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State of the Franchise Super Bowl or bust for Rams
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State of the Franchise Super Bowl or bust for Rams 11 Месеци, 2 Седмици Карма: 0
State of the Franchise: Super Bowl or bust for Rams in 2019 Published: May 28, 2019 at 04:48 AM NFL.com Writer Members of the organization, fans around the world and those who thought was : This franchise is coming off the most exciting season it has ever enjoyed in Los Angeles, reaching heights last seen in Southern California when the Trevor Bauer Jersey represented the NFC in XIV -- after the 1979 season. The outcome of LIII was not one fans clamored for, but you can't deny how great this team has become since moving back to L.A. from St. Louis in 2016. After all, in that season, L.A. won just one of its final 12 games. That same team is now the defending NFC champions. But with rewards and adulation comes the weight of expectations. In 2019, the organization and its fans around the world should expect nothing le s than a win. There is no doubt in my mind the are ready to meet that challenge head on. How the Rams got here The highs: -- The . The were in the ! -- MNF for the ages. L.A. beat the in the most exciting "Monday Night Football" game anybody can ever recall, that featured 1,001 combined yards and 14 combined touchdowns. In fact, it might have been the most exciting Monday night moment since Scott Hall jumped the rail at Nitro in 1996. -- Winning 13 games. That's the most by the franchise in any Los Angeles season. The low: -- Losing the . Yes, this can be spun to emphasize the positive -- as you can see above, they made the ! -- but it is to get that close and let it slip away. And here's the troubling thing about it: It wasn't just they lost, but they lost, held to 3 points and 260 total yards, with the high-flying offense never able to get started. I could see why that would concern some, seeing as how Sean McVay is considered an offensive genius. But to me, this was probably an instance of the not quite knowing what they were getting into. Like the first time you try Fireball. Sure, it seems like fun because it tastes like candy, but eventually, the night just gets away from you. 2019 VIPs Head coach: Sean McVay. The man who has never seen a play out of 11 formation is considered one of the top coaches in the NFL, one of the brightest minds in the industry, someone who echoes the revolutionary spirits of Paul Brown, Bill Walsh and Don Coryell. In 2017, McVay inherited a team that scored just 224 points the year before -- now, his could hit that total on any given Sunday. L.A. also finished 10th in yards in '17 and second last year (behind only the Chiefs) after finishing last in '16. McVay has been so good at his job, he's getting jobs just . Just kidding. The 32-year-old McVay is a millennial, so he obviously doesn't use Facebook. But consider that new head coach Zac Taylor (coached receivers and quarterbacks with the in 2017 and '18) and new coach Matt LaFleur (McVay's offensive coordinator in '17) have direct ties to McVay, while other hirings (like Kliff Kingsbury with the , Matt Nagy with the and Freddie Kitchens with the Browns) fit the trend of looking to the young and offensive-minded. The coaching tree and circle of influence is rapidly expanding. Quarterback Michael Brantley Jersey : . After an exceedingly rough rookie year (0-7 record, 63.6 pa ser rating, 5:7 TD-to-INT ratio), Goff has developed into one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL. He's thrown for 8,492 yards and 60 touchdowns over the last two seasons. And you can't find anybody anywhere who would now argue that the team should have gone with with the first overall pick in the 2016 instead of Goff. Those people don't exist anymore. Yes, I'm aware he had what you can technically call a in the . But don't get distracted by that -- see below for more. Projected 2019 MVP: , defensive tackle. Donald was a hipster pick for league MVP last year and is clearly the best player on the . Which is odd, because the are known for their offense. But that's kind of par for the course when you're talking about Southern California. Consider that my favorite coffee shop in town is actually a clothing store/print shop in Huntington Beach. Donald had 16.5 sacks last year. He's seemingly a lock for double-digit sacks this year. He hardly touches the ball -- and yet, of all the players on the ' roster, he has the greatest ability to a game. 2019 breakout star: , defensive tackle. Let's stick to the defensive line. Gaines comes to the NFL with solid credentials as a fourth-round pick (No. 134 overall) in this year's draft. And with most teams employing double- or even triple-teams on Donald, Gaines is due to get plenty of opportunities to make plays. Another new face to know: , running back. The rookie (drafted No. 70 overall, in the third round) has a lot of exciting potential in McVay's outside-zone scheme. The most obvious comparison for Henderson would be New Orleans' . There is a chance the use Henderson similarly to how the have used Kamara with backs like in the past, with Henderson and splitting time in the backfield or maybe even being on the field together. After all, the have to take care of Gurley. They're playing for the , not my fantasy championship. I mean, I appreciate the concern for my fantasy well-being, but it's not nece sary, Sean. The 2019 roadmap The competitive urgency index is: EXTREMELY HIGH. The to win the this year. Los Angeles is getting too familiar with its various profe sional teams reaching the championship round of their sport, only to get blown out by a team from Boston. (Well, not you, Lakers. You have your own set of problems.) But the need to win now. The city of Los Angeles hasn't won a major championship since 2014, which is like 79 seasons in Cleveland years. Will the be able to ... Keep upright? Gurley is one of the most talented running backs in the league. But a lot of people were concerned when his production dropped off at the end of last season -- in Weeks 14 and 15, Gurley averaged 38 rushing yards and 91 yards from scrimmage. All right, most of the concern was coming from fantasy dorks like me. Then, when he mi sed the final two weeks of the season as he , panic started to set in, even though played well in his absence. Most observers reasoned that the were Roberto Perez Jersey making sure Gurley was healthy for the playoffs -- until Gurley was barely involved in the (11 touches, 34 yards from scrimmage). Which started another round of . And McVay intimated he's not going to dial back Gurley's usage, and that he's still going to be . But will we end up in the same predicament in 2019 as we did last year? Even though it's going to hurt fantasy enthusiasts, the really should use Gurley -- who has led the NFL in touches (1,229) since entering the league in 2015 -- with some discretion. Don't be like the guy who gets so full on the free chips and salsa that he can't eat his tacos. Just chill. Get the defense back up to par? The have Wade Phillips as defensive coordinator. And yet, in 2018, the unit ranked 19th in total defense and 20th in points allowed, even after bringing in , , and -- via in-season trade -- . That needs to be fixed. The team did use draft capital on safety (No. 61 overall) and corner (No. 79), who Yonder Alonso Jersey join veteran signee in the secondary, and L.A. added the above-named Gaines and veteran to the front seven. Still, it is crucial that the ' D performs better on the field this season, to add a little more balance to their equation. They don't need to be the best in the league, but some improvement would be encouraging. Deal with expectations? It's good to be the underdog, and the have enjoyed that role in the recent past. Even after they won the NFC West in 2017, an early playoff exit cast doubt about them. But now they're the defending NFC champs, seeking to become the first back-to-back conference winners since the did it in 2013 and '14. will sleep on them this year. Three key dates: -- Too bad this isn't in New Orleans. Although, I'll be honest: I'm literally (not figuratively) fatigued from seeing that non-pa s-interference call. -- Oh, man, they get the at home, too, in a Sunday night tilt that could allow them to exact a little revenge after Chicago destroyed Los Angeles in last season, introducing what appeared to be the first cracks in the armor for this team. -- For the first time ever, Kliff Kingsbury will go up against the guy with whom he once shared an Awesome Blo som at Chili's. One storyline people are overlooking:Was WR really the most valuable player in this offense? Gurley is obviously important, but as I mentioned above, played great when Gurley was out, whereas the ' pa sing attack looked completely different after losing Kupp for the season in Week 10. Goff completed 70 percent of his pa ses in seven of 10 games to start the season and accomplished that feat just (in Week 16 against the lowly Cardinals) after Kupp tore his ACL. The good news is, Kupp is expected to return Week 1. The are better with him. Goff is better with him. Although we shouldn't trip too much about Jared ... One storyline people are overthinking: didn't play well in big games. Goff struggled in Chicago in prime time. And, of course, there was LIII, in which Goff completed 19 of 38 pa ses for 229 yards, zero TDs, one pick and a 57.9 pa ser rating against New England. But the had one of the best defenses in the league last year, while the are, well, the . I can think of some other big-name quarterbacks who didn't always come through in the clutch. Not to call any of them out, but one of them has a name that rhymes with Peyton Manning. Goff is entering his FOURTH NFL season, and just his third non-Jeff Fisher year. He's going to be fine! As long as Kupp is back and ready to go, we're square. One more thing: The kind of find themselves in familiar territory, as anybody who has a keen eye for NFL history would know. LIII did not mark their first lo s to an NFL juggernaut in the final period of its dynastic reign. In XIV -- as alluded to above -- the fell to Pittsburgh. It was a game that (like last year's Super Bowl) they could have totally won. What fans need to hope for is that history does not repeat itself. Soon after that lo s to cap the 1979 season, the moved out of the Coliseum and into Anaheim Stadium, then started a bit of a downhill slide. They finished 2-7 in 1982 but did reach the NFC Championship Game in 1985 and 1989. Neither were memorable in a good way. For 2019 to be a succe sful season, the Rams MUST ... - Cleveland Guardians Jersey - Win. -- The. -- Super. -- Bowl. Let's not overthink this. Windows aren't open long. , Goff counts for just 4.7% against the cap this year, which is the fourth of his rookie contract. That figure will go up soon. Capitalize on this opportunity! In closing This won't be easy. Staying ahead in the NFL is hard. But I can promise you, when all is said and done, the will once again prove themselves to be one of the top teams in the NFC. And it's going to be no surprise when they make a huge run in the playoffs. This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.
 
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