14 LA Rams resolutions to win Super Bowl LVI at Sofi Stadium

IV – Involving the bread and butter guys

The LA Rams have gotten a lot of mileage out of Greg Gaines and Coleman Shelton in relief duty. Gaines was drafted with the 134th draft pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. Shelton was signed to the active roster off the Arizona Cardinals practice squad. Neither was lauded at the time as anything special. But in 2021, both have been solid contributors.

That’s the LA Rams reality now. This team, after a full season of bangs, bumps, bruises, ouchies, and boo-boos are operating on a combination of stars and bread and butter guys. Operating, and succeeding, that is. There are stars, yes. But without the A’Shawn Robinsons or the Travin Howards, or even the Donte Deayons, the defense won’t stop anyone.

The same can be said of the offensive bread and butter players, the David Edwards, the Kendall Blantons, and the Buddy Howells. Unlike Fantasy Football, live NFL rosters eventually must turn to the lesser paid, the lesser touted, undervalued players who must find the way to step up and shine when the spotlight shines on them.

Time for the young guys to claim their NFL careers

This is the moment for DT Bobby Brown III, DT Marquise Copeland, OLB Chris Garrett, DB Terrell Burgess, WR Landan Akers, and anyone I may have errantly excluded to have their chance to contribute and to deliver when their moment arrives. Want to make a name for yourself? Show up big in the playoffs.

Heroes are not anointed. Heroes are not particularly gifted players. Heroes are simply those players who know all of the things that can go wrong but go out and do the right thing at the right time anyways. It’s instinctive, some inherent ability to simply ride the moment from the need to deliver all the way through to success.   The Rams need some heroes.