The NFL Pre-season is 100% underway.
NFL fans everywhere are blowing up social media with extreme over-reactions.
It feels like football season is officially here guys. I know it’s not quite here yet because the pre-season sucks monkey balls and everything, BUT IT’S GETTING CLOSE!
So let’s go ahead and knock another NFL preview out of the way, OK?
This time….it’s a team that has a great shot at finishing with the worst record in the league.
THE LOS ANGELES RAMS!!!!!!!!!!
LET’S GET READY TO FUMBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBLLLLEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2017 NFL Preview
Record Last Five Seasons: 7-8-1 (2012), 7-9 (2013), 6-10 (2014), 7-9 (2015), 4-12 (2016)
Last Playoff Win: 2004 Wild Card vs. Seattle
Last Playoff Appearance: 2004 Divisional vs. Atlanta
Super Bowl Wins: Super Bowl XXXIV
Last Super Bowl Appearance: Super Bowl XXXVI vs. New England
The Head Coach:
Sean McVay
Coaching Record: 0-0
Playoff Record: 0-0
Grade: Incomplete
2016-17 Team Leaders:
Passing Yards/Touchdowns: Case Keenum (2,201), Case Keenum (9)
Rushing Yards/Touchdowns: Todd Gurley (885), Todd Gurley (6)
Receiving Yards/Touchdowns: Kenny Britt (1,002), Kenny Britt (5)
Tackles: Alec Ogletree (136)
Interceptions: Alec Ogletree/Mark Barron/T.J. McDonald/Maurice Alexander (2)
2017 Projected Starters:
Grade Key:
- ELITE
- GREAT
- GOOD
- NOT GOOD
- ROOKIE
- HORRIBLE
Offense:
QB: Jared Goff
RB: Todd Gurley
FB: Cory Harkey
WR: Sammy Watkins
WR: Robert Woods
TE: Gerald Everett
LT: Andrew Whitworth
RT: Jamon Brown
RG: Rob Havenstein
LG: Rodger Saffold
OC: John Sullivan
Defense:
DE: Aaron Donald
DE: Ethan Westbrooks
DT: Michael Brockers
LB: Alec Ogletree
LB: Mark Barron
LB: Robert Quinn
LB: Connor Barwin
CB: Trumaine Johnson
CB: Kayvon Webster
FS: Lamarcus Joyner
SS: Maurice Alexander
The Schedule:
vs. Indianapolis Colts (September 10)
vs. Washington Redskins (September 17)
vs. @ San Francisco 49ers (September 21)
vs. @ Dallas Cowboys (October 1)
vs. Seattle Seahawks (October 8)
vs. @ Jacksonville Jaguars (October 15)
vs. Arizona Cardinals (October 22)
BYE WEEK
vs. @ New York Giants (November 5)
vs. Houston Texans (November 12)
vs. @ Minnesota Vikings (November 19)
vs. New Orleans Saints (November 26)
vs. @ Arizona Cardinals (December 3)
vs. Philadelphia Eagles (December 10)
vs. @ Seattle Seahawks (December 17)
vs. @ Tennessee Titans (December 24)
vs. San Francisco 49ers (December 31)
Three Things I Like About The Rams This Season:
-New Regime Not Attached To Jared Goff: Is Jared Goff a good NFL QB? The jury is still WAAAAAAAAY out on that one. This season is definitely going to be a big one in regards to him, but the good news is….new head coach Sean McVay and his regime are not attached to Jared Goff in any way possible. If Goff is a bust, it’s not their fault and it shouldn’t reflect on their job at all. The good news is, next year’s draft has a bunch of really good prospects and if the Rams do end up having a horrible year (and they will), there is some talent waiting there to replace Goff and the Rams shouldn’t hesitate.
-Aaron Donald: BEST. DEFENSIVE. PLAYER. IN. THE. LEAGUE
-Andrew Whitworth: The Rams need some credit. They are doing their best to make certain that all the pieces are in place for Jared Goff to turn it around this year. One of the biggest moves the Rams made this past off-season was bringing in long-time Cincinnati Bengals left tackle Andrew Whitworth. Yes, Whitworth is old as dirt but he’s STILL ONE OF THE NFL’S BEST TACKLES! The guy is a pure stud and immediately becomes the Rams best offensive lineman by a country mile. Great pick-up by the Rams.
Three Things I Hate About The Rams This Season:
-Way Too Many Holes On Defense: Outside of Aaron Donald and maybe 3-4 other guys, the defense just isn’t very good on paper. The Rams have had a decent defense the last few years, but it wouldn’t shock me to see this unit take a step back this year. Especially if the offense can’t take a step forward.
-Jared Goff: Jared Goff was argubaly the worst QB in the NFL last year. When the Rams finally threw the #1 overall pick in, he looked dreadful. That kind of goes against the trend that’s been going on in the NFL lately. Rookie QB’s have been coming into the league and have been having immediate success. Look at guys like Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, and Carson Wentz for example. Those guys came into the league, and ya, sure they have their struggles, but they look like real deal NFL QB’s. Jared Goff showed us nothing last year. Remember on Hard Knocks when the guy didn’t even know which direction the sun rises in? The QB position takes a lot of intelligence to play it. Goff sure sounds dumb as fuck to me. This is a huge year for him to prove that he can ball in the NFL. The Rams went out and got Andrew Whitworth at left tackle. They traded a high draft pick for Sammy Watkins. And they are hoping for a Todd Gurley revival (but all reports are saying that Gurley looks dreadful in camp so far). If those things can align themselves, Goff should have a successful year this season. If not, he could be on the chopping block. Why keep a dead weight QB around if it’s going to cost you your job in a few years?
-Sean McVay: Sean McVay is younger than me. I consider myself to be a somewhat immature dude and I’m 36 years old. Farts make me laugh a lot harder than they should at this age still. McVay is 31 years old and he became the NFL’s youngest head coach ever, beating out Lane Kiffin for that title. I’m not saying McVay is as immature as myself, but this guy is now in charge of a locker room full of egotistical NFL dudes, a lot of them who are older than he is. That’s worrisome in my opinion. A lot of people have a hard time taking direction from someone younger than they are. How will certain Rams players respond to one of their peers bossing them around? It didn’t work out well for Kiffin and I’m not sure it’s going to work out well for McVay. NFL coaches need to be older and well respected in order to be successful in my opinion. McVay is likely going to flame out in 2-3 years.
The Prediction:
4-12