Can NFL teams replicate the LA Rams formula? It’s just not that simple

The LA Rams did it their way. The trouble is? It’s just not easy to replicated, folks. It seems simple enough. It appears to be easy enough to do. But the way the LA Rams build a better mousetrap, or in this case, roster, is not by one move but by the commitment of the entire organization to do whatever it takes to come out on top. Legally and within the rules, of course.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed the venerable veteran quarterback Tom Brady to their roster, and an entire posse of veterans followed behind in hopes of capturing something that they desperately wanted in their NFL careers: A Super Bowl victory. The Bucs not only signed Brady but almost immediately traded for the right to sign retired TE Rob Gronkowski. The Bucs sign OT Joe Haeg, RB Leonard Fournette, RB LeSean McCoy, and even K Ryan Succop.

Rams make their own opportunities

But there was no creme de la creme quarterback anticipated to be available in the 2021 NFL Free Agency market. And if there was one, the Rams are not exactly known for winning the zany bidding wars that ultimately happen when very competitive teams enter the auction for a player where winning equates to which team spends the most cash. So the LA Rams, quite frustrated with their own play at quarterback over the course of the past four seasons, did not have the same option as the Buccaneers did in the hopes of winning a Super Bowl

So the LA Rams did them one better.

The Rams traded for veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford, a veteran quarterback who had all of the individual talents to win it all, but none of the luck in having the right roster built around him. He could throw out of sequence. He doesn’t scramble very well, but he can move around in the pocket well enough to buy some time. And he can throw out of virtually any arm slot successfully downfield.