next 5 be just as good.

[Elvis]

Oh, and regarding "going 12-5 in 2021 with Troy Reeder playing the middle" ....
we went 12-5 in 2021 because we had Whit @ LT and Corbett @ IOL protecting a gunslinging Stafford & his 41 TD passes (2nd in NFL) to mostly Cooper 2021TripleCrownGuy Kupp, which led to a Top Ten 2021 Offense (9th in Yds, 8th in PPG), even without a Gurley nor an Akers to run the rock for us (99.0 Rush YPG (25th).
Troy Reeder, the Delaware Fighting MudHen UDFA, had a great motor for us....
but was merely a hubcap on the 2021 Blue&Gold Machine.

I think the point is, you can have a SB caliber defense without premium ILB talent. The Rams have proved that. And more often than not, it's been their model.

The 2020 defense was #1 in the NFL with, you know, Troy Reeder at linebacker...

[PARAM]

I think the point is, you can have a SB caliber defense without premium ILB talent. The Rams have proved that. And more often than not, it's been their model.

The 2020 defense was #1 in the NFL with, you know, Troy Reeder at linebacker...

They had a Superbowl defense without Jalen Ramsey too. And two Superbowl defenses without Bobby Wagner. It takes a collection of complementary players and Aaron Donald.