[aeneas1]

I think McVay's tendencies hold back Goff sometimes. Goff is a much better improvisational QB than some realize. He has made some impressive plays out of the pocket. I think that sometimes a QB needs to get out of his own head and just play a bit of sandlot style. I'd like to see McVay give Goff more freedom to do that.

i think there's a lot to this... while goff will never be mistaken for a wentz, wilson, favre, rodgers, etc. taking off with the ball, he's shown that he has a nice feel for the pocket and can sidestep trouble, roll out of trouble, but like martz asked of warner, it seems that mcvay would rather see goff hang in the pocket until the bitter end as opposed to encouraging off-schedule plays and/or ad libbing.

[CanuckRightWinger]

I am glad somebody started a thread on Homerism...so kudos to aeneas1.

ME: Geeze-Louise, I have found that "some" Rams fans really get DEFENSIVE if one is critical of a specific Rams aspect (beit Coach, player, etc). It's like if I get called out for the criticism.......
then immediately I need to start listing how many Rams games I've attended, or how long I've followed The Horns, etc etc to attempt to re-prove my loyalty to The Rams Franchise.

It shouldn't be that way.

Over the years at RRF and Ram Stalk at the St.Louis Post-Disgrace, I was critical of many players, and certainly many Rams big shots:
Georgia TheBlackWidow Frontiere
Scott Flounder Linehan
Jay BaseballGuy Zygmunt
Samir TheThroatSlasher Sulieman
Billy SleevelessPulloverManequin Devaney
Steve LittleNapoleon Spagnuolo
Jimbo TooManyHitsToTheCoconut Haslett
.....and then here at RFU, I was the guy during 2016 ByeWeek to call Rams HC Jeff Fisher "a Dumpkopf"....
look it up!
I would assert that none of the above are regarded as Historic Uber Ram Contributors!

This year I called out Dante Fowler early for lack of production....he ended up coming around.
I questioned Tyler Higbee's "monster" Contract ie. compared to his 2016 to First Half of 2019 production.....and Higbee ended up improving his game DRAMATICALLY the last half of this season.
I questioned DC Wade SonOfBumLegend Phillips. He's gone.
I questioned OL/Run Co-Ordinator Aaron BSArtist Kromer. He's still here...dammit!

On the Kromer deal, Homers came up with:
-It "looks bad to criticize Kromer" because his NFL career is so iconic and Kromer's NFL rep is beyond reproach.
-Noteboom and Allen were really really improving before they got injured.
-Andrew Whitworth is clueless when he tells Colin Cowherd that Rams 2019 difficulties boiled down went back to Noteboom and Allen.
-Quoting PFF scores showing Ram yutes Corbett, Evans, Edwards as OL studs.
-It's "not fair to "ScapeGoat Aaron Kromer."

ME (on the above): Kromer's resume reads like any other JAG NFL Position Coach....ie. 2 and 3 year stints in multiple time zones.
Bullshit! Noteboom & Allen were never stellar cogs in the Rams 2019 OL.
Bullshit! Andrew Whitworth DOES have a solid NFL reputation, so IMO he's not going to misspeak on a national media show and risk marring that.
Forget PFF! Watch the late season Offensive production vs. Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Dallas!.....and EVEN Arizona in the finale ie. 5-0 Rams Turnover advantage...3.0 YPC when you take out fake-punt run and Woods jet sweep....against a Cardinal team that have had their golf clubs packed for 2 months we were tied 17-17 early in the 4th Quarter! Yeah, yeah....our 2019 OL are gems!!
Just calling out a Ram Coach for crappy production in HIS areas of 2019 OL and Ram 2019 Run Game.....BUT,
that does NOT make me Joseph Goebbels!

So besides me thinking that Kromer should be coaching a High School Team in Skullbone, New Mexico, some thoughts on Rams things already mentioned in this thread:
Yeah, Goff looks awkward and un-Adonis like when he takes off to run...and his helmet does look too big for his head....BUT WITH BEING SMACKED AROUND LIKE THE PROVERBIAL PINATA IN 2019, I REALLY VALUE GOFF'S DURABILITY!!

Yeah, agree that during games, at times, Todd BigBucks Gurley came off looking lackadaisical occasionally. Gurley does seem to fight the ball when he's a receiver. Also, for ALL that green he's paid, why can't Gurley put on a happy face for his encounters with the press. Never gonna get any Hollywood movie offers if your only move is "Surly Gurley" eh!

McVay's lack of pregame innovation and in-game adjusting.....we punted NINE times in SBLIII with the NFL's most versatile fake punter Hekker! Moreover, even Ray HamHandedDefensiveGuy Malavasi pulled a HB Option Pass out his arse in SBXIV for a TD that set the Steelers on their collective keisters.....but Sean OffensiveGenius McVay has zero trick plays and punts 9 times in his SB appearance!!

I think 25 year old rookie ILB UDFA Delaware Blue Hen Troy Reeder is overrated.....he makes alot of Laurinaitus-like tackles 8 yards from the LOS.

I always thought WR Mike Thomas was a wasted roster spot.....ST gunner or not.
I like UDFA's Morgan Fox, Johnny Mundt, Darious Williams and others....good picks by Les Snead......good stuff

....but why did we keep Tanzil Smart but cut Jonathan SBLIIIStripSack Franklin-Myers???

....anyways, criticizing parts of the Ram Team does NOT make one DISLOYAL!!!

[ramsrams]

Off the top of my head, here’s a couple.

Lack of physicality. I abhor the “finesse” label. On D, you've got Donald, Ramsey, and the soon to be departed Brockers. Rapp is more of a form tackler as opposed to a truly physical safety, and I am OK with that. Fowler could be, but he didn’t show it often enough. That’s about it.

The ZBS the Rams generally employ is fine for their “ try to get in the way of someone” OL. Not a lot of pancakes out there. Could use a Rodger Saffold or three.

Next, sure it was partially attributable to not being able to run the ball, but the overuse of WR screens sent me into apoplectic convulsions so many times last year. Enough, already.

Ah, hell here’s a third, and it falls into the “outsmarting himself” category mentioned above. The week before the Dallas game, the O looked great rolling Goff out, and the odd jet sweep. Completely eliminated from the gameplan vs. the Cowboys.

It was as if MacVay was channeling his inner Rex Kramer in the movie Airplane! When asked if the runway lights should be turned on as the plane approached for landing, he said “ No, that’s just what they’ll be expecting”.

[snackdaddy]

I am glad somebody started a thread on Homerism...so kudos to aeneas1.

ME: Geeze-Louise, I have found that "some" Rams fans really get DEFENSIVE if one is critical of a specific Rams aspect (beit Coach, player, etc). It's like if I get called out for the criticism.......
then immediately I need to start listing how many Rams games I've attended, or how long I've followed The Horns, etc etc to attempt to re-prove my loyalty to The Rams Franchise.

It shouldn't be that way.

Over the years at RRF and Ram Stalk at the St.Louis Post-Disgrace, I was critical of many players, and certainly many Rams big shots:
Georgia TheBlackWidow Frontiere
Scott Flounder Linehan
Jay BaseballGuy Zygmunt
Samir TheThroatSlasher Sulieman
Billy SleevelessPulloverManequin Devaney
Steve LittleNapoleon Spagnuolo
Jimbo TooManyHitsToTheCoconut Haslett
.....and then here at RFU, I was the guy during 2016 ByeWeek to call Rams HC Jeff Fisher "a Dumpkopf"....
look it up!
I would assert that none of the above are regarded as Historic Uber Ram Contributors!

This year I called out Dante Fowler early for lack of production....he ended up coming around.
I questioned Tyler Higbee's "monster" Contract ie. compared to his 2016 to First Half of 2019 production.....and Higbee ended up improving his game DRAMATICALLY the last half of this season.
I questioned DC Wade SonOfBumLegend Phillips. He's gone.
I questioned OL/Run Co-Ordinator Aaron BSArtist Kromer. He's still here...dammit!

On the Kromer deal, Homers came up with:
-It "looks bad to criticize Kromer" because his NFL career is so iconic and Kromer's NFL rep is beyond reproach.
-Noteboom and Allen were really really improving before they got injured.
-Andrew Whitworth is clueless when he tells Colin Cowherd that Rams 2019 difficulties boiled down went back to Noteboom and Allen.
-Quoting PFF scores showing Ram yutes Corbett, Evans, Edwards as OL studs.
-It's "not fair to "ScapeGoat Aaron Kromer."

ME (on the above): Kromer's resume reads like any other JAG NFL Position Coach....ie. 2 and 3 year stints in multiple time zones.
Bullshit! Noteboom & Allen were never stellar cogs in the Rams 2019 OL.
Bullshit! Andrew Whitworth DOES have a solid NFL reputation, so IMO he's not going to misspeak on a national media show and risk marring that.
Forget PFF! Watch the late season Offensive production vs. Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Dallas!.....and EVEN Arizona in the finale ie. 5-0 Rams Turnover advantage...3.0 YPC when you take out fake-punt run and Woods jet sweep....against a Cardinal team that have had their golf clubs packed for 2 months we were tied 17-17 early in the 4th Quarter! Yeah, yeah....our 2019 OL are gems!!
Just calling out a Ram Coach for crappy production in HIS areas of 2019 OL and Ram 2019 Run Game.....BUT,
that does NOT make me Joseph Goebbels!

So besides me thinking that Kromer should be coaching a High School Team in Skullbone, New Mexico, some thoughts on Rams things already mentioned in this thread:
Yeah, Goff looks awkward and un-Adonis like when he takes off to run...and his helmet does look too big for his head....BUT WITH BEING SMACKED AROUND LIKE THE PROVERBIAL PINATA IN 2019, I REALLY VALUE GOFF'S DURABILITY!!

Yeah, agree that during games, at times, Todd BigBucks Gurley came off looking lackadaisical occasionally. Gurley does seem to fight the ball when he's a receiver. Also, for ALL that green he's paid, why can't Gurley put on a happy face for his encounters with the press. Never gonna get any Hollywood movie offers if your only move is "Surly Gurley" eh!

McVay's lack of pregame innovation and in-game adjusting.....we punted NINE times in SBLIII with the NFL's most versatile punter Hekker! Moreover, even Ray HamHandedDefensiveGuy Malavasi pulled a HB Option Pass out his arse in SBXIV for a TD that set the Steelers on their collective keisters.....but Sean OffensiveGenius McVay has zero trick plays and punts 9 times in his SB appearance!!

I think 25 year old rookie ILB UDFA Delaware Blue Hen Troy Reeder is overrated.....he makes alot of Laurinaitus-like tackles 8 yards from the LOS.

I always thought WR Mike Thomas was a wasted roster spot.....ST gunner or not.
I like UDFA's Morgan Fox, Johnny Mundt, Darious Williams and others....good picks by Les Snead......good stuff

....but why did we keep Tanzil Smart but cut Jonathan SBLIIIStripSack Franklin-Myers???

....anyways, criticizing parts of the Ram Team does NOT make one DISLOYAL!!!

I don't think anyone said it looks bad to criticize Kromer. I just think you're giving him too much credit for making the decision to let Saffold go and not pick up more experienced vets. He might have some say, but I doubt a position coach is the final word. Dollars are usually the final word. If you want to criticize him for poor coaching, that's fine. The proof is in the pudding. They were terrible in run blocking.

Of course, after you criticized Fowler and Higbee, they upped their game. Maybe Kromer can up his game the way they did. You never know. You seem to have a magic touch with that.

[SpeedRacer]

Donald - Not a cool enough face mask.
McVay - Beard lines.
Refusal to wear a hat. He holds his hand up to shade his eyes. Ball cap = fixed.
Gurley- His mouth guard looks like its swallowing him.
Havenstein - Shoulder pads. Makes his donut shape stand out even more.
Goff - The lisp. (Agreed, helmet too big.)
Ogbo - Get a new number !
Whitworth - The horns on his helmet are a mess.
Stan - Unnecessary sunglasses.
Demoff - Pigeon toes.
Snead - Analogies.
Game Day DJ - Play list too small.
Sam Laguna, Stadium announcer - Yells too much.
Whose House Rams House
Game Day Cheers - Need full crowd simple cheers.
Don't do the wave when the Rams have the ball.

Go Rams!

[AvengerRam]

Upon reflection, I find no flaw in either the Iliad or the Odyssey, so I feel this thread is unnecessary.

[R4L]

we love our rams, arguably blindly at times, in fact my guess would be that all of us are guilty of visiting homerville at one time or another, i know i have, ha ha... so let's play an anti-homer game, let's point out what we don't like about our rams, what we don't like about a favorite player, coach, exec, the owner, etc., i'll go first.

goff - i wish he was more athletic and built differently, watching him take off with the ball can look painful at times, watching him slide can often be cringe worthy, i wish he was more of a threat as a runner, a scrambler, more of a natural... i'm also not crazy about his physical appearance, his build, and i don't like the way his helmet fits, there, i said it.

mcvay - three years in i wish he had a better track record game-planning against the better defenses, both pre-game and in-game, top defenses have absolutely shut down his game-plan far too often - to be clear my expectation isn't to see mcvay light up every defense he faces, even the top defenses, but there have been too may times when the offense has been completely and utterly stymied by the top defenses.

whitworth - he's been a holding machine since he arrived but has somehow, like other top left tackles, been able to get a way with it, but not in 2019, he finished the year ranked 2nd in the league in most offensive holding flags with 10 - in 2019 whitworth also led all rams players in total penalties with 14, that's grob territory (who was flagged 14, 15 and 16 times in his 3 years with the rams)... blame it on the loss of saffold? i can't.

gurley - watching pre-game clips of gurley it's pretty much impossible to claim that his head wasn't in the game, the guy was always fired up and often led rabid pre-game motivation chants, but during the game he just seemed detached far too often, and it really showed when his number was called as a receiver, he booked the lowest catch rate of his career by far in 2019, a lowly 65%, and often looked lost trying to corral the ball, often looked like he just wasn't on the same page on passing plays.

donald - yeah, right, as if.

RE: Whitworth. That's exactly why I think the Rams should move on from him. Thanks for the info

[moklerman]

I'm happy with the owner, GM, HC and team in general. Whatever gripes I have are just nitpicks for the most part. But, if there was ONE thing I had to choose to complain about, it would be the uniforms.

And even that will possibly be remedied soon. New uniforms, new stadium, great coach and players...when all you really have to gripe about are the uniforms and maybe not having a high draft pick, things are pretty good.

[Horny Mcbae]

This is a great thread idea A1. Kudos. I have definitely noticed an over abundance of homerism which makes folks here really defensive. If this is a safe space I will utter some of my rams wishes/feelings.

QB: I wish we had a mobile QB. I see teams with those and get envious. Those guys save plays for their teams. Plays which our guy has to throw the ball out of bounds on. It is what it is now. We’re married to him. It’s not the end of the world but sure would be nice. I firmly believe that Sean McVay is actually held back due to the limitations of his QB.

Fans: I’ve never seen a fan base in any sport so fixated on colors and jerseys. Jesus. I hope that stuff comes to an end soon. I can’t take much more of grown men endlessly discussing how the world will end if the right shade of blue isn’t selected or if the horns are wide. It mattered when the team was moving back but it’s just carried on and on. We literally don’t have a permanent practice facility and folks are living and dying with rumors about a certain shade of blue.

ST: I HATED our special teams this last year and half of the year before that just as much as I loved them in the first LA year and later. They were non factors. But now that bones is gone we have addressed it so it isn’t much of a gripe.

Snead: love this dude but I can’t help feel very uneasy about the gambles he continues to take. If it doesn’t work........ we are looking at maybe half a decade of re-building. I do admire it and him.

Not much else I can think of right now. I don’t wanna talk about Gurley. He’s my favorite Ram but this last season....... I don’t even know what to say. Just hoping for better next season.

[PARAM]

Sans a 1000 word diatribe on why there is very little to be unhappy with in 2019 except not making the postseason, which has developed in some fans a strong desire to pare the roster and coaching staff by 50%, I dislike McVay's WR screens on 3rd and 2. I also feel they either have to fish or cut bait when it comes to Gurley and his knee. We need a run game with more urgency. And maybe some more blitzing.