LA Rams must delegate offensive play calling duties before playoffs

Rams’ Reason IV – Getting right players for the team

In almost any NFL Draft, you just know that the LA Rams will be drafting a wide receiver, whether or not the team needs one. Even knowing that I’m not sure that anyone expected the LA Rams to draft a small but speedy wide receiver with the first pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.

While there is plenty of football to go with determining just how wise or foolish the LA Rams were in selecting Tutu Atwell with the 57th pick of the draft, one this is quite certain. The team has not seen much by the way of return on that investment in 2021. For a team that has a majority of picks on Day 3 of the NFL Draft, a swing and a miss of that magnitude with their second-round pick is disappointing.

But who says no to Sean McVay? After all, it’s his team that the roster is built around. And if you’ve followed the Rams draft results, you know that when it doubt, look for the LA Rams to draft at least one wide receiver.

But what about the offensive line? Running back? Tight end? Well, if there is a hole in the roster, the Rams will go there. But for the most part, the LA Rams have ignored the offensive line almost entirely over the past two seasons, and have committed to drafting one running back per season.

Drafting for future needs

The problem is that the Rams appear to draft to replace outbound free agents. But what about drafting players better suited for offensive changes? What do the Rams do to restock the roster to fill the new direction the offense is taking?

For an example of how the LA Rams could do better, just look at how the team has handled their backup quarterback position? When the LA Rams traded for veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford, the team failed to add any young pocket passers who could greatly benefit from learning from Stafford. Instead, the Rams stuck with two dual-threat quarterbacks, who may or may not be with the team in 2022. That mistake cost the team a chance to load up a young hurler with wisdom from one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL today.

Do the Rams need to flip play calling instantly? No. In fact, giving the play-calling duties to Kevin O’Connell for just one quarter per game would be just as effective. The goal is not to take play-calling from McVay. Rather, the goal is to make the LA Rams play-calling less predictable and therefore tougher to scheme. We know that defensive coordinators eventually figure out Sean McVay. But can they figure out Kevin O’Connell as quickly? Or better yet, a random combination of McVay and O’Connell? I’m hopeful we’ll find out soon.