3 LA Rams issues we spend too much time talking about after Week 3

The LA Rams may not be in post-season form, but I’m actually quite okay with that.  While the LA Rams started out their 2021 NFL season with a 7-1 start, the team eventually hit a losing streak that dragged the team to 7-4. Then, the Rams made some adjustments, got serious about winning, and won nine of their last ten games, including four post-season games.

Right now, we can all agree that the LA Rams may not be playing their best football, but let’s not lose sight of the fact that the Rams are 2-1, and despite the early rankings, currently find themselves in a pretty good spot for the path to post-season play.

But some are dissatisfied. It’s no longer winning, but the fact that the Rams have won despite adversity. Huh? The Rams’ offense has been decimated on the offensive line. Beyond that, key contributors at wide receiver, tight end, and running back are all off-line. The Rams are fighting through injuries, players suspensions, and trying to bring new faces into service on-the-fly.
So why isn’t winning enough? I really don’t have the answer to that one.

But here are three topics that I feel are getting too much discussion in forums and by the media so far this season:

Topic III: The struggles of All-Pro DB Jalen Ramsey

Those tales of the demise of LA Rams All-Pro defensive back Jalen Ramsey’s career have been greatly exaggerated.  The LA Rams opted not to play starters in any resemblance to an in-game type of training/practice/preseason forum to mitigate injuries to starters. That option comes at a cost, and the Buffalo Bills were ready to make the Rams pay that tab in the season opener.

Let’s be clear. The performance of an offensive line and a defensive secondary depends heavily upon communication and the performance of other players in the group. So singling out Jalen Ramsey for his Week 1 performance was unfair to the player and to the Rams’ defense overall.

A better measure for a defensive back is simply to see how they respond after several games:

Why do some insist on forming such permanent and negative opinions on such temporary and unflattering moments? Is it some residual vitriol because Jalen Ramsey wanted to remove himself from a bad situation that had developed around him with the Jacksonville Jaguars? Or is it that the belief is that a defensive back should never allow any completions or touchdowns ever?

Jalen Ramsey is an All-Pro defensive back for good reason. I expected that the rush to judge would be reluctant to do so after forming such a harsh and unfair opinion about LA Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris last season. But Ramsey, like Morris, appears to be subject to that harsh and unfair criticism for the foreseeable future.

Speaking of Ramsey, how did he do in Week 3?

It appears that Jalen Ramsey is doing just fine and the Rams’ secondary is beginning to turn the corner despite so many injuries. What do you think?