[safer]

1) He won't admit it, but our hands are tied with elite monies tied up in no longer elite players.
2) He is going to pursue less experienced, and in particular, young guys who have NOT lived up to their draft status, or billing, so far in their NFL careers....so as to pay less and take greater risk....yet these guys DO have talent--just have not played to it so far.
3) Much like some teams do in the draft, where they take multiple players at one position, to lessen the risk of not finding starters---we also have drafted, young potential at D/E; OLBER and NT (Gaines) to compete to start. If one above average starter is gained at EACH of these these positions, it will have been a success, and we should be able to pay for these guys IF they have a Fowler type season, in '21.
4) WE are assuming these guys will be starters at the same positions they played on other teams. I don't think A Shaun Robinson will; did we just sign a new 6'6" MLBer to replace Cory?
3) Snead is trying to set us up for 2021 by trading Gurley and maybe Cooks, EVEN with the thought that we may have to pay some remaining portions of their bonus' or salaries.
Ol' Les has not really impressed me over this past year and a half.

[ramsman34]

You’re leaving out at least half the equation, if you will. Les and his personnel dept. evaluate NFL players constantly - including their own. The coaching staff also know far better than any of us here, just how good the “depth” on the roster is and how well they project to increased roles and opportunities. These deals are not done in a vacuum nor are they an A for B swap/replacement-they are part of the mix. There will be players at positions we all think are currently weak, who stand up and make serious impact this season.

I watched the mic’d up SB last night and I watched players on D who flat out got abused that night. They are no longer with the team and have been replaced with better players.

Brockers was ok, Fowler was good, not great, Littleton as very good but not at a premium position. NRC was a player who got worked in the SB and IMO is fairly easy to replace. I like a few corners on our roster now for that in fact. Floyd might be a bust or might be the right guy in the right place at the time. A’Shawn is simply a big space eating, run stopping, guard occupying young man. Blythe was better at OC than OG. Whit is Whit on the decline and will need TE help at times. But he is reliable and better than average. The young guns are bound to get stronger and smarter and got valuable experience.

The cap is the law. It can be bent not broken. Les has done pretty well and when he has been wrong, he makes moves to rectify.

Can’t really ask for more than what he has done and is doing. Did he possibly choke on the Gurley and Cooks deals? Sure. But NO ONE thought that in ‘17 or ‘18. Players sometimes lose a lot very quickly. And some are up and down over seasons.

You deal with it and adjust as you can, when you can.

[actionjack]

You’re leaving out at least half the equation, if you will. Les and his personnel dept. evaluate NFL players constantly - including their own. The coaching staff also know far better than any of us here, just how good the “depth” on the roster is and how well they project to increased roles and opportunities. These deals are not done in a vacuum nor are they an A for B swap/replacement-they are part of the mix. There will be players at positions we all think are currently weak, who stand up and make serious impact this season.

I watched the mic’d up SB last night and I watched players on D who flat out got abused that night. They are no longer with the team and have been replaced with better players.

Brockers was ok, Fowler was good, not great, Littleton as very good but not at a premium position. NRC was a player who got worked in the SB and IMO is fairly easy to replace. I like a few corners on our roster now for that in fact. Floyd might be a bust or might be the right guy in the right place at the time. A’Shawn is simply a big space eating, run stopping, guard occupying young man. Blythe was better at OC than OG. Whit is Whit on the decline and will need TE help at times. But he is reliable and better than average. The young guns are bound to get stronger and smarter and got valuable experience.

The cap is the law. It can be bent not broken. Les has done pretty well and when he has been wrong, he makes moves to rectify.

Can’t really ask for more than what he has done and is doing. Did he possibly choke on the Gurley and Cooks deals? Sure. But NO ONE thought that in ‘17 or ‘18. Players sometimes lose a lot very quickly. And some are up and down over seasons.

You deal with it and adjust as you can, when you can.

But are we better? It’s still very early and we have limited funds, but as of right now we are thinner at CB, completely unproven at inside lb, very little pass rush ability at OLB , better against run on the d- line but weaker at pass rush. When you add it up I see more regression defense than improvement. Hopefully more to come and I pray we draft well.

[ramsrams]

Good thread from some honest guys. i appreciate that.

Might have to be one step back, to take two steps forward.

Hamstrung this year, especially with the Ramsey, Kupp, and Woods deals coming up.

This is why I love sports, though.

Ya never know.

[R4L]

But are we better? It’s still very early and we have limited funds, but as of right now we are thinner at CB, completely unproven at inside lb, very little pass rush ability at OLB , better against run on the d- line but weaker at pass rush. When you add it up I see more regression defense than improvement. Hopefully more to come and I pray we draft well.

That would be a no from me. Floyd is no Fowler. The bears moved on from him and signed Robert Quinn as his replacement.

If we're lucky the OL will be the same, and that's not saying much.

Like you said, ILB has no one that's ever started a regular season game. I look for a signing here.

[Haden]

1) He won't admit it, but our hands are tied with elite monies tied up in no longer elite players.
2) He is going to pursue less experienced, and in particular, young guys who have NOT lived up to their draft status, or billing, so far in their NFL careers....so as to pay less and take greater risk....yet these guys DO have talent--just have not played to it so far.
3) Much like some teams do in the draft, where they take multiple players at one position, to lessen the risk of not finding starters---we also have drafted, young potential at D/E; OLBER and NT (Gaines) to compete to start. If one above average starter is gained at EACH of these these positions, it will have been a success, and we should be able to pay for these guys IF they have a Fowler type season, in '21.
4) WE are assuming these guys will be starters at the same positions they played on other teams. I don't think A Shaun Robinson will; did we just sign a new 6'6" MLBer to replace Cory?
3) Snead is trying to set us up for 2021 by trading Gurley and maybe Cooks, EVEN with the thought that we may have to pay some remaining portions of their bonus' or salaries.
Ol' Les has not really impressed me over this past year and a half.

Can't argue with any of that. Spot on. Snead is a major disappointment.

[dieterbrock]

Can't argue with any of that. Spot on. Snead is a major disappointment.

33-15 over last 3 seasons
How many teams can match or beat that?
Here's what I see
New Orleans 37-11-Brees on last legs, cant win big game
New England 36-12- If they win 8 games it will be a miracle
Kansas City 34-14- Team to beat. Period
Baltimore 33-15- One year wonder? We'll find out

How is Snead a disappointment? Rebuilding on the fly is the difference between a good run and a dynasty team.

[Haden]

I'm not impressed with the handling of draft picks/CBs. Peters is gone and now we have another Ramsey who wants huge $$$.. Where are those $$$ coming from? Likely another wasted draft pick. Top $$$ for literal head case Cooks which NE and NO got rid of. Top $$$ for a RB. While we can give the injury a pass, nobody in their right mind drops huge $$$ on RBs these days. Hmmmm.....

On top of that, I think that the monster $$$ to Aaron Donald is lunacy. You give that to QBs and nobody else. As good as he is, he won't change the game so much to compensate that you deplete your roster around him. Ask all of the other teams how well monster deals for defensive players worked for them, Darelle Revis (and every other "great" CB), Suh in his prime, Hayneswortht in his prime, etc. etc. It always screws you because you have no $$$ to field a solid team around them. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

[AvengerRam]

So here are the changes so far...

OL: None. Everyone is back, for better or for worse. I still think additions will be made, either in FA or the draft.

DL: Brockers leaves a gap at one DE spot. If other gaps can be filled through other means, this could be a great spot to target in Round 2 of the draft. I think Robinson could/should be an upgrade at NT.

LB: Floyd takes Fowler's spot. Hopefully he'll see an uptick in production as Fowler did when he came to the Rams. Littleton's role is a big question mark. Perhaps another target for the draft.

DB: NRC leaves and probably is replaced by David Long. I don't think that's a huge loss, and the unit is otherwise very solid.

ST: GZ still a question mark. Jo Jo Natson is no big loss.

So, overall, we certainly have not gotten better, but I don't see an insurmountable problem with filling the holes.

Of course... one big trade could change the whole picture, so...

[norcalramfan]

I've been critical of Snead, but I'll try to be positive and highlight some things in advance of the 2020 season.

1. McVay saw the need to go young with an innovative DC who can hopefully get more imaginative in the defense and game plan more effectively from game-to-game. Rather than give the job to Joe Barry he goes outside the organization and gets Staley. Bold move that hopefully pays huge dividends.

2. We can question the trade of Peters to the Ravens but getting Kenny Young might be a bold move by Snead. Recognizing re-signing Littleton might be a problem, Snead had the foresight to acquire Young who was quite good at UCLA and was picked in the 4th round by the Ravens. Kiser and Young might be our ILB's with this position targeted early in the 2020 NFL draft. I have no idea if Young can develop into a solid LB in the NFL, but none of us saw Littleton developing into anything other than a solid ST player.

3. Acquiring Austin Corbett from the Browns might also pay huge dividends. I'm not a film study guy but I feel Corbett played real well last year and is an ascending player. Can Kroemer develop him? He was drafted as the first player in the 2nd round of the NFL draft and has some upside.

4. I think keeping the OL together is a good move by Snead and McVay. They played well late in the year, once McVay went with the two TE set. Noteboom can continue to recover from the MCL/ACL injury and I can see a starting line-up for the OL being Whit-Corbett-Blythe-Edwards-Havenstein. Evans is the guard reserve, Allen is the back-up OC/OG combo and Noteboom is the swing tackle.

Whitworth was signed for more than I anticipated so I guess the only "hometown discount" was in the way the contract was structured. I was thinking he would sign for $7-8 million annually, but in the NFL it's all about "show me the money."

5. I love Michael Brockers but he was thirty and giving him $10 million a year at that age would not be wise. Getting Robinson who is 25 for $1.5 million less than what Brockers got was a solid move by Snead. Perhaps he can be a run stuffer, push the pocket and clog the middle more effectively than Brock did.

6. While Fowler was very good at times, he always tackled way too high and can easily be replaced by Floyd at a much lower salary expense. Floyd on a one-year deal for $6 million less than what Fowler signed for is a solid move. Will he be motivated to play and produce for a multi-year big $$ contract? Lets hope so. Edge will be a priority in the upcoming NFL draft.

7. I liked NRC but the slot role can be replaced by the likes of Long or Williams. I think we'll see the Rams pick-up a veteran and will draft or sign a couple of UDFA's at the CB position. I like the look of our secondary.

8. Odd musings........ Does Gurly get traded or released today? I think the Rams have grown tired of Todd and his oddball attitude. If it's true he has no longer followed the team on Instagram, as has been mentioned on social media blogs, I think he's already been told he will be traded or released. No way they're paying his roster bonus which is due Friday. The dead money is quite large but it can be spread out over multiple years and the immediate cash savings is somewhere in the range of $5 million. This was an odd contract offered by Snead and Pastoors.

9. Is Cooks a goner also? I would be very surprised if he is also not traded. He has also apparently quit being a Rams follower on social media and can see Josh Reynolds stepping up and the WR position being a draft target in the upcoming NFL draft.

10. I believe this is a "make or break" year for Snead. If it works out and McVay leads the team to the post season, he'll get a new "lease on life." If not, I can see Stan and Demoff looking for a new GM next year.

11. I am worried the COVID-19 virus will effectively eliminate any off season activity with summer camp being emphasized for install. With a new DC this is quite concerning, but we all wait and see.