Post by JABF on Feb 2, 2021 12:39:36 GMT -6
Whats interesting to me is that the Rams are adopting some of the beliefs that we as a CBMB have, yet when the Rams move toward implementing these things, we slam them for it.
Here are a few things we believe in AND the Rams are doing:
(1) Keep key pieces and build around them (Donald, Ramsey)
(2) Get a QB (I can't believe that people here actually think that Stafford is not a good QB, blows my mind. He might not be elite, but he's top tier)
(3) Draft well, using the later rounds for positional value picks (G/C/TE/S/ILB/WR/RB/CB--all of which make up 8 of your 11 starters on OFF and 9 of 11 on DEF.)
(4) Hope and sacrifice to the football Gods that injuries don't derail your team. Losing Donald might have cost the Rams the playoff game to the Packers. Regardless of how they built that team, without Donald that DEF wasn't the same. No amount of 1st round picks would have replaced Donald. There hasn't been a DT like him in the draft since he was drafted.
For the Bears it should be:
(1) Build around Robinson/Kmet/Montgomery and Mack/Goldman/Smith/Johnson/Jackson.
(2) Get a QB**
(3) Draft well, especially in the later rounds for positional value picks. (see the list of position above)
(4) Pray for no injuries--look how Mack and Quinn have been affected (effected? I hate the English language).
The Rams believe they can do this without first round picks because they have the pieces in play (Donald and Ramsey, and their young core of skill position players on OFF. I don't know anything about the Rams OL.) 3 years of playoffs and a SB appearance seem to bear out their bet. Baring injuries, they can ride Donald and Ramsey on DEF for 2-3 more years and are betting that Stafford > Goff makes the OFF (which we praised as a board when they beat the Bears) better. In three years then, they will need to find a replacement for Donald and another shutdown corner, 3 years, one year after they get their first round picks back I believe.
Will be interesting from a team build theory to see if the Rams are right. I have a hunch they are more right than we realize. The draft is a crap shoot, so why not trade potential for established vets? Remember, potential not only means good-great players, it also means busts. I mean, are the Browns over the hump? Or are we still waiting for them? Remember all their draft picks?
For those who care: the Patriots and what they did.
I think if you go back and look at the only real dynasty the NFL has had recently (the Pats), they were constantly drafting at the end of the first round, took a lot of non-key positions (a quick look show: WR (32), OT (23), DT (32), DE and LB (21 & 25), T (17), DB (21)). That represents all their first round picks since 2011, including two in one year. One year they didn't draft until the 3rd round. Some of this is due to trade backs and some due to trading picks away. But the Pats are another data point on the "first round picks are over-rated" position. (Remember the posts that almost no one spoke against that basically said that no blue chip players exist after pick 10?) So what made them great?
(1) Building around key players (Brady/Gronk, and certain defenders)
(2) Having the QB (THE GOAT)
(3) Drafting well and adding key vets through FA.
(4) Good injury luck[\spolier]
(1) Building around key players (Brady/Gronk, and certain defenders)
(2) Having the QB (THE GOAT)
(3) Drafting well and adding key vets through FA.
(4) Good injury luck[\spolier]
All good points. Regarding Stafford could be a great fit for them. LOL, I just "want it all" for us and hope we draft a young guy who can be here for a long time. Stafford does have one heck of a great arm. I've also admired how he played behind some crappy OLs and got beat up and injured a lot - and still kept trying. He just landed on a horrific team, in the Lions. But I do hope we can draft a young guy and finally be successful. I kind of like the idea of going after that Mac Jones in this draft. But I'm like a kid in a candy store before the draft each year and want "one of everything" OL, QB all of it
:-)
And I change my mind almost daily. I'm a nut for sure :-)