What fuels Rams IOL Kevin Dotson's success is not what you think

The knack of the Los Angeles Rams to convert a depth player on another NFL team's interior offensive line, and coach them up to a solid starter is a fascinating tale of the Rams' overall success. Rams GM Les Snead seems to have a magically guided hand that he uses to identify those players whose roles have undervalued them on their original team. And he translates that diminished role of superb players to leverage incredible bargains for the Rams.

While Kevin Dotson is the latest interior offensive lineman to be rescued from NFL anonymity, he is just one of several NFL players who have made the jump to La-La land and turned a languishing career into a Hollywood script about success. So what has powered Kevin Dotson's career transformation?

The Rams beat reporter, Stu Jackson, posed the question to the player, and his response was a superb case study in how important it is to find the right fit for a player. His response includes the word 'love' seven times.

Perhaps the best part of his answer lies in his final sentence. I want to work for them.

In that one sentence, Kevin Dotson reveals so much about himself. Just six words. Just 18 letters. And yet, it is a profound statement that reveals the very essence that motivates a passionate professional athlete.

Need more proof? The Rams have established a pattern of turning players acquired elsewhere from another team's bench and landing a starter. That pattern includes trading for IOL Austin Corbett from the Cleveland Browns in 2019. That same year, the Rams signed IOL Coleman Shelton from the Arizona Cardinals' practice squad.

Three starters who were brought to the Rams off the bench from another NFL team. That is a seriously successful pattern. So how do the Rams do it? The answer is found in Kevin Dotson's own words. "I want to work for them," is more than a response to a question. It is the key to unlocking how the Rams unlock the passion inherently present in the hearts of every professional football player.

The Rams let football players have fun again.

As always, thanks for reading.

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