LA Rams Wednesday Walkabout Diner Fare 2.0

Life comes at you fast. It seems like plenty has happened since the last time we listened in on two guys chatting about the LA Rams and their NFC West Division. Time for another Walkabout the NFC West. And once more, it is Jay Blucher (me) sitting down and site-expert Bret Stuter discussing the last ‘happenings’ in the division over eggs, bacon, and coffee.

This weekly feature is a regular look across the fence at the other three teams in the division. A logbook narrative that tracks the comings goings among four competitive teams as each attempts to find their respective path to a Super Bowl victory.

The LA Rams have come out swinging in terms of roster moves. In short work, the Rams have launched a blockbuster trade, securing one of the key quarterbacks on the trade block in Detroit Lions Matthew Stafford. Now the rest of the NFC West must respond. Will they?

In 2020, it was the Arizona Cardinals who initiated the arms race a year ago when the Cardinals made a seemingly one-sided trade of the coveted Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. The Seattle Seahawks followed suit by trading for New York Jets All-Pro safety Jamal Adams. Of course, that was followed by the San Francisco 49ers trading for Washington’s star offensive left tackle Trent Williams.

All the while the big guns on the USS LA Rams lay silent.

That is not the case in 2021. The Rams came out swinging for the fences. In less than two weeks, the Rams have shipped somewhat controversial quarterback Jared Goff, two 1st round and one 3rd round picks to the Detroit Lions for quarterback Matthew Stafford.

If there was any doubt as to the LA Rams reliance upon data analytics for personnel decisions, this trade should put that one to rest permanently. Stafford was a good quarterback on a bad team. But the only way to decipher that would be using the infrared goggles that data analytics provides.

Now, with a new arms race underway, the field is set once more. The LA Rams are no longer boasting wunderkind DC Brandon Staley. The San Francisco 49ers lost DC Robert Saleh as well. The NFC West is filled with new faces. But the rules and goals remain the same. And so, we enter the 2021 season, and the first shot has already been fired.