LA Rams rope-a-dope drops team from NFC West Title hunt

Salvaging the season

The LA Rams have attempted the Rope-A-Dope twice, and gotten their arses kicked both times. Making matters worse, both occasions happened in front of the nation. 31 NFL teams now have confirmed proof that the Rams are a soft team, a team that gets punched in the face and cannot punch back. When that is talked about on the NFL Network and ESPN as the opening story, you know that it has all gotten out of hand.

We cited the team’s nice-guy attitude as something that the players and coaches needed to shed quickly. But perhaps we were wrong. Perhaps the Rams are a bit scared and timid, and not nice. But whatever the cause, the coaching staff appears to be out of answers. Shopping before the trade deadline and from the NFL Free Agency market is fun and all, but it is worthless if those players cannot be integrated into the team.

The Rams may have saved the San Francisco 49ers season with that ridiculous loss in Week 10, and in the process, saved Head Coach Sean McVay’s good friend Kyle Shanahan from seeking employment elsewhere.

Perhaps the LA Rams might turn their attention elsewhere now. Perhaps the team might consider trying to salvage their own season before the entire thing falls apart? In military basic training, Training Instructors create harsh conditions among new military members as a fast-track method of forming instant and lasting friendships.

"“A friendship forged in the fires of adversity is a strong as one that has weathered the test of time.” – Lindsey Kelk, What a Girl Wants"

Can this adversity help the Rams turn the corner?

Who can say at this point? We had some confidence that the Rams would accurately and adequately diagnose the failures that contributed to the loss in Week 9, and use that to forge a much better game plan for Week 10.

We were wrong.

Perhaps the Rams locker room should consider installing mirrors. Above each one, the phrase “Patsy or Player? You decide” should be mounted conspicuously. It’s impossible to defend the LA Rams on social media after a game like Weeks 9 and 10. The first step must be getting this team pissed off enough to stop getting beaten up and down the football field.