LA Rams Behind the Grind series gives fans epic experience to draft

Behind the Grind: Chapter I

This year's Behind the Grind series is a masterpiece so far with just two episodes under the bridge. The model of how the team restocked their 2023 Rams roster, not just with young talented players, but with young players who embodied a passion for the game of football that buried the needle, has become the template for any and every NFL team that paid attention

But solving the challenges of any given NFL off-season merely ensures that the front office and coaching staff will be met with an entirely new set of challenges the following year, and the LA Rams football team is no exception to that cycle. In episode one, the Rams recap the off-season events and issues that this team faces as everyone pivots from last season to the road ahead.

Here's what you can expect from this episode (per Youtube video description).

• (2:44) - Aaron Donald's Retirement
• (8:23) - Puka Nacua's Offseason
• (15:00) - Ernest Jones Malbon Golf
• (18:12) - Tyler Higbee ACL Rehab
• (22:53) - Chris Shula as New Rams DC
• (26:07) - Rams Team Meeting

Now, here is the video (it's nearly 30 minutes, and well worth the time to view in its entirety.

The beauty of this video is that it truly captures the depth and breath of the challenges facing the team. But this is more than a 30,000 foot view of the team, but rather there are a number of exposes that reveal a bit more of individual players.

While we, as fans, often gloss over the human impact of the players' lives impacted by their NFL football careers, I embrace opportunities to reveal and share those emotional elements of players and players' families lives. After all, when we are cheering for players, we are also cheering their family, friends, former coaches, and everyone that player has touched and been supported by throughout their life and football career.

The video is a microcosm of possibilities that every professional athlete faces in every season of their career. The first BTG episode takes a look at the lives of players and concludes with a team meeting that touches them all. It's an emotional roller coaster, touching the sorrow generated by the retirement of All-Pro DT Aaron Donald, to the thrill of Chis Shula's hiring as this team's new defensive coordinator.

Now, armed with what was, the series prepares fans for episode two, and what will be.