LA Rams HC McVay likes way Stafford ‘changes his arm slots’

Let’s see what the Rams won, Johnny?

The LA Rams have most definitely struggled in 2020 to score points. In fact, the Detroit Lions were ranked 20th in points for 2020, while the Rams were ranked 23rd in that category.  But don’t look for newly acquired Matthew Stafford to fix that on his own. He led the Lions to the seventh-ranked scoring offense in 2017. He led the Lions to the fourth-ranked scoring offense in 2011.  So where is the fix for the Rams offense?

Well, it’s not what the Lions quarterback did, but how he did it that triggered the Rams’ feverish interest. Let’s cite what LA Rams head coach Sean McVay cited in the first minute of the video as shown (see the video on slide three):

"‘First of all, he’s a great competitor. He plays the position at an elite level, I think. For anybody that’s been around him, when you talk to those people, that’s what they say about him. And that says about as much as anything. And then just being able to evaluate his body of work going back to Georgia, his 12 years in Detroit? Toughness. Sees the field well. Can (read his) progress(ions). Great movement in the pocket. Can make all those throws. And then, just getting to know him a little bit, he’s got a great way about himself where you can feel that he’s got great quiet confidence but humility that’s refreshing. I think his teammates are really going to love him.’– Per LA Rams head coach Sean McVay"

That is a lot to say about Stafford, isn’t it? But when sitting down to look at Stafford’s highlight videos, that is exactly what jumps off the page. The Rams have an offense that wants to remain the aggressor even in the face of a formidable and physical defense. You could see that in 2020 games where the Rams had success running the ball, but wanted to pass against zero-cover blitzes.

Even the strongest advocates of quarterback Jared Goff cringed a bit if the game started out a bit on the ugly side. Goff was a very good quarterback and could be nearly unbeatable if he got into his rhythm. So any defense that could know him out of that rhythm would dictate the terms of the entire game. That was a harsh reality for the Rams, and particularly head coach Sean Mcvay to accept.