[ramsww]

Again... what contract would you, in hindsight, undo?

As I said, it’s Snead as much as McVay as it started under Fisher/Snead but I don’t think it’s any one contract. It was many and blowing them up soon after the extensions to Goff, Robinson, getting literally nothing for Ramsey at his peak. I only asked if it could be handled better. I never said the Rams should not have a cap issue but 74mil has left a Defense with 2 proven players. Some here have said the Rams will be competitive this year. I’ll hope for the best but let looking at the schedule I can bet against them and root for them at the same time. If anyone wants to give me their $$ on the over under I’ll take it.

[PARAM]

As I said, it’s Snead as much as McVay as it started under Fisher/Snead but I don’t think it’s any one contract. It was many and blowing them up soon after the extensions to Goff, Robinson, getting literally nothing for Ramsey at his peak. I only asked if it could be handled better. I never said the Rams should not have a cap issue but 74mil has left a Defense with 2 proven players. Some here have said the Rams will be competitive this year. I’ll hope for the best but let looking at the schedule I can bet against them and root for them at the same time. If anyone wants to give me their $$ on the over under I’ll take it.

Fair enough question. Of course it could have been handled better. We could have paid a lot less and got a lot more. Maybe 3 SB appearances and 2 wins in 6 years with the team still young, together and talented. It happens all the time. Just look at........no not them. Or........not them either. How about.......KC!! There ya go. Yup. It could have been handled waaay better.

[AvengerRam]

As I said, it’s Snead as much as McVay as it started under Fisher/Snead but I don’t think it’s any one contract. It was many and blowing them up soon after the extensions to Goff, Robinson, getting literally nothing for Ramsey at his peak. I only asked if it could be handled better. I never said the Rams should not have a cap issue but 74mil has left a Defense with 2 proven players. Some here have said the Rams will be competitive this year. I’ll hope for the best but let looking at the schedule I can bet against them and root for them at the same time. If anyone wants to give me their $$ on the over under I’ll take it.

I reject your vague premise.

The Rams’ personnel decisions lead to a championship. If you have a better plan (in hindsight), let us know.

Otherwise, you just seem to be complaining for the sake of complaining.

[rams74]

It was many and blowing them up soon after the extensions to Goff, Robinson, getting literally nothing for Ramsey at his peak.

At this point, I'm not sure Ramsey is at his peak. Until he proves otherwise, based on the last 2 years, I'll say he's past his peak. He wasn't great last year. He wasn't great in the Super Bowl. You can blame it on the defensive scheme if you want, but his performance on the field is what it is.

I’ll hope for the best but let looking at the schedule I can bet against them and root for them at the same time.

It was a long, long time ago when I realized that I can't pick against the Rams and root for them at the same time. If there's even the most minimal way that I can benefit from the Rams losing, then I'm not *all* in. But that's just me. YMMV.

[CanuckRightWinger]

Despite the allegation of complaining for complaining sake, call me an optimist, but I thought maybe an actual discussion might arise from the OP....here in this thread......even at this polarized premise-rejection hour.

OTOneHand, Elvis is correct in that the $74.2 Million Dead Cap Money is NOT "the only thing" in managing a NFL Salary Cap & Roster, and moreover that other successful NFL Teams backload their Salaries to jam ever-more talent into a given year's Team Roster. Los Ramos did it in 2021 and it resulted in a Lombardi Trophy which all Rams fans are thankful for. Good point!

However, on-the-other-hand, ramww was not incorrect in calling our $74.2 Mil Dead Cap Money "a Dead End".....because given that 2023 DeadMoney millstone, coupled with COO Kevin Demoff's Letter To The 2023 Faithful, it certainly HAS PROVEN to be a Dead End vis a vis any significant Ram 2023 UFA signings eh! Also a good point too, no?

I couple-in the Demoff Letter because Elvis is certainly correct that Los Ramos C-O-U-L-D break the Cooper Kupp, AD, or Stafford piggybank open and free up 2023 UFA Salary Cap space......
but that would come at the price of pushing more Ram Salary Cap $$ into 2024 and maybe beyond. So unless we think that in his Letter, Kevin Demoff is capable of boldface black&white lying to Rams Fans........
okay, wait let me rephrase that ....

unless we believe that Kevin Demoff's specific March 2023 Letter to the Faithful about 2024 being a season of abounding Ram Salary Cap milk&honey, was specifically & completely full of hooey, then clearly, that Letter, coupled with 2023's Ram $74.2 Mill Dead Money burden, was/is definitely a Dead End for any significant 2023 UFA signings.

As Elvis posted, that backloading of Ram Salaries formula led to our SBLVI victory in 2021, but IMO something weird happened up-in-the-cab on the Rams' RunItBack truck....
because in March 2022 when Von Miller decided to sign that MegaDeal with Buffalo.....
the Rams braintrust, having that Von Miller money, evidently burning a hole in their pocket, decided very quickly to pivot, sign an expensive ILB Bobby Wagner and then an uber-expensive possession WR, Allen Robinson ($26 Mil for 33 catches ).

Those two fat Contracts, along with a slew of fat player deals already on the Rams Books, led to Los Ramos having 87% of the Salary Cap wrapped up in only the Top 11 Rams stars. That situation had to be addressed in 2023, and it was.....
in fooking spades .....
as 8 of 12 Ram D starters from 2022 were jettisoned in just two short months.

NFL Teams are known historically to undergo big personnel changes season-to-season....
but this Ram culling of the 2023 Herd, with 40+ Rookie Draft Picks/UDFAs coming in for 2023, is pretty unprecedented. Normally, teams who shed so many vet players make up the resultant talent shortfall for the next season by what?
By augmenting their depleted talent ranks via UFA acquisitions, right?

Well, Los Ramos couldn't do that this year because:
1. $74.2 Million in Dead Money nixed any significant 2023 UFA signings; AND,
2. Kevin Demoff's Letter vowing no more creating of 2023 Ram Salary Cap Space by kicking 2023 Cap $$ down-the-road into 2024, or beyond......prevented any significant UFA Ram signings.

So.....in my view, everybody on both sides have made some good points in this thread.....
except I thought the reference to the movie A FEW GOOD MEN was a tad unoriginal, as it had been used a couple years before, with Sean McVay playing Col. Jessup, where he was asked if he had eschewed drafting any big OLmen that year just to piss-off Jared Goff......
and he answered "You're goddamn right I did!"

Ah, memories.

Final thought:
IMHO, Les Snead can still maybe create & bring-in some vet talent on Los Ramos 2023 D, which I think most football people think we need badly.....but he will have to be very creative.
Question: are Higbee, Van Jefferson, Havenstein, Fuller 100% untouchable??? Just askin'.

As always, JMO.

[AvengerRam]

Long-winded attempts to reframe the topic aside, the question posed was: was there a better way?

Until someone tells me what “better way” would have resulted in a Super Bowl win AND a strong cap situation in 2023 without the spending freeze/purge/reset, my answer is “no.”

[snackdaddy]

If only they could win a championship every year. *Sigh*

[Hacksaw]

If they did, that wouldn't be as much fun. There'd be no suspense.

Now if they beat the Miners every game, that would be totally fun. Run it up.

[ramsww]

stop attacking me personally or I’ll have you banned. That’s a joke but it is amusing how Avenger can insult people on a regular basis with no issue from the moderators.

I didn’t say I had a better plan nor have I ever said it wasn’t worth a super bowl title. The Rams are at it again. Logan Bruss (3rd round) got a 4 yr contract at 5 mil and about 900K signing bonus. Avila 2’d round pick #36 (no $$ known yet) agreed to terms with a 4 yr deal. The 4th yr 10% guaranteed and the first 3 yrs FULLY GUARANTEED. Never done in the NFL at the 36th pick. They are innovative but we’re still young because we had to completely blow up the D and start from scratch. All I’m saying? It’s an interesting approach. I guess they were worried Avila would sit out the 2023 season.

[ramsww]

Despite the allegation of complaining for complaining sake, call me an optimist, but I thought maybe an actual discussion might arise from the OP....here in this thread......even at this polarized premise-rejection hour.

OTOneHand, Elvis is correct in that the $74.2 Million Dead Cap Money is NOT "the only thing" in managing a NFL Salary Cap & Roster, and moreover that other successful NFL Teams backload their Salaries to jam ever-more talent into a given year's Team Roster. Los Ramos did it in 2021 and it resulted in a Lombardi Trophy which all Rams fans are thankful for. Good point!

However, on-the-other-hand, ramww was not incorrect in calling our $74.2 Mil Dead Cap Money "a Dead End".....because given that 2023 DeadMoney millstone, coupled with COO Kevin Demoff's Letter To The 2023 Faithful, it certainly HAS PROVEN to be a Dead End vis a vis any significant Ram 2023 UFA signings eh! Also a good point too, no?

I couple-in the Demoff Letter because Elvis is certainly correct that Los Ramos C-O-U-L-D break the Cooper Kupp, AD, or Stafford piggybank open and free up 2023 UFA Salary Cap space......
but that would come at the price of pushing more Ram Salary Cap $$ into 2024 and maybe beyond. So unless we think that in his Letter, Kevin Demoff is capable of boldface black&white lying to Rams Fans........
okay, wait let me rephrase that ....

unless we believe that Kevin Demoff's specific March 2023 Letter to the Faithful about 2024 being a season of abounding Ram Salary Cap milk&honey, was specifically & completely full of hooey, then clearly, that Letter, coupled with 2023's Ram $74.2 Mill Dead Money burden, was/is definitely a Dead End for any significant 2023 UFA signings.

As Elvis posted, that backloading of Ram Salaries formula led to our SBLVI victory in 2021, but IMO something weird happened up-in-the-cab on the Rams' RunItBack truck....
because in March 2022 when Von Miller decided to sign that MegaDeal with Buffalo.....
the Rams braintrust, having that Von Miller money, evidently burning a hole in their pocket, decided very quickly to pivot, sign an expensive ILB Bobby Wagner and then an uber-expensive possession WR, Allen Robinson ($26 Mil for 33 catches ).

Those two fat Contracts, along with a slew of fat player deals already on the Rams Books, led to Los Ramos having 87% of the Salary Cap wrapped up in only the Top 11 Rams stars. That situation had to be addressed in 2023, and it was.....
in fooking spades .....
as 8 of 12 Ram D starters from 2022 were jettisoned in just two short months.

NFL Teams are known historically to undergo big personnel changes season-to-season....
but this Ram culling of the 2023 Herd, with 40+ Rookie Draft Picks/UDFAs coming in for 2023, is pretty unprecedented. Normally, teams who shed so many vet players make up the resultant talent shortfall for the next season by what?
By augmenting their depleted talent ranks via UFA acquisitions, right?

Well, Los Ramos couldn't do that this year because:
1. $74.2 Million in Dead Money nixed any significant 2023 UFA signings; AND,
2. Kevin Demoff's Letter vowing no more creating of 2023 Ram Salary Cap Space by kicking 2023 Cap $$ down-the-road into 2024, or beyond......prevented any significant UFA Ram signings.

So.....in my view, everybody on both sides have made some good points in this thread.....
except I thought the reference to the movie A FEW GOOD MEN was a tad unoriginal, as it had been used a couple years before, with Sean McVay playing Col. Jessup, where he was asked if he had eschewed drafting any big OLmen that year just to piss-off Jared Goff......
and he answered "You're goddamn right I did!"

Ah, memories.

Final thought:
IMHO, Les Snead can still maybe create & bring-in some vet talent on Los Ramos 2023 D, which I think most football people think we need badly.....but he will have to be very creative.
Question: are Higbee, Van Jefferson, Havenstein, Fuller 100% untouchable??? Just askin'.

As always, JMO.

Great, well thought out and researched post. thanks