I have a feeling LA Rams will win 3rd consecutive game for 2nd time

Did he mean to do that? Did former LA Rams quarterback Jared Goff fall into the trap of talking about the feelings he had upon learning that he was traded away?

While he did so skillfully, the narrative for the first time that LA Rams head coach Sean McVay faces his former quarterback Jared Goff was ripe for pre-game drama and narrative.  There were underlying emotions that percolated the entire season between McVay and Goff, There were the factors that compelled McVay to demand that Goff be traded away. There were reasons why the LA Rams wanted to acquire veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford.

But it is all water under the bridge. The LA Rams are 5-1. The Detroit Lions are 0-6. Whatever reasons for events to occur in the manner that they did, the results speak for themselves. Nothing more needs to be said. But more was said. Skillfully. Without provocation. But it needn’t have been said at all.

While I am by no means invoking some cleverly disguised man-shaming against someone expressing their feelings, I am simply pointing to the obvious. Why now?

Let’s move on

Expressing anger, disappointment, sorrow, is necessary when the feelings appear. But we are now 10 months after the fact that the Rams traded away Goff. It’s time to let go, move on, forgive and forget. The LA Rams did not wrong Goff. They traded him, just as so many NFL teams have traded players for many years.

The Rams saw qualities in veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford that appealed to McVay. That is why he personally lobbied team owner Stan Kroenke to up the ante and throw in a second first-round draft pick into the offer. McVay did not do so to spite Jared Goff. He placed his own personal reputation at risk in the hopes to improve the team. So far, it appears that he was spot on.

The Rams are 5-1, and the once pedestrian offense is red-hot and sizzling already. Not only is Matthew Stafford the fourth-ranked quarterback in the NFL, but he has elevated teammate Cooper Kupp to the lofty second-ranked receiver in the NFL.  Robert Woods is a healthy 35th-ranked NFL receiver.

The Rams may be improving on offense. Certainly, the potential for this week is to score more than their 29.8 points-per-game average.

Feelings

Reports are surfacing this week describing in depth how Jared Goff did not learn of being traded to the Detroit Lions until news broke. Sure, Jared Goff was disappointed in the way that he learned about being traded. Sure, head coach Sean McVay could have handled things better than letting Goff find out through NFL news reports. Hurt feelings can either break an NFL career or forge a stronger more determined resolve to succeed.

Let’s stick a pin in that one for just a moment. Let’s start over at the moment that feelings were hurt.

You see, feelings run both ways. Now, in the present, there are other feelings at play. The Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell is feeling disappointed too. The Lions are 0-6, and that has Campbell feeling deep disappointment. While he professes that he is not thinking about pulling Jared Goff, he is less than happy over his quarterback’s performance this year.

There are a lot of people who are disappointed right now. Everyone who is associated with the Detroit Lions and their 0-6 start is no doubt disappointed. Lions fans are disappointed. Those are feelings too. But not all feelings are negative.

I have a feeling that the LA Rams will win in Week 7. That will be the second time this season that the team will put up a three-game winning streak. And to be honest, that makes me feel pretty good.