3 things NOT to look for in LA Rams first preseason game

The final score

Some point to preseason records in terms of the win-loss outcomes as something to strive for. After all, this looks, walks, and sounds like an NFL game. So the final score has to count for something, right?  Okay, what exactly? What does ‘winning’ a preseason game win? Bragging rights? Discounts at the local grocery store?

As we pointed out early in this article, teams that are trying to build a winning tradition and positive momentum place more emphasis on winning preseason games than a seasoned coaching staff. They must. It’s a new coaching strategy, a new philosophy, and a new culture. Winning preseason games conditions the players into accepting the possibility of success by buying into their role.

That sometimes backfires, as many teams go with a basic package of repeated plays designed to vet their players, and do not worry about final scores. Lesser teams, the ones that want to build some positive momentum, will throw in the wrinkles to get players used to how they work in a game scenario.

Hey, I get it. Everyone wants to win every time. When it involves a football field, goal lines, and huge linemen crashing into one another like ocean waves against rocky shores, it’s tough not to look up at the scoreboard and interpret the number of points scored by each time as tangible evidence of one team being better than the other.

But that won’t be the case in preseason games. With 35 players sitting this one out, the Rams are vetting their backup players. There will be no Matthew Stafford lyin’ eyes to cheer, nor will there be any Aaron Donald effect on the defense to bolster everyone’s level of play. This is not about winning and losing. This is about deciding who stays versus who goes. That information won’t be found on the scoreboard.