LA Rams decision to stay home at Combine proves beneficial

Prepared for virtual reality

The LA Rams prepared for 2020 better than most teams. After all, the team had a jump start on debugging any and all technical glitches through the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine exercise. But perhaps more importantly, it forced the Rams staff to embrace the virtual office more rapidly than any other NFL team. Not just at the executive level, but even at the field scout level. That rapid integration of all levels of the Rams organization into the capability of virtual reality happened weeks before the rest of the NFL needed to do so.

That ability to access player information, videos from the library, and even performance graphs and charts enabled real-time access of the same information to allow for meaningful discussions to take place anywhere. That sharing of real-time information prepared the coaches for the virtual training camp which soon followed afterward. Since the off-season was so unique, the preparation for discussing players from the Combine and in the weeks leading up to the 2020 NFL Draft set the stage for orienting and training players.

Virtually ready for the 2020 NFL season

Now that the Rams have accomplished the virtual portion of training and preparing for the 2020 NFL season, the team is exercising due diligence and care in preparing for the live on-field portion of training camp.  This will be an accelerated version of camp, as the NFL has delayed the physical face to face portion as long as possible. But ultimately, if the game is to be played, on-field physical practices must take place.

Since this is all new to everyone, nobody has enough experience to assess who performed well and who did not. Analysts and sports reporters rely upon the experiences of 2019 to judge readiness for 2020. While that may be of some benefit, it allows a huge margin of error. Other teams that struggled in 2019 but prepared effectively in 2020 so far will be underestimated. That is likely what the LA Rams will continue to face.  That’s just fine. After all, the Rams make better predators than prey.