Vegas oddsmakers show little love for Los Angeles Rams in 2017

According to some oddsmakers in Las Vegas, the Los Angeles Rams have a long way to go when it comes to being playoff contenders. 

According to VegasInsider.com, the future odds for the Los Angeles Rams currently rests at 150/1 to win the Super Bowl, 75/1 to take the NFC conference crown, and 25/1 to overthrow their division foes. As a fan, it’s insulting to see such tough odds for the Rams, but also very difficult to convincingly debate.

Like the so-called experts across the country, I consider stats and the latest possible injury list information when predicting weekly NFL games. But I am not so much a ‘numbers’ guy as I am more of a “what have you done for me lately” kind of guy, and what Los Angeles has done this offseason certainly counts.

As harped on, the Rams finished dead last in total offense during the 2016 season after only averaging 14.0 points per game, a mind-blowing 2.5 points per game beneath the previous offseason’s dumpster fire known as the Cleveland Browns. And for what it’s worth, there were a a handful of games Los Angeles arguably should have ended up on the winning side of, despite all of their scoring struggles.

So what have the Rams done lately? They went upside almost completely across the board — almost because Les Snead is still their GM.

Los Angeles hired a smart young hard-working upstart in Sean McVay, who seems to know his stuff, but is unafraid to say, if to no one but himself, I don’t know everything.

So what does McVay do? He adds a well-respected Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator in Wade Phillips. And how he managed to assemble the remaining core staff of can-doers during peaking times of their careers is enough to inspire preseason whispers of NFL Coach of the Year possibilities.

The addition of the professional-minded Robert Woods is a solid upgrade over Kenny Britt in my opinion. What’s more, they drafted Cooper Kupp, who many consider to be the most polished route runner of the 2017 draft. The lovable star of last year’s preseason, Nelson Spruce, finds himself battling for a spot he might have easily taken in 2016 had he stayed healthy.

Where the improvement will really be evident is on the offensive line and behind it after Los Angeles signed the best lineman available in free agency this offseason in Andrew Whitworth. Not only did the Rams sign Whitworth for his impressive game-day credentials, but his Pro Bowl-caliber residue is bound to rub off on others during training camp and beyond, as it already has in OTAs. He knows how to teach the younger big uglies in a way the organization can appreciate.

Jared Goff and Todd Gurley can’t help but benefit the most from the changes that took place with the offensive line. With respect to the previous coaching staff, many players have subtly indicated that now they are learning what they didn’t know in previous years, and thanks to these key changes, I expect just about all areas on offense to improve in 2017.

Next: NFL Power Rankings: Rams edition

Unlike last season, I also expect continued improvement throughout the 2017 season. Therefore, as of now, I have the offensive output for the Rams figured at a surprising 20.0 to 21.5 points per game average by midseason. And if the defense can come through on their end, Los Angeles may actually be in line to make a run at the postseason this year.