Ready or not, Tutu Atwell’s time for LA Rams is suddenly: Now

The LA Rams wide receiver room once appeared to be overflowing with talent. Now, just seven games into the NFL season, the cupboards are not appearing to be nearly as stocked. Well, figuratively speaking, of course. The Rams have agreed to place the field-stretching speed of veteran wide receiver DeSean Jackson on the trade block. So what does that mean?

Simple. Ready or not, the Tutu Atwell era of the LA Rams has begun. Unfortunately, it is not exactly getting off on a warm foot. Or has it? Some have cited head coach Sean McVay with the “I’d like to see him have a little bit more increased sense of urgency” extract, but LA Times Gary Klein does a much better job of placing all of this into a much more complete context.

This was a premonition, a call for Tutu Atwell to be ready to go before any news about Jackson on the trading block had yet appeared. Now that we know that, how does this quote truly read? It’s coach-speak for “Tutu Atwell’s time for the LA Rams is suddenly: Now.”

The LA Rams have a pretty solid group of receivers. There is the NFL-leading Cooper Kupp, whose 2021 numbers already are on par, if not outright dwarfing, the entire 2020 season. The same can be said of second-year player Van Jefferson, who is already far outpacing his entire 2020 season.

Even DeSean Jackson’s 221 yards and one touchdown is nearly as much production as he has gotten in each of his last two NFL seasons. Only Robert Woods is on his historic track, but even he is doing so with fewer passes and a much higher yardage-per-catch average.