Rams seeing their path become more fraught. Because good luck
getting a wild card in the NFC, the Giants. And the Cowboys
already squatting on two of those. Your
three and five. Now,
before you even think about catching the Seahawks, you got
to LeapFrog the 49ers, who swept you? Here's Sean McVeigh
coach of the Rams talking about the most recent loss and
the changes that need to be made to turn things
around.
There's really no other way to put it. This is a tough pill to
swallow. Whoa,
I thought our defense did enough to be able to win that
football game. Clearly offensively not even close to
good enough. I'm a big part of that,
you know, had our opportunities had our chances to be able to
make plays
had a chance to be able to close the game out, there
didn't really get that done. And there's a lot of, you know,
you give credit to the Bucks defense. But
you know we've got to really figure out a lot of different
things to be able to do and we got to, you know, whether it's
different players, whether it's different scheme, different
things like that, but this is not good enough
and I have to do better too.
I'm a huge part of this and,
you know, that's just the reality of where we're at right now.
I don't necessarily think it's the panic button Sarah but
you know, changes have to be made adjustments. Have to be
made,
we can't continue to go on like this and you know what that
looks like? I don't necessarily have the exact answers right
now
you know and what I don't want to have anything be
misunderstood is that I'm not in this with those guys. I'm
a big part of this. I have to do better.
We're going to stay connected throughout this but We do have
to be able to look Inward and figure out. What are some of
the solutions changes adjustments, different things
that we have to do to be able to get different results and
different production from our offense, that's the thing. What
can you really do?
As they're sitting around in a conference room, brainstorming,
you've already tried everything, is somebody going
to have some bright idea? That's going to revolutionize
the sport of football that's going to infuse some sort of
like they're going to come up with some new play or some
new.
Some new look or let's try this, or let's try that, it's
got to be frustrating as you watch the film and you just see
that you're physically overmatched
when last year, you were the one doing the overmatching
look. I mean if van Jefferson's not going to catch the ball,
when the play is drawn up properly, then what are you
going to do?
Well, that's for the left guard, is if your left guard is
playing, is Bobby Evans was playing yesterday and, you
know, you can't walk beat of a at all
and you know your protection. Ian's. Not right.
Then? What are you going to do? I mean, I think the thing you
can do I guess is change the five up front again but to
certain points out there that gonna help you, that's what I'm
saying. Well, no, no I'm saying internally, right? This is this
is an offseason problem now for the Rhymes that you
cannot solve in season, it's just not really possible. The
only thing you can do is try to, you know, put your best
duct tape and glue and do whatever you possibly can to
try and bandaged them. This up so that you can finish your
with a
respectable record. But look, it's
it's an offseason problem now because you don't have
the weapons, you do not have the offensive line. And the only
weapon You've Really Got is Cooper cup and at a certain
point everybody knows you're gonna go to Cooper cup even
though yesterday he still has eight
for 127 or something like that. So it's
it's not an issue that the Rams can solve right now but I want
to go back to one thing that cha mcveigh's said about
remaining a connected. I'm we also got a TED talk about Jalen
Ramsey in this because I'm sorry, like I think Jalen
Ramsey's
right in that the Rams defense should not have had to go back
out there on the field but to say that so publicly
it just has sends this message that things are not as
connected as they need to be. And the Rams defense has been
playing outstanding for a lot of different games. All right
and I agree with Jalen Ramsey, I'll say it again. If you have
an offense that All they need to do is get a first down and
you in the game in the game.
And Cooper cut made probably a critical error in sliding to
keep the clock moving instead of bullying, his way through
and trying to get a first down of that Jet Sweep. But like
you can't start blaming the offense in the locker room
right after the game
to the media and think that that's going to continue to go
over well and that you're still going to remain a connected
team and you're still going to be able to go. Out there and
win games. Now I
get it, I get emotions or high,
but that's not a great look from Jaylin Ramsey.
And, you know, you've got to be able to solve that in house and
in the locker room, in order to remain connected enough to
actually get out there and win games.
That's a great point. And I think back to when the Rams
traded for Jaylyn Ramsey, that's part of what you trade
for, your trade, for a guy who, who
this is, not out of character that he, and what else?
In spots. And I'm not, I'm not saying it's right or wrong,
he's just, he's being honest, he's being blunt, he's being
who he is. He wanted out of Jacksonville, we said I want
out of Jacksonville. He's not gonna mince words. He's not
a guy. Who's going to mince words? That's my point. I'm not
criticizing. In my point. Is
you trade for him? And you know that guy, if things don't go
well, he's possibly going to say something that you'd rather
he not say Mi. I think that this cam Akers thing isn't
isn't a problem. It's a symptom
of a different dysfunction that
Has crept into the Rams.
Jim Ramsey talked about cam Akers the other day. They're
represented by the same agent jianlin. Ramsey's been in
a situation where he was just done with the team and wanted
out with the Jaguar, so he can sympathize or empathize
whatever path eyes with Cam Akers.
I got to figure that one out once and for all and not forget
which is the right one but he understands what cam Akers is
going through and he supports cam Akers. I just I know
there's enough
and I don't want to I don't want to
pounce on show McVeigh but I mean the guys got, you know, 20
million dollar contract or more for You know, he's got a Super
Bowl ring, he's got a great new house, he's got a great new
wife. His life is great right now
but you also are in a position where you're going to get
criticized. If things aren't working out the right way.
Especially once you've gotten that salary and
and and you know, it's kind of like the Pete Carroll
thing in Seattle
where
There's a shelf life on how long guys are going to listen
to the messages from the coach and how long guys are going to
respond to the stick?
The stick? Because we know there's a stick, every coach
has a stick for some of them. It's a little more obvious than
others with McVeigh, it's an obvious shtick miles.
You know, my line is an obvious stick miles. I mean, you know,
the whole name. Repetition, there's a certain there's just
a certain amount of what's the right word.
I I don't know. I don't want to say the word in my head because
I don't think it's fair but but there's there's something about
it that I think
a locker room is going to sniff out.
So you got to turn over players,
Pete Carroll's, figure it out at a certain point when
the message is no longer getting through the players, because
they've been there too long, and they've heard it too many
times. You got to get new players. So
it's it could be creeping to.
We need new players o'clock,
not just because the ones they have aren't very good, but
the oh, good players. Some of them may have been here. It's just
like they may be getting a little stale and I think that
may be why jhelum Ramsey said what he said after the game,
at the root at the, cause at the core
that may be, why
he decided to say something he probably shouldn't have said in
a perfect world. Well, Mike, I mean,
okay, I mean, first of all, I lived the whole Sean McVeigh
shtick experience, you know, if that's what we want to call it.
And I mean, to me, it works. So I don't know and I'm
confident but weren't but your soul It
until it doesn't until it's stale.
But what it still because the offense is ineffective, right?
That it and it's ineffective because the players aren't
executing income in combination with the fact that
the Personnel just I don't think is good enough in combination with
the fact that sometimes the scheme isn't working out quite
right. So that's why I mean look the Rams
at nine first downs. 206 total yards. They did not deserve. To
win that game from an offensive execution standpoint. Right
there, touchdown was a big 69 yard pass to Cooper cup. They
got a big 30-some, yard pass down the field with Cooper cup
as well,
that got them to the 10 yard line. And they couldn't do
a damn thing once they got there. I mean, they can't run
the football at all. It's one of those things where. Yeah, if
the defense is playing like that, eventually
their start going to start getting frustrated with the offense,
it happens because a good defensive team.
You're not letting team score more than 20 points a game
you feel like you should be able to win
in the 2022 NFL?
So at a certain point yeah you're going to get frustrated
and I understand that that's why I said like I only Jailer
G, he's wrong. I just don't think it's the best thing for
me. Team standpoint, when you start airing, that stuff out in
public and that's maybe
where the concern is, but like
that it's a five-alarm fire time. Anyway, in Los Angeles
for the Rams, you know, it's just the way it is.
And this just complicates things for Sean mcveigh's. He
tries to figure it all out. I use the example all the time of
changing the tire on a moving car. I know I say it too much,
but it it captures,
the moment like nothing else. That's what the Rams are trying
to do. And when jail and Ramsey says, what? He says, yesterday,
the car starts moving even faster
while you're trying to unscrew the lug nuts
and pull the wheel off and put the new one on because now on
top of everything else that Sean McVeigh has to deal with
Sean McVeigh has to
has to get things right with Jalen Ramsey. What do I do?
When do I do it? When do I approach him? What do I say?
How do I say it? Should I
should I you know, be bad cop. Should I be good cop? Which
I mean, think about that you've accepted, it's a delicate.
This delicate situation now that you have to figure out how
to diffuse along with everything else and mi mi, this
is the other side of f them picks because when you trade
away, all those draft picks for proven commodity
These you have other spots on your roster, you need to fill
Some How Some Way without those Premier draft picks that you
have traded away.
So you better hope
you're late, round picks pan out, you better hope your
undrafted free agents pan out. You better hope your guys that
you sign from other teams who become free agents pan out. And
if they don't you got yourself a mess.
That's what the Rams have right now.
They have a mess. Yes they won the most recent Super Bowl
and you know this may be an easier for the Rams of say
we will just Kick the Can into the offseason try to figure it
out but They got some work to do. All of a sudden, a team
that was perennial Contender
that felt among the best of the best
is just falling off dramatically. We kind of expect
it from the Packers
even though it's still surprising, but I didn't expect
it. You you tell me anything? If you tell me, someone's gonna
have
83 announced yesterday,
pick the team in the NFL
rank them. As most likely the least likely I'd have the Rams
at or near the bottom to have 83 and outs in a game.
Well, I mean you've been watching what they've been
doing? I don't know me
this year, I don't know. I mean, I understand what you're
saying generally. Yes, that's the way I would feel about
a sha McVeigh offense. But you know I mean it's
it won't matter. What did we talk about when you know
the 49ers beat the Rams. It's like okay. Well the Niners are.
Excuse me the Rams aren't usually as bad as they look
when they play the 49ers. I mean now they actually are
right. And yeah. The the Buccaneers have a good defense
and Via Vella is a bad bad man but Like you know,
there's there's a lot of bad stuff that's going on there
with Los Angeles has offense and its just its leading to
these losses.
Interesting stretch of games coming up for the Rams, then we
need to take a break, the Cardinals come to town
a team that the Rams could slash should be able to handle.
They beat them in Arizona earlier this year at the Saints
and then Thanksgiving weekend. A trip to Kansas City,
to play the Chiefs
rematch of the Epic 2018. You have a feeling it's not going
to be quite as epic this time around, but and then
the Seahawks after that. And then we got to
Thursday night game, Raiders Rams. And who knows? Who knows
where we are. But by the time we get to Rams at Packers
Monday Night Football,
6 days before Christmas,
it could be meaningless for both teams
at best. It's going to be an elimination game
at worst. It's going to be both. These teams are done.
That's where it's going
for the Rams and the Packers. So far this year,
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