LA Rams superpower? Coaching up talented overlooked NFL players

Anyone who follows the LA Rams for any length of time knows that two things are almost as certain as death and taxes.  They are the inevitable accusations that the LA Rams are the best team that money can buy, and the reality that the Rams invariably succeed because the team is gifted at coaching up the talented young players that many other NFL teams ignore or overlook.

Success is not an accident. You must either outthink, outclass, outhustle or outlast the competition. Such is the way for the LA Rams, but the organization has blazed a rather unique and very impressive path to winning. For starters, the team’s roster is built on the backs of 14 young men who did not hear their names called out in any NFL draft.

That’s over 26 percent of the roster, a defending Super Bowl roster. Let that sink in for a moment.

When you factor in all of the players on the Rams roster who were drafted in the seventh round, the Rams roster explodes to 40 percent.  That’s a huge percentage for a roster that has been so successful.

Okay, but that could mean that the Rams simply wait for stars to appear from other rosters and then sign them in the NFL free agency market, or trade for them, right? Well, not exactly. If you truly need more proof, then you should gaze to the next Tweet. What do you think about that?

It gets better, fans.

Rams rejuvenate NFL veterans too

Even with all the evidence that you see above, it does nothing to illustrate the ability of this LA Rams organization to have fun. The NFL is big business, one of the most lucrative professional sports in existence. But it’s based upon a game, and games are supposed to be fun. Well, with the LA Rams, it is.

You can point to any number of veteran NFL players who discovered the fountain of youth when playing for the LA Rams. From veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford to outside linebackers Leonard Floyd and Von Miller, to offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth, to defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson.

The LA Rams do not offer luxury or easy streets. This is a team that promises nothing but hard work, hard work with a purpose, and hard work to everyone. When a group of players feels that their coaches have a good plan, and hold everyone accountable, they buy in. The Rams have been blessed with incredibly talented players who are very effective leaders by example. Andrew Whitworth, Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Matthew Stafford, and now Bobby Wagner and Allen Robinson.

How do the LA Rams keep doing it? Perhaps the answer is found in something that Coach Henderson holds dear for his defensive linemen. #DAWGWORK is more than a mantra, it is a code that Coach Henny instills in his players, but also describes everyone associated with what happens on the football field for the horned helmets:
Discipline,
Attitude,
Work Ethics, and
Grit
WORK

While the defensive line holds the phrase, it defines how the LA Rams continue to outthink, outclass, outhustle and outlast the competition.

The best team that money can buy? Hardly. Just an NFL team that is winning the old-fashioned way. The LA Rams invest in the players, and in return, those players take care of business.