This single fact could change the way you view Rams 2024 performance so far

The LA Rams have only played five games, and yet the call from fans to fire Rams DC Chris Shula in his first season has a rising crescendo. The team is struggling on all fronts, but the call to fire the defensive coordinator seems to be a tradition carried over from former DC Raheem Morris, and it has only taken five games to hear and read the calls for the unconditional firing of Shula, despite only having five games to get this defense on track.

I am not going to cite the retirement of All-Pro DT Aaron Donald. That factor was known before Shula was hired, and it would be a factor to any defensive coordinator hired by the team. And it will continue to be a factor going forward.

I am not even going to cite the unexpected trade of ILB Ernest Jones. While I believe that Jones would have harnessed this defense much better, both in keeping players in position and in the dismal missed tackles rate that many players are guilty of this season. After all, it's tough to fix something when the team's inside linebackers Troy Reeder (11.9 percent missed tackles) and Christian Rozeboom (10.6 percent missed tackles) are as guilty of missing tackles as anyone.

Follow the money

Do you get what you pay for? In the case of the LA Rams, that is absolutely not the case. Thanks to a recent article and the positional spending categories provided by OTC.com, we uncovered that the Rams boast the NFL's most expensive offense in 2024. To be perfectly clear, the team is spending nearly $22 million more on offense than the Kansas City Chiefs. The Rams are spending over $67 million more on offense than the league-leading Detroit Lions.

And yet, this offense comes in at just 17.6 points per game, no better than 27-ranked scoring offense in the NFL. (We removed 6 points scored by DB Jaylen McCollough on a pick-six). Does that surprise you?

In stark contrast, the Rams are spending just $44.5 million on defense. That is the least expensive defense in the NFL and comes in nearly $29 million less than the next defense in the league.

The Rams are outspending on offense over defense by a factor of four to one. And yet the defense comes in as the 29th-ranked defense in the NFL in terms of points allowed.

So where is the team failing? While we all understood what the financial factors meant before the season started, and yet after just five games we want a champagne taste from a beer-budget defense, while continuing to award a 'pass,' to an offense that has yet to deliver on such a hefty price tag.

Imagine selling the dependable and affordable pickup truck that never needed repairs to pair for the expensive Corvette that costs thousands of dollars in annual repair bills. The Rams are not getting the return from this offense that warrants such a high price tag.

You get what you pay for, sometimes

The decisions by the Rams front office and coaching staff are undeniable. This team spent 80 percent of the team's payroll on the offense. So what has the team gotten for the money? Three tight ends on the roster, but the offense only plays one. Four running backs on the roster, and yet the team only plays one.

The investment into the offense is more than just salary cap. There are limited number of roster slots to consider. This team has 26 roster slots filled by defensive players, 24 roster slots on offense, and three roster slots in special teams.

The breakdown for the Rams roster is:

• Offense: 24 players | $177.4 million | $7.4 million/player average
• Defense: 26 players | $44.5 million | $1.7 million/player average
• Special Teams: 3 players | $2.7 million | $0.9 million/player average

Okay, so tell me how anyone can justify calling for a guy who has a budget that is one-fifth of the offense to be fired, when the defense is actually outperforming the offense by a significant margin when factoring in the amount invested into the players?

Spend five times more but expect less? I'm not buying it. The evidence seems pretty obvious. The team invested heavily into the offense, and now nobody is holding them accountable. If someone sits down and eats 80 percent of the food served at my dinner table, you can bet I'm making them do the dishes.

Right not, the Rams offense is expecting the poverty-level defense to clean up after them. It's just how the numbers work out.

For the Rams to turn the corner, this offense has to start putting up points at a much better clip.

As always, thanks for reading.

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