Let's not be too rigid in interpreting Coach McVay's recent ILB comments

Is this a Rams 'Chicken vs. Egg' paradox?

The Rams offense is Coach McVay's baby. Right now, the team is struggling on multiple fronts, and it's only natural for the head coach to address the areas of which are more in his direct field of sight. That means that this offense has to settle some of the glaring deficiencies that have been exposed in 2024 after four games.

I'm not buying the conclusion that the Rams coaches are playing the optimal configurations and players in each game, in each series, with each individual snap of the football. If that was truly the case, why did the Rams revert from a very successful game of 45 percent usage of their 12-personnel package that led to a win, back to an eight percent 12-personnel package with a full complement of three tight ends despite only having five healthy wide receivers on the roster.

Were the Rams best suited to play five receivers against the Bears defense almost exclusively?

My point is not that the Rams have to bench both Rozeboom and Reeder initially. But the defense is getting wiped off the football field as the game progresses. It's obvious that the Rams linebackers had nothing left in their tank in overtime to stop the Lions running attack. And after the Rams had closed to within two points of the Chicago Bears, the Bears offense scored the last touchdown in the game,

Just as the team rotates defensive linemen into the game to keep players 'fresh,' this team needs to adopt a similar strategy to keep inside linebackers fresh. By McVay's own admission, preseason, practices, and game scenarios are all different animals. And yet, that logic is used to rationalize why the team is not considering altering what the team will consider in terms of ILB strategy.

But the team is struggling on the football field. Dead last at run defense. So you fix it by turning a blind eye to that?

The Rams must address the ILB deficiencies. While some believe that this is simply as good as it gets, I believe that it's simply not among the worst areas of the team. Once the Rams settle their pass coverage calamity, and tinker with their offense, the brain trust will ponder solutions for this team's bad run defense. Just stay tuned and stay patient.

And as always, thanks for reading.