[CanuckRightWinger]

It was actually ralphdeiterbrock who pointed out how Ram WR long jet sweeps, etc boosted and artificially inflated the anemic 2019 Ram YPC stat of 3.7 YPC. I remember giving him a LIKE though!

So your premise is that the Rams run game in the first 5 games was aces, huh?
Gee, and the whole National Sports Media, early in the 2019 season, was asking:
"WTF is wrong with Todd Gurley and the Rams running game?"

I guess all those sports journalists, y'know the professional guys who do this sports reporting stuff to put food on their tables.....I guess they were all out at sea on the REAL STORY:

IE. On how the New Rams 2019 OL was kicking the shit outa everybody early on.

Look, you wanna like Kromer? Great.
I think he's over-rated by guys like you and zn and others.
I doubt I will change your guys' minds on Kromer....and you surely won't change my dismal view of the man. So we're stalemated. No harm, no foul.

I don't like Kromer and wish he was with Wade, Bones, Peete, Fisch and the rest.....but he's here for 2020, demoted to now reporting to O'Connell instead of directly to McVay like in 2019. So, I AM glad Kromer's got a handler for 2020.

I also noted that whilst LB Coach Joe Barry was afforded a courtesy interview for Wade's vacant 2020 DC spot...…..no such pity-fuck extension of same courtesy for OC was made to Kromer by Sean McVay. Telling? I think so.

[dieterbrock]

In 2017/2018 Rams QB had 87 carries for 151 yards.
Somehow that didn’t stop them from rushing for 4.9 & 4.3 ypc.
2019 Rams had 3 RB with over 30 carries and all 3 were under 4.0 ypc.
In 2017/2018 the Rams had 7 guys carry the ball over 30 times, and all but 1 (3.9) were OVER 4.0
Yeah, must be those QB rushing numbers....
Running game was poor, Oline took big step back. Same guy in charge of both. If that’s not worthy of criticism I don’t know what is.
He’s back and we’ll see what happens.

[ramsman34]

It’s like I’m watching a great men’s US Open match PA vs CAN : Big serve, beautiful return, volley..volley..volley, one to the net, deep over head lob, scrambling smash return, diving save cross court....

Anywho, Kromer ain’t going anywhere. If he was/is the problem - we should see more mediocrity next season from the OL and possibly even the run game. The converse happening would at least support the notion that it’s not all on Kromer.

[PARAM]

The converse happening would at least support the notion that it’s not all on Kromer.

Oh no, it will be O'Connell working his magic. You know that guy with 5 years of coaching experience, 1 as an OC!!!

Sure that was not nice. I have no idea how good, how smart or how qualified he is but for Canuck to rip Kromer and his resume, then behave as if the new guy is McVay's mini-me with tons of success and experience is laughable.

As far as McVay not giving an OC interview to Kromer being some sort of sign of his lack of confidence in him, it was said, hiring O'Connell would allow both Kromer and Waldron to have a lighter load and concentrate on their main duties, which makes a lot of sense.

It's all good. Like Canuck said, we're at a impasse. And just for the record, it's fine to criticize an area of the team for lack of production (I agree with that) but apparently the reciprocal is a faux pas. Taking more into consideration (like injuries, inexperience, faulty play calling, etc) than just reacting to missing the playoffs by tossing hand grenades around is not the way real, passionate, long time fans behave!! We need to go to a window and shout.....

I am still in awe McVay has escaped the Wrath of Canuck. The offense was a shadow of the previous two years and the playcalling was sometimes downright awful.

@Dieterbrock.........
I was not saying the Rams run game was good, I was simply dissecting Canuck's argument that the 3.7 ypc average was helped by the WRs, when it fact, the WRs average was cancelled out by the QBs ypc average. That's all. Simply taking an artificially framed argument and exposing it. ..... sorta what your intention was.

[dieterbrock]

@Dieterbrock.........
I was not saying the Rams run game was good, I was simply dissecting Canuck's argument that the 3.7 ypc average was helped by the WRs, when it fact, the WRs average was cancelled out by the QBs ypc average. That's all. Simply taking an artificially framed argument and exposing it. ..... sorta what your intention was.

That was my assertion, and its correct. As bad as 3.7 was, it was worse without the WR rushing. Want to back out QB? Fine, makes 2017/2018 even better, which makes 2019 look worse

[PARAM]

That was my assertion, and its correct. As bad as 3.7 was, it was worse without the WR rushing. Want to back out QB? Fine, makes 2017/2018 even better, which makes 2019 look worse

Absolutely. The RBs averaged 3.8 ypc in 2019. In 2018, they averaged 5.0. In 2017, they averaged 4.5. Yes, absolutely 2019 was a bad year. Why? Kromer? He forgot how to coach?

The guy some wanted if Kromer was fired, was Bill Callahan, a solid OL coach with a long resume. His Redskins in 2015, 3.7 ypc. In 2016, 4.5. In 2017, 3.6. In 2018, 4.3. In 2019 4.4. So I guess he forgot how to coach in 2015 and 2017 but remembered in 2016, 2018 and 2019?

And shit, if that's how we're going to gauge OL coaches, Kromer must be a bit better than Callahan? His Bills in 2015 had a 4.8. In 2016 a 5.3. His Rams had a 4.3 in 2017, 4.9 in 2018 and a 3.7 in 2019. By my count Kromer's teams the last 5 years roughly averaged 4.6. Callahan's last 5 years a 4.1. Does that make Kromer a better OL coach than Callahan. No of course not, that's silly.

And it's just as silly to blame Kromer for all our ills in the run game this year. Shit happens and sometimes it's uncontrollable. Even guys like Hudson Houck had bad years. In Dallas from 93-96, his O lines went from 4.4 (#3) to 3.6 (#17) to 4.4 (#4) to 3.5 (#22). Why? He forget how to coach every other season? Or were there simply 'other circumstances' that had an effect?

[/zn/]

Anywho, Kromer ain’t going anywhere. If he was/is the problem - we should see more mediocrity next season from the OL and possibly even the run game. The converse happing would at least support the notion that it’s not all on Kromer.

But...IF the OL and running game are mediocre in 2020 and IF that is due to the coach, then, the Rams have an even bigger problem.

McVay.

Who (in this "stays mediocre" scenario) could not see that his OL coach was a problem.

Or worse, saw he was a problem and did nothing about it.

...

[CanuckRightWinger]

Again with the labels PA?
First I scapegoated, now my arguments are "laughable"?

The only thing I find laughable is your vain and transparent attempts at linking my Kromer criticism to some imagined criticism from me of McVay!
Sorry, no sale!

How can I be cross with McVay huh?
I asked for the 2 heads to roll that IMO caused the Rams to miss the 2019 Playoffs. Sean McVay cashiered Wade, so 100% approval from me!
….and for Kromer, as you yourself pointed out, AK gets a new younger less experienced direct-report guy in O'Connell. That's a demotion that's gotta stick in Kromer craw huh? Reporting to youngster from the outside, brought in by your former direct-report HC boss McVay.....when Kromer himself was already a former NFL OC in Chicago for Mark Trestman??? Talk about a corporate kick in the crotch with a frozen moccasin eh!!!

So I asked for two guys to get sacked. McVay did one in full with Wade, and the other (Kromer) got a substantial demotion.
Works for me....
so again, why would I be criticizing McVay???

EDIT: Hey PA, you got reinforcements! I see zn is also pushing your "IT'S NOT KROMER....IT'S MCVAY" fairy tale.
Good luck pedalling that one guys!

[PARAM]

Again with the labels PA?
First I scapegoated, now my arguments are "laughable"?

The only thing I find laughable is your vain and transparent attempts at linking my Kromer criticism to some imagined criticism from me of McVay!
Sorry, no sale!

How can I be cross with McVay huh?
I asked for the 2 heads to roll that IMO caused the Rams to miss the 2019 Playoffs. Sean McVay cashiered Wade, so 100% approval from me!
….and for Kromer, as you yourself pointed out, AK gets a new younger less experienced direct-report guy in O'Connell. That's a demotion that's gotta stick in Kromer craw huh? Reporting to youngster from the outside, brought in by your former direct-report HC boss McVay.....when Kromer himself was already a former NFL OC in Chicago for Mark Trestman??? Talk about a corporate kick in the crotch with a frozen moccasin eh!!!

So I asked for two guys to get sacked. McVay did one in full with Wade, and the other (Kromer) got a substantial demotion.
Works for me....
so again, why would I be criticizing McVay???

EDIT: Hey PA, you got reinforcements! I see zn is also pushing your "IT'S NOT KROMER....IT'S MCVAY" fairy tale.
Good luck pedalling that one guys!

Here's an idea my humorous friend from the great white north. Read slower. I said you HAVEN'T critcized McVay and that's what's shocking to me. You go off on long nickname loaded rants about Wade, Kromer and earlier in the year Fowler and Higbee, among many others. You accuse Kromer off ruining your fandom because the Rams missed the postseason. You accuse Wade of being too old, not matching up with these young minds in the NFL. Yet the guy who is in charge....the guy who calls WR screens 5 yards from the end zone on 3rd and 2 that get stuffed.....the guy who decides he's not going to use Gurley until the end of November.....the guy who doesn't know a fake punt is coming......he's okay in your eyes. It doesn't fit. It doesn't fit missing out on the rage that bleeds through your posts. I just find it amazing that you HAVEN'T criticized McVay. What, he has zero accountability in your eyes?

What I found laughable is you pick an inexperienced guy who has been hired as an OC who will never call a play in 2020 as some kind of Kromer handler. He's going to organize the offensive meetings, maybe even help set up the AV equipment, bring McVay his coffee but you have him down as some upper level overseer, specifically hired to reign in Kromer. It almost sounds like you're inadvertently suggesting McVay needs somebody like that because he couldn't do that job!! But I don't see it that way. That is an invention on your part to bolster your argument Kromer is a terrible OL coach, who failed miserably in 2019 but we just can't find anybody to replace him.

The issue here is clear. The OL is inexperienced....it's Kromer's fault, not McVay or Snead. The young OL don't play in preseason.....it's Kromer's fault, not McVay or Snead. The offense scores 3 points against Pittsburgh and 6 points against Baltimore.....it's Kromer's fault, not McVay's. Yet he is held accountability free in your eyes because you "trust McVay and Les DonKlostermanClone Snead". I think it's more like you know McVay is going to be here for the long haul, despite his "terrible" 9-7 2019 non playoff season. You can't stand the fact McVay has kept Kromer and you just might be wrong about the guy. But in a remarkably proactive move, you invent some imaginary demotion for him, via a pseudo OC, to avoid having to give Kromer any credit should our fortunes improve in 2020.

Fact is the guy did yeoman work shuffling 9 different starters along the OL. We had 3 guys start double digit games. Whitworth 16, Blythe 15, at two different positions, rookie Edwards 10, at two different positions. He had to use 4 different line combinations. It wasn't until the last 7 games of the season that we had the same line combination start 4 or more consecutive games. So you point to the 3.7 team ypc average and say, "Aaron Lousy Stats Kromer sucked". You don't point to the fact the Rams led the league in fewest sacks allowed on the third most pass attempts. You ignore the fact in the first 5 games, with our original complement of lineman, the offense averaged 28 PPG (and should have been 5-0 if we had a defense and our kicker made a very makeable FG). You don't point to the fact, had Wade's defense not allowed 55 points to Tampa Bay, 44 points to Baltimore and 45 points to the Cowboys, or fell asleep on SF's final drive in week 16, this team, with "Aaron Lousy Stats Kromer" coaching the OL, could have been 11-5 or 12-4. No the reason that long time Ram fan Canuck, who has been attending Ram games since the Claude Crabb era, had his season ruined was because of Aaron Lousy Stats Kromer!!!

IMO, the entire coaching staff has to refocus and move forward. Everybody had a hand in our sub-par season. I think you are wrong on Kromer. I know you were wrong on Dante Fowler and Tyler Higbee. And you were right on Wade. But it's all good. If you were a baseball player with that batting average, you'd still be a millionaire.

On a side note, as far as labeling posters, I've known you almost 20 years and you do that as much as anybody, so spare me the innocent Claude Raines act. I'd add a Shakespeare quote but that would be redundant.

[Hacksaw]

There are 53 players, 3 primary position coaches and dozens of assistants. There must be a mathematical equation which shows the odds of any 1 person being more responsible for the way things turn out than others. Of course, 'heavy is the head that wears the crown', so Coach McV is the top target naturally. His 3 primary coaches next up and their top assistants next and so on.

Their scheme and preparation effects everything. Like if defenses figured out a base D to take away a lot of McV's plays and McV and staff are slow to counter. Suddenly everyone looks bad compared to before.

Player variables factor in too and all relate to one another. 11 guys on a unit all have to work together like one. Just like 'a chain is as strong as it's weakest link', when there are guys under-performing, it can and usually does affect others.
So let's say TGII had an off year. Was it his injured knee? Probably. Was poor run blocking a factor? Also distinctly possible.

What I'm saying is there are to many variables to pin it on one person or category. That's what makes the game of football and our discussions of cause so difficult and beautifully challenging.