[AvengerRam]

Disagree.
When the playcalling/scheme is reliant on quality oline play there is a serious disconnect here.

That’s how the NFL works.

[ramsfan1977]

Don't worry since it looks like we will finish around 9-7 we will be able to pick a real good offensive lineman in the mid 1st round....Oh wait.. Nevermind!

[dieterbrock]

That’s how the NFL works.

Not the NFL I am familiar with.
I've seen plenty of teams adjust their philosophy based on the talent they put on the field, in fact I'd say most of them do

[bremillard]

Reality. Goff's guaranteed 110 million makes him is THE HIGHEST PAID player in the NFL. Think about what I just said after watching him perform this year. Higher than Russel, higher than Ben, a trainload higher than Mahomes. Gurley also makes a lot of money. Between the two what's left for an effective offensive line? The Rams have made some grievous errors in evaluating talent. They get a pass on Todd because his issues came after his contract was signed but regarding Goff? Wow...the entire upper management look like complete idiots. Goff has never been anything other than a system quarterback and now that the NFL is on to his weaknesses he absolutely sucks in far too many of his performances. I was a huge McVay guy right from the minute of his hiring announcement. Thought we had another Belichick. The first couple of seasons verified my initial hunch but the last 1/4 of the 2018 season and all of this season he has looked lost. The defense looks solid. The offense is a train wreck and every fan with an ounce of intellectual honesty knows it. What does that mean? We are on the hook for 110 million to an inept QB. We have a lame feature back. We have a porous offensive line and we have a coach who seems clueless on how to fix any of it. We have no quality draft picks and our salary cap is onerous. I see an 8-8 season this year and unless something is done it goes south from there. After watching the team struggle the last 1/4 of last season and the offense get humbled in the Super Bowl I predicted they wouldn't make the playoffs this season. This is one case where I truly wish I was wrong.

[Haden]

Reality. Goff's guaranteed 110 million makes him is THE HIGHEST PAID player in the NFL. Think about what I just said after watching him perform this year. Higher than Russel, higher than Ben, a trainload higher than Mahomes. Gurley also makes a lot of money. Between the two what's left for an effective offensive line? The Rams have made some grievous errors in evaluating talent. They get a pass on Todd because his issues came after his contract was signed but regarding Goff? Wow...the entire upper management look like complete idiots. Goff has never been anything other than a system quarterback and now that the NFL is on to his weaknesses he absolutely sucks in far too many of his performances. I was a huge McVay guy right from the minute of his hiring announcement. Thought we had another Belichick. The first couple of seasons verified my initial hunch but the last 1/4 of the 2018 season and all of this season he has looked lost. The defense looks solid. The offense is a train wreck and every fan with an ounce of intellectual honesty knows it. What does that mean? We are on the hook for 110 million to an inept QB. We have a lame feature back. We have a porous offensive line and we have a coach who seems clueless on how to fix any of it. We have no quality draft picks and our salary cap is onerous. I see an 8-8 season this year and unless something is done it goes south from there. After watching the team struggle the last 1/4 of last season and the offense get humbled in the Super Bowl I predicted they wouldn't make the playoffs this season. This is one case where I truly wish I was wrong.

Well, that about sums it all up. Excellent post.

[rather]

Agree with this sentiment. McVay struggling against top tier defense's is becoming a trend.

McVay struggling with average defenses running a scheme that he cannot decipher and / or refuses to gameplan for is the trend

[rather]

It's hard not to be worried at this point but there is still hope that he's just going through growing pains. I look at Cousins as a source of hope. He went through something similar after having a few years of success so maybe Goff can find his way through the struggles too?

He's a mess right now but it isn't impossible that it's a darkest before the dawn situation. I think they would best be served by focusing more on the short game and taking what defenses will give at this point. Now is a perfect opportunity to just start completing passes and letting the playmakers make some plays.

100% agree. I'm mystified that all the things that made the Rams offsense dynamic and exciting (and difficult for defenses) has disappeared. Where are the creative run plays, the touch passes, the things that enabled Goff to get the ball to playmakers and put defenses on their heels trying to guess at what was coming.

McVay found a way to make Tavon Austin useful (by using him as a Gurley decoy instead of an actual WR), that alone made him a genius to me in 2017. I have no idea what's happened to that kind of stuff

[rather]

Not the NFL I am familiar with.
I've seen plenty of teams adjust their philosophy based on the talent they put on the field, in fact I'd say most of them do

I'm not sure what his deal is, he's determined to protect McVay at all costs. He's entitled to that but it leads to him saying silly things like the Rams sole problem is O Line. To my mind, anyone who thinks that doesn't seem to have been paying attention