LA Rams: Blending pocket and mobile QB myths debunked

“10 other guys on offense who stay the same”

NFL offenses are about playing to the strengths of all, and that holds true for the LA Rams. Perhaps we make too much about the quarterback position as a whole. After all, will the presence of veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford elevate the play of the receivers that he works with? Or will this season prove that former quarterback Jared Goff was as good as his record said that he was?

Los Angeles Rams

While this offense has a few tweaks and new faces, this is basically the same offense that took the field in 2020. The two major differences from a personnel standpoint are the additions of veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford, and speedy receiver DeSean Jackson. Now, will that be enough to restore this offense to among the Top-10 NFL scoring offenses? Top-5?

The LA Rams have players who can carry the load quite nicely. Both Cooper Kupp and Robert Wood can strike for 1000 yards in any given season, no matter who is throwing to them in the Rams offense. The combination of Darrell Henderson and Sony Michel should prove to be a powerful 1-2 punch in that they offer competency but differing and complementary styles of rushing. So from the potential to win, to move the ball, to score points, the style of quarterback may not be nearly as important as the skill of that player.

Poise, decision making, reading the field, improvisation, and a deep ball are all undervalued by critical skillsets that are necessary to fully operate the LA Rams offense. That improvisation element was introduced by backup quarterback John Wolford against the Arizona Cardinals, helping to turn negative plays into positive yardage a number of times. It was less about the mobility and more about the ability to make things happen when the play goes off-script.

So yes, I was wrong. The LA Rans can run their offense from either a pocket passer or a mobile dual-threat quarterback. Now having said that, I will still say that the LA Rams plans to run their backup quarterback role through undrafted quarterbacks John Wolford and Bryce Perkins do carry significant amounts of risk. Not because they are mobile quarterbacks, but because their level of NFL experience is very light indeed. Hopefully, the coaching staff has that factored into the equation, because the season starts in just ten days.l