Are the LA Rams championship caliber with QB Stafford?

The LA Rams wanted to get closer to a championship-winning team with the trade involving the  Detroit Lions to add quarterback Matthew Stafford to the roster. If you didn’t realize it, that was the intention of quarterback Matthew Stafford as well when he requested a trade. Is this a perfect fit? Well, on paper, it certainly appears that both team and player align well with goals.

So how will a  veteran quarterback without playoff success suddenly propel the Rams offense to a higher level of performance? Well, Stafford brings three strengths to the LA Rams offense that has been a weakness of the team for several years.

Stafford brings a strong throwing arm, one of the strongest in the NFL. Stafford is much stronger in ball control, adding a level of security to the football that could change the team from a net giver of the football to a net taker of the football. That alone could mean a significant improvement in the Rams’ success.  But at the 2:00 minute make of the NFL Network video, the former quarterback turned current NFL analyst Derek Carr lays it out for everyone.

"‘The issues that you see with them are things that happened post-snap. It’s not necessarily what happened pre-snap.’-per NFL Analyst David Carr when discussing the 2020 LA Rams offense."

So is it a chicken or the egg conundrum? Or can the Rams fast forward everything by inserting a veteran who has been innovating in the Lions offense for years? Both the Rams and Stafford are betting on the latter.

The Rams do have a very sophisticated and even more effective offensive game plan. But defenses have gotten better at getting to the quarterback quickly, disguising where that pressure is coming from pre-snap, and forcing instantaneous decisions upon the quarterback.

With Stafford, the Rams now harness one of the best NFL quarterbacks at innovating success on offensive plays. Of course, spending years running for your life will give you a feeling of bravado and level-headedness under pressure. But even after factoring that in, the Rams’ new quarterback has plenty of come-from-behind experience born of necessity.

A come-from-behind win would be nice.

Even as the LA Rams sort out roster depth issues now, and perhaps even restrategize how to ensure that they have a fully intact and capable offensive line for the 2021 NFL Season, keep this in the back of your mind. The LA Rams made it as far as the Super Bowl with a high-octane offense and an average defense.

If quarterback Matthew Stafford can once more unlock this offense’s true potential, then the Rams should be all set for another visit to the Super Bowl.  At least, that is the consensus of the NFL analysts at the NFL Network.