Will Wolford be the next pleasant surprise for the LA Rams offense?

In one year, the LA Rams learned that they can play effectively despite missing two offensive stars. Will Wolford prove to be their third pleasant surprise?

A year ago, the LA Rams faced the NFL season knowing that this team could not afford to keep running back Todd Gurley, would be hard pressed to re-sign offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth, and were shackled with a heavily compensated but regressing young quarterback  in Jared Goff. There were so many questions then. What would the Rams do? What could the Rams do?

A year has passed, and the Rams are playing meaningful football in the last game of the season.  And they are doing so without Gurley, who was waived in the off-season and signed on with the Atlanta Falcons.  The Rams are doing so without Andrew Whitworth, who fell to knee injury during the Rams ninth game of the season. While Whitworth is expected back should the team make the playoffs, offensive tackle Joseph Noteboom has played well enough in his absence.

What happens if Wolford plays well?

The Rams are about to learn whether or not their trust in an untested backup in the worst of all NFL seasons was placed wisely. Untested and inexperienced backup quarterback John Wolford will get his first NFL start in one of the most pressure-packed scenarios imaginable. If the LA Rams win, they are in the playoffs and will travel next week in round one. If they lose, they must depend upon the Green Bay Packers to defeat the Chicago Bears for a hope at the post season.

But the heart of any positive outcome is the performance of  Wolford. Whether you are pro-Goff or con-Goff, the team will need Wolford to shine. But if he does, the debate will most certainly be on throughout the offseason. After all, Goff costs the team over $28 million in 2020, and will balloon to $34 million in 2021. Wolford is less than $1 million in both seasons. If Wolford can win to get the Rams to the playoffs? That combination will be hard for fans to resist.

What comes next?

The LA Rams, like many NFL teams, are simply following the formula that once a quarterback can lead the team to the NFL Championship Game, they have hit the NFL contract leverage lottery.  It has been that cycle for years. And oftentimes, the team eventually learns to regret such a heavy investment in one player.

If Wolford wins his first game, then he opens the door to playing, and winning, in the NFL playoffs.  The first victory is the toughest to achieve. After that, the game is simply wash-rinse-repeat in terms of preparation and execution. And Wolford is in a no-lose situation. If he loses, he was ‘just a backup’. If he wins, the dry tinder in the Rams debate over whether or not Jared Goff should keep his job as the starter will ignite. Even if Goff returns to health to take over, the only way he can overcome this no-win situation is to win a SuperBowl.

It’s about Wolford and McVay

So now it’s all up to backup quarterback John Wolford. But what is not being talked about much is perhaps the most obvious. The very fact that Wolford is under center forces head coach Sean McVay to rework the offense, reformulate the way the Rams attack defenses, and revitalizes the ability of the Rams offense to attack defenses from sideline to sideline and from the line of scrimmage to the end zone.

The Rams are about to play their first Goff-less football in three years. Whether the Rams win or lose, this Sunday’s game will germinate in the off-season into a debate over who should lead the team next season. But more than that, it will refine the understanding of what a Sean McVay ideal offense should look like. After all, McVay has a new toy to play with on the offense, his first in three seasons. Now, what will he do with it? That’s what we are all about to find out.

Fun Fact: The Rams have been described as ‘rallying around’ backup quarterback John Wolford this week. And the opponent, the Arizona Cardinals, have described preparing to face Wolford as ‘nobody knows what he will do’.  The last time that happened with the LA Rams? Kurt Warner took over for an injured starting quarterback Trent Green and never looked back. Does that same bright future await John Wolford?