Is preseason schedule 1/2 empty or 1/2 full for LA Rams?

Why this is a good thing for the LA Rams?

The 32 teams from the NFL are facing more questions, more variable, and more pressure than ever before this season. Not just to win games, this season the pressure is mounting simply to play the games and somehow coach up a competitive team via video screens, keyboards, and text messages.  If the LA Rams had the funds to re-sign most of their players whose contracts expired in 2020, that would be feasible.  But the Rams were broke. The team said farewell to multiple key contributors, and now the team is in the process of rebooting the team for the 2020 NFL season.

That’s a lot to process. It’s the equivalent of trying to get a drink of water out of a fire hydrant. While the LA Rams have a very competent staff, perhaps opening the roles for all positions on the team was a bit optimistic this season, to begin with.  After all, we’ve already identified the challenges of a shortened training camp upon the many undrafted players signed this year.

Too much too little too late

There is only so much the team can do, process, accomplish, and overcome this year. With so little time to prepare the team’s most likely starters to play together, perhaps a shortened preseason calls off the next NFL “star search” from the ranks of overlooked players, and redirects their efforts towards the practice squad and playing for a starting role next season?

The Rams, like 31 other NFL teams, risk failing to give a gifted player the chance to prove himself this year.  All teams are at risk. When the teams begin paring down their rosters to the 55-man rosters for the 2020 NFL season, other teams will have the opportunity to sign those players to their rosters. It’s an imperfect system in an imperfect world. It’s better to do a few things very well than many things not-so-well. Right now, the LA Rams are engaged in becoming the best NFL team for the 2020 NFL season. Fewer preseason games mean fewer distractions from that goal.