State of the NFL and of the NFC West

[SteveBrown]

I have watched about 18 games (full) from week 1 and 2:

State of the NFL:
1. Schemes seem a lot more important than the athlete in the passing game: Meaning, on most 3rd downs the WRs aren't beating corners, the scheme is putting them in the position. I know, some WRs are...but, it looks pretty rare to me.
2. 1/2 the teams seem to have a worse O line than the Rams---that says a lot considering our line is not so special.
3. Many offenses are struggling; I wonder if the defenses have caught up from the last 5-6 years of heavy abuse.
4. The Falcons have a small, fast LB, too (Jones?)---like Buchanon, Trevian, Barron etc...I think in a few years every team will have small LBs who can cover the slot like a FS, but are tough enough to play the run.
*Many LBs are sill in the 230s---which they were in the 1980s, too (and many in the 1970s, too).....while all the other positions are much bigger.
*So, maybe the hybrid LB/Safety becomes like a slot corner in that they become 'starters' on 2nd-3rd down.
5. In general, I am not so sure there is a team that looks so great; Denver with that QB--maybe....come on, can he be that good....What other team looks so good in all phases? Atlanta---their Defense is not that good, is it?

NFC West:
The rams in comparison to the Division:
*might have the best WRs (beating ARiz)
*For sure the best O line
*The best "in pocket" QB. (Have you seen Wilson in the pocket?)
*A good enough running game in comparison; 49ers might be better....might, might;we will see Thursday

Seattle:
* Wow, their O line is worse than the atrocious 2016 version. I mean, 'wow', bad.
*Seattle has a new 'tough' RB in Carson--tougher as Turbin and as tough as Rawls.
* Their pass rush looks better than every; Sheldon RIch is a probowl-level player...The rams could have cut Barron for him and I would be happy. He along makes the whole defense 'different'.
*Their offense looks like the 2016 Rams...without Wilson they are getting 180 yards out of that offense. Jimmy Graham is doing nothing, and Baldwin only 'wins' on 8-12 yard routes (if you know NFL, you know what I mean, here)
* I truly believe if we put up 17 points in each game, we can beat Seattle twice (assuming Wade gets it together)
*We could have a shot at the division, because Seattle looks soooo bad. HOwever, the last 2 years Wilson has dug them out of the grave, so he will do it again and get them to 10-6 at least. He made an amazing throw to win it on Sunday. IF the Rams can approach 9-7, it will be a nice dog fight this year...
* How does Pete allow the worst O line 3 years running? Really, wow, he believes in O line coach Cable too much.

Arizona
*Arizona has their LT hurt, and their O line looks bad. Lupati is hurt, but really, he is a mediocre at best in pass pro.
* They lost David Johnson for a while---that is like us losing Faulk and Bruce.
* Palmer is 'shorting' a lot of throws. Larry Fitz 3 catches on 6 targets for 21 yards--wow, bad. They had 3 points against the Colts with about 10 minutes to play in the game...then Palmer let it rip...but, that ONLY works against the Colts.
*Their D does not look dominating at all. Calais Campbell was awesome...big loss. Buchannon their 215 LBer also is hurt, I believe. Their 2nd corner J Bethel looks really bad to me...and their 3rd corner is the FS, I guess.

49ers
*Their O does not look good because it is a whole new system and their WRs don't look ready. Garcon hasn't done a thing. M Goodwin won on two fly/9 routes, but the ball wasn't there...that looks like their only chance to beat us (and turnovers of course).
* Their D looks pretty good to me; Reid, the FS, is out.
* Next year they may have a top 5-8 D, but this year maybe top 15???
*HOyer did great with Shanny before, but they don't have a 'NFL' line. He threw 3 balls the entire game over 10 yards past the line of scrimmage. He was mauled....

It was an 'upset' to beat Arizona and Seattle---now it should just be like one 8-8 team beating a 9-7 team....big, big change from the last 3 years with AZ and 6 years with Seattle.

Maybe I will edit and add more.

Summary as it regards the Rams:
The Rams aren't a 10-6 team, nor a 9-7 team right now.....but in the next 5-6 weeks they will play like a 10-6 team I believe....Wade just has to get the Defense 'right'...YOu all know that Barron, Ogletree, Quinn and good NFL players....the system seems to be against them right now. Barwin is done,and our corners need a great pass rush.
So, I hope the Rams could somehow go 4-3 at the bye and then tear it up. Honestly, I think they are capable to beat every team left on the schedule except for the high powered Saints (and I don't think they match up well with Mariotta in Tenn, but maybe I am wrong on that).

 

[Snaz]

Huh?

 

[Rmfnlt]

Honestly, I think they are capable to beat every team left on the schedule except for the high powered Saints

???? You mean someone else????

 

[PhillyRam]

I think they kill the Saints mostly due to the revenge factor from last year and their D stinks.

 

[Farr Be It]

....so the Saints are unbeatable for us. But otherwise we can win out?



Otherwise, great post!

 

[AllGasNoBrakes]

Love it man! Some interesting thoughts! Your optimistic take is encouraging :yess:

 

[yrba1]

I think they kill the Saints mostly due to the revenge factor from last year and their D stinks.

Depends on how fast our players pick up Wade Phillips's defense. Pretty sure the players on defense will play hard though considering the asswhoopin last year.

 

[dolphinlover123]

we definitely have a decent chance of winning the division this year. seattle doesn't look as good as people thought they would be. same for zona.

 

[bomebadeeda]

Great Post. It seems in the past, for a 3-4 to stop the run their LB would be around 250-260. The passing game changed that. Now you have hybrid LBs who were safeties in college. But the trouble of stopping the run is still there if a team wants to "Hulk" up and take it to a defense. Washington wanted a bit more early in the game. And it took us a few possessions to adapt to what they were doing. The one that hurt was the draw that went the distance when the QB that handed off a millisecond earlier had the ball. We aren't that far from where we need to be......but it's not how far we've come.....as you stated...it's where everyone else is.......
But real good read.

 

[SteveBrown]

....so the Saints are unbeatable for us. But otherwise we can win out?



Otherwise, great post!

No team in the NFL will win out; last year it was clear our offense couldn't score---so, we had no chance against some teams (Falcons, Saints, Patriots)---this year that is not true. We can beat any team on our schedule, however though we are
capable of beating the Saints, I don't think our defense matches up well--our corner play is not so good, we could score 40 on them, but I wouldn't bet on it.....

"Capable", meaning to have the ability; so, there is no team on our schedule that is truly better than us (and even teams like the packers, patriots, steelers we can be beat); we used to be clearly inferior to them, and now we aren't. However, our corner play must improve to beat the Saints.

LOL, hmmm, I guess I have limited english communication skills.

 

[Farr Be It]

Steve, I thought it was a great rundown. Thanks for posting.

 

[Merlin]

I always appreciate thought provoking posts @SteveBrown so thanks for putting that together.

At this point and due to the Skins game I have settled back down to reality a bit (I was starting to think the team might come together quicker than expected). But what is interesting about the first two games is there are still indicators that might mean this team is in for a serious ascent. It's just going to come down to how much growth we get out of the offense and how soon we get it.

The Rams definitely have a passing game now, so that's a good thing, and even better is that there is actually enough talent for them to sustain some good points production. Will it happen? Who knows. But again I think over the next four games the offense will face the most challenges so I expect the defense to play well outside of maybe Dallas.

What's really cool is we have a chance. Our team might be one of those whose units come together. One game at a time and I have my fingers crossed.

 

[Merlin]

Oh and btw... One thing I was discussing with a bud of mine today is what kind of team the Rams are/should be. And it occurred to me that what they LOOK like they're built as is a team that can jump to a lead and make you pay when you start throwing it to play catch up.

Goff has done a good job of getting us down the field quickly without the need to sustain drives, although they have sustained some too. We have a reasonable "chunk" passing game. So I think IF the offense comes around and shows that growth what the team will resemble is a jump-ahead-and-you're-in-trouble type deal. The way it worked against Indy, basically.

 

[jrry32]

My fear is that Seattle always starts slow.

 

[Loyal]

My fear is that Seattle always starts slow.

That's true, but they haven't faced a Rams team in more than a decade that hopefully by the end of the season can consistently put 24+ points on the board against anybody. The Hawks O-line is garbage and we have always sacked Russell Wilson hard. Will we be able to put it all together in time for a winning season? I don't know.

But the Rams have a team that presents a problem for other teams that they play, with new variables. We have a chance.

 

[BeefJurky]

We have way too many pieces in place to play like dogshit this year.
If Wade can even match what Greg did and Goff can keep progressing naturally we should compete with Seattle for the division.

 

[Rainram]

My fear is that Seattle always starts slow.

They look different this year, to me.

Not 4-12 different. But 8-8 different.

 

[Adi]

Offensive lines are being dominated because alot of the best players are on defense. These guys get paid just as well now and it seems like there are alot more talented pass rushers than there is offensive linemen. College gameplay helps too since moat o linemen come from a spread offense where the qb is releasing the ball within a 3 step drop.

Our division does look very winnable, I still believe the hawks will figure it out like they have the last couple years after slow starts. The future looks bright though and our team might be the most talented!!

 

[shaunpinney]

Great OP @SteveBrown - my only worry is, as @jrry32 commented, the Seahawks always seem to start poorly, but improve every game. Thats why I'm still hurting after the Washington loss, we SHOULD have won that to be a step ahead in our division, we need to win the 'winnable' games and I had the Washington one as a must-win (at home).

We'll see where we lie after TNF against the 49ers. If we don't come away with a big W next to our name, then I'm more likely to believe that the Colts game was the anomaly.

 

[Faceplant]

Thanks for the read. I think it is a bit early for a SOTL, but appreciate the work. If the Saints are a bad matchup for us, then might the whiners also be? They spanked us good at their place last year and I fear it could happen again if we are not careful. Yes, I know both teams are under new regimes and have new talent, but that defense in SF looks legit. Also, will the Rams play Seattle and AZ straight up without Fisher and GW? Will Seattle pull out of their early season stall like they pretty much always do? Much to ponder. Like I said, it is EEEEAAARRLLY and we haven't even played a division game yet. Lets revisit this at the quarter and mid-points of the season.