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The NFL is a passing league and, in the most old-school way, it appears that the Los Angeles Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher could care less. Today’s NFL is filled with teams using a ‘spread and shred’ mentality, where 70 percent of the time teams are in three- and four-wide receiver sets and throwing the football all over the field. With that the state of affairs then, it the Rams need to get a mitt and get into the game or, at the very least, get a change in strategy.
On the positive side, the team has a talent-laden roster with a solid defense that ranked 13th in points allowed and 23rd in yards allowed in 2015. The Rams, thanks to the selection of running back Todd Gurley with the 10th overall selection in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft, possess a Top 10 rushing attack which is seventh in the NFL at 122.3 yards-per-game.
On the negative side, out of 32 teams; the Rams ranked 29th in 2015 in points (17.5), coupled with 32nd in the NFL in total yards (4,761), to say nothing of ranking 32nd in passing yards (175.3 per game).
In a passing league, you simply cannot win without a quarterback. Nick Foles, Case Keenum, Sean Mannion and Johnny Hekker are the signal-callers currently on the roster.
Going into 2015, Foles was THE guy, getting another chance to prove that trading former starting QB Sam Bradford was the right move. Conversely, seeing that Keenum played well enough to earn the keys to the car — and with the Rams’ 32nd-ranked passing attack — it is safe to assume that trading Bradford was a mistake; although with the combination of injuries, lack of availability and/or a refusal to sign off on the financial commitment, understandable.
RAMS CURRENT QB’s PASSING STATISTICS
Att Comp Yards YPA TD INT Long Sack Rating
Foles 337 190 2,052 6.1 7 10 68 14 69%
Keenum 125 76 828 6.6 4 1 60 4 87.7%
In spite of this lack of production, Fisher has gone on the record and stated that L.A. will start Keenum in 2016.
The head coach is either releasing a pre-draft smoke screen reminiscent of a great chess opening (like the ‘Stonewall Attack’), disguising the Rams true intentions or the Rams are steaming toward a .500 or below finish. It would be their 11th since 2004.
Every team carries at least three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster and, out of 40 rated quarterbacks in 2015, Foles and Keenum rated 29th and 40th respectively. The National Football League is a results-based business and players must be either part of the solution or an upgrade is necessary. It is imperative that the Rams use both free agency and the draft to address the quarterback position.
The 2016 free agent quarterback market is a very thin group with more questions than answers concerning the players. Regardless, QB Robert Griffin III (out of Baylor University), now a free agent with Washington Redskins and second overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, would fill a huge need as Phase One in addressing the Rams biggest need.
A 26-year-old former Heisman Trophy winner, Griffin failed to get a fair shot to start again for Washington after sustaining serious ACL injuries at the end of 2012 and then becoming a victim of the team’s coaching change. Had current Washington Head Coach Jay Gruden simply stated that there would be an open competition for the quarterback position before the team’s 2015 training camp (rather than starting the offseason with Griffin as starter and then suddenly naming current QB Kirk Cousins starter before the regular season), it would have prevented the resulting animosity and drama that ended up plaguing the QB situation in the nation’s capital.
Now the Baylor alum deserves another chance and needs a change of scenery. The Rams have a solid running game with Gurley so were RGIII to become his QB, defenses would have to honor the play-action fake. This would unleash Griffin — a talented, dual-threat athlete — allowing him more time to go through his progressions, move in the pocket, find the open receiver, get rid of the ball quickly or run.
Picture the irony… the Redskins, who traded their 2012 first-round pick, two additional first-round picks and a second-round pick to the Rams for that second overall selection, mortgaged their future to move up that year to select Griffin. After an amazing (and historical) rookie-year where his complete arsenal was on display, the young man fell out of favor with the team. In the end, he spent 2015 on the bench as third-string signal-caller for the Burgundy and Gold.
The 2012 Rookie of the Year’s fall from grace occurred from 2013 through the 2015 offseason and involved a lot of complicated issues and incidents. But many fans, as well as some national media, maintain that Griffin’s benching last season was because he wasn’t Gruden’s guy and that the team used his injuries as a convenient excuse to start Cousins instead.
Regardless, it would be interesting for Griffin to find a new landing spot in Los Angeles with the team that benefited from all the draft picks given up for him.
Phase Two: the Rams should select University of Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch with the 15th overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Heading into the draft, the Rams have needs at the QB, WR, CB, S, MLB, OLB, G, OT and TE positions. If they follow a plan of selecting a quarterback in free agency; and then use their six draft picks on a quarterback, offensive tackle, guard, wide receiver, middle linebacker and cornerback, there is a chance they can actually compete in the NFC West.
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