Armchair Athlete - Season 44 - Week 7

by adelfish | 7 years ago | 0 Comments

Adel

05/27/2018 - Season 44 - Week 7

 

Armchair Athlete

The Rams Quarterback Conundrum - Week 6 Awards - Mailbag

 

From Goff to Bush

 

A wise man once said, ‘if you have three quarterbacks, you have none.’ I tend to believe that quote to be true, but sometimes you can find a diamond in the rough, but then when you look hard enough, you find it wasn’t a diamond at all - maybe you were so enamored by your first impression, you tricked yourself into believing it was, and you miss the true gems.

 

That seems to be the mindset of the Los Angeles Rams front office, who for the last nine years have struggled to find stability at the quarterback position. You know that mile-long Browns jersey that starts with Couch and ends with….Snyder….Wilson…? Well this Rams one is starting to replicate that.

 

I had the pleasure of going out to Los Angeles this week for the ‘Armchair Athlete’s first official article after we decided to turn this into a weekly feature - being close with Coach Chapstick and General Manager Allen for so long, it was a no brainer to ask them for some time.

 

I sat in Mr. Allen’s office with him and Coach Chapstick for a good four hours on Saturday before their game against the Carolina Panthers, a home game sitting at 1-4 on the young season.

 

Allen - ‘No, it’s not where we thought we’d be, but you can’t predict this game. Last year we rallied off a streak of games to get into the wild card spot, that eventually lead to us winning the NFC. This team believes they can do anything now after that run, and why blame them? But this start is not what we expected at all.’

 

The Rams are 1-4 through the first 5 games of the year, and before we get to the quarterbacks, there are other areas on the roster to blame; like a defense that carried the Rams on it’s back last year, regressing to a unit that is bottom 5 in the league in total yards allowed seems to be the biggest red flag. This defense was so stout last year, but this year they allow an average of 24 points per game, including three straight duds against NFC West opponents.

 

Even after you try and find excuses along the roster for why the NFC champs are struggling, it all comes back around to the quarterback position, and rightfully so. This front office can’t seem to get it right.

 

Allen - ‘To be honest, we’ve been through so many changes at the position, at this point our guys on offense understand that we’re unique in that we don’t handle the position with kid gloves the way other organizations do. The most difficult transitions, as I mentioned, were more stylistic. Going from talented wide receivers and pass throwers to our current style, was more of an organizational struggle, rather than one of stability at one single position.’

 

To put it simply - they know they struggle to identify elite level talent at the position, and they are okay with that. They compensate by being elite at other levels of scouting; the running back position, the front seven, the secondary. They cultivate tight ends and possession receivers better than most clubs, along with an owner who isn’t shy when it comes to cutting the check for offensive linemen.

 

In order to come full circle on the Rams strategy, and the process that lead them to a shocking Super Bowl berth, the first one under the Allen/Chapstick regime, we need to go back to the beginning and watch their process unfold.

 

Allen - ‘When we signed the dotted line (Chapstick and I) to come to Los Angeles after our run in New England, we knew this was a unique opportunity. We had our gameplan ready, and that was very similar to how we found success two years ago in Detroit. We fell into two great quarterbacks in Tyrod Taylor and Colin (Kaepernick).

 

After we decided to move on from Tyrod, we added Cam Newton to the fold. Cam wasn’t the mobile gunslinger at this point in his career, and we as an organization turned our style on it’s head - if we’re being honest, Cam was great for us, and lead us in the playoff game in Tampa (at this point Coach Chapstick angrily looks out the window), but it was a unique experience for us.

 

We knew we had to get back to our roots with our set style in mind - playmakers at the running back position, and wide receiver who can create after the catch.’

 

If you’ve followed me this far to this point, we’ve already covered four eras of quarterback in a few calendar years under this Rams regime. They plug and play, and figure the rest out later. Trading Jared Goff was their first move, he didn’t fit what they do, and they admitted that. Most organizations would feel as though their wagon was hitched to a particular player - not the Rams.

 

Tyrod Taylor (who is a front office favorite) had success, along with a brief Kaepernick stint, and then the first playoff run with Cam Newton. Coach Chapstick told me in between recording sessions ‘When we had that run with Cam, we knew this team was special. It became evident to us that we needed a real, franchise player.’

 

Enter, Ryan Wang.

 

Allen - ‘You have to understand that Ryan came in during a time where our style was very much different than it was before. Ryan had some athleticism, but was a true pocket passer, and a damn good one at that. Looking back, it was unfair to Ryan to do what we did, but we felt it necessary.

 

Ryan didn’t adjust well to our style change, going back to an offense that favored the run game, and a defensive battle. Even through our first five wins last season, it was clear Ryan was uncomfortable doing what was asked of him.

 

We’ve since reconciled, but things were bad for awhile, yeah I’m not hiding that. Especially after the Arizona game last year, I think that was our fourth straight loss to put us at 5-4 on the year (after 5-0 start). He didn’t come around the team much after that, but I have nothing bad to say about the kid. We were happy to fulfill his wishes to move on to New York.’

 

Mr. Allen and Coach Chapstick really went over the Wang era quickly with me - you can tell there is regret and a sense of responsibility for what transpired in those three years.

 

After a rookie season that culminated with an Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Rookie of the Year victory, the future looked bright for this Rams teams. Talking heads in the media declared the Rams the future of the NFC West, as they finally found their answer at quarterback, a guy that threw 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, leading the Rams to the playoffs again.

 

Their style changes that they mentioned above, were due to the front office believing that they cannot win a playoff game with a pass-first approach - they weren’t built for that. So the changes began early, especially with the selection of running back Deric Little, and beefing up the offensive line. Ryan Wang was asked to do less.

 

His next season saw a decline, finishing with only 10 touchdowns, yet 8 interceptions. The next season (which would be his last as a Ram) saw him finishing with 4 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, before he was benched, for a guy I think you all remember.

 

Coach Chapstick - ‘The best part about all this, was Mike Glennon was supposed to be the guy we turned to when we ultimately decided to sit Ryan down. We just couldn’t afford to keep Mike on the roster though, the money didn’t work out, so we had to let him go in training camp. Jake (Allen) and I sat down and went through some tape of this kid I saw throwing at the Carolina Panthers’ training camp. Miles Bush, 6’2, fourth round quarterback out of Arizona State.

 

We dug that tape up after we sat down Ryan, called Miles’ agent, and told him we just agreed to pay him to come play quarterback for the Rams. A week in practice, it was clear we had no choice but to throw him to the wolves, and he responded well.’

 

Miles Bush made his first start for the Rams in Week 11, against the hated Seattle Seahawks. Despite a 24-19 loss, Bush showed flashes of brilliance, that would ultimately cement his role as the starter. He finished with 222 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 136 rushing yards - fresh off the practice squad.

 

The Rams would win 6 games straight after that, finishing the season a wild card team, heading on the road into the postseason. The Rams miracle run continued, with victories against an extremely talented Redskins team, and a victory in the NFC Championship Game, in Seattle. Everyone knows how the story ended, with the Rams running into a buzzsaw in the Baltimore Ravens, and falling 38-5. Bush was forgettable in the contest, and the Rams saw their Cinderella season close on a whimper, and they enter the offseason, ready to change it up again.

 

Allen - ‘Miles, as every player, doesn’t come without flaws. We saw them exposed on the biggest stage, so we needed to push him, he needed competition. We were happy to be able to interview and scout many quarterbacks this offseason, but we were thrilled to land Alexander Soto in the second round of the draft, and the competition in camp was great.

 

Soto showed us so much in camp, his unique athleticism and the zip on his passes, he got so much better as camp went along. We decided to go with the new guy, and let Miles take a seat behind him.

 

The amazing thing about Miles, is how much of a consummate professional he is - the last 15 months of his life have been a complete roller coaster; taken in the 4th round by Carolina, not making the team, being signed and moved cross-country, and starting in the Super Bowl, to now being the second guy - I’m proud of him.’

 

Alexander Soto has been the starter for the Rams through their first five games, pitching a 1-4 record. I flew home that night after the interview with Allen and Chapstick, wondering if they hadn’t already made a decision on their next move. As the theme of their conversations and articulations shows, they are not afraid to pull the plug, early, and often.

 

Loe and behold, I read Sunday morning that Miles Bush will be back into the starting lineup, against the team that drafted him, the Carolina Panthers. Of course I’m glued to my television, watching Miles carve up the Panthers, throwing for 3 touchdown passes, and accounting for over 230+ total yards. It’s as if he never left.

 

It’s hard to find a quarterback in this league, it truly is. It’s even more difficult to find one, that’s also a good kid. This position is cutthroat, there are no apologies for it. You have the responsibility and the spotlight. Ryan Wang couldn’t handle it, he got his way and got out - Alexander Soto couldn’t handle it and was benched. The endless list of Rams quarterbacks that floundered grows, but we circle back around and find ourselves at Miles Bush.

 

Maybe he breaks this curse, he has all the tools - sure he is rough around the edges, but the kid has heart. A fourth round pick, a guy nobody wanted - the Rams may finally have their guy, and he was there all along.

 

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Week 6 Awards

 

Offensive Player of the Week - Antoine Patterson - WR - Steelers

Patterson has been the main cog for the Steelers offensive machine this season, he finished the huge victory on Sunday over a very scrappy Texans team, with 166 yards and 1 touchdown. He has become the favorite for Curtis Pearson, and has truly excelled under the return of Coach Reid. Trying to keep pace in an early AFC playoff race, Patterson has been the difference.

 

Defensive Player of the Week - Patreon Hearst - DT - Dolphins

The Dolphins may have the best front office in terms of scouting defensive line talent - Francis Bedell, now Patreon Hearst. In a decisive, 33-6 victory over the undefeated, and hated, Buffalo Bills, Hearst account for 5 sacks, and 6 tackles. This resulted in Buffalo throwing 2 interceptions, and having 78 total rush yards. Coach Mojica when asked after the game about Hearst’s performance, ‘Next question.’

 

Coach of the Week - Coach Panos - New Orleans Saints

Nobody picked the Saints to contend in a NFC South that has been dominated by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for years now, and even a consistent second place Carolina Panthers. Sure, the Saints are .500 right now, but a 3-3 record, and a huge victory over the Falcons shows they are headed in the right direction. Coach Panos elected to allow the Falcons and their explosive rush attack to do what they wanted, but do their damage against the pass - the strategy worked, on their way to a 35-21 victory. Coach Panos appears to be learning from past mistakes.

 

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Movie Recommendation of the Week

 

I haven’t been to a theater yet to see ‘Deadpool 2’ or ‘Solo’ yet - and plan to do so soon, but I’ll save this section of the weekly column to throw a movie at you guys I watched this week that I think everyone should take a look at.

If you haven’t seen ‘The Social Network’ with Jesse Eisenberg/Justin Timberlake, check it out. Directed by David Fincher, a dramatized version of the beginning of Facebook and how the whole process went down behind the scenes. One of my favorite movies, and finally got to rewatch it this week.

 

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Mailbag

 

Q - ‘Who are the players from this cycle we will remember the most?’

-Weed

 

Players get remembered for the right or wrong reasons, which is why when you said this, Jatashun Knox jumped to mind. I think Ryan Wang, Eric Haskins are two of the most highly touted quarterback names, I think we will remember storylines more than individual players. Like the Marcus Mariota saga of being traded 2x, the Titans quarterback woes, the Ravens dynasty, etc.

 

Q - ‘What is your take on parity this cycle? Outside of the Ravens, do you think it was better or worse?’

-Robby Carmex

 

Good to see another Chapstick relative joining the mailbag - I think parity this cycle has been great. Like you mentioned, outside of the AFC North, most of the divisions around the league have seen multiple division winners. We have had NFC Championships that have featured tons of various matchups, even the AFC East has pumped out 4 playoff teams. If the Ravens weren’t the dominant force we know now, I think the AFC would feature the Jets, Bills, Dolphins, maybe even the Colts and Titans, more. But I think in terms of parity and competition, this cycle has been the best.

 

Q - ‘Can you stop trying to help teams beat us? We have a good thing going over here.’

-Ravenous Raven

 

Never!!!

 

Q - ‘On draft quarterbacks, do you prefer drafting them early in the cycle, or later? Free agent quarterbacks, or late round quarterbacks like the Rams have been doing?’

-Whoever is Tiko’s Quarterback This Season

 

It depends on the current state of your team, but the ability to lock down a bonafide starter at the quarterback position early in a cycle is such a huge advantage. Drafting on within the first three seasons, is something I always look for, otherwise trying to piece together assets to acquire one that is ready to win now. I think there are unsustainable ways for certain teams, and sustainable ones for others. The Rams are an anomaly, and shouldn’t be replicated elsewhere.

 

Q - ‘Best coach in Red Zone history to never win a ring?’

-Subway

 

Tough question, there are a few I look at. It would have been Sin until he finally broke through this year. I think about longevity, guys like Silk and Cave who have tasted success but never ended with the big prize, or even guys like Tauph and Trent (yes, I know) who have had ebs and flows, but are thought of highly in the course of their careers.

 

Q - ‘Is next cycle’s NFC the best conference in any RZ era?’

-Subway

 

I talked about this in the other mailbag, but I do think it is the best. It is loaded with Hall of Fame talent, multiple SB ring winners, and there is no division with an easy path. The wild card teams will be the equivalent of division winners, and the playoffs year in and year out will be a bloodbath - can’t wait.

 

Q - ‘Thoughts on opening up D-line play?’

-Subway

 

I am 100% against it. There are so many exploits you can do at the defensive line while controlling the moves of the end or tackle. If people think sack numbers are bad now, just wait.

 

Q - ‘In the history of Red Zone podcasts, which is your personal favorite?’

-Ash

 

Very tough question, I always loved listening to the Friday night podcast of Jake/JP/Beech until that ended, 123 Boyz holds a special place in my heart. I think my favorite of all time was the 123 Boyz episode when they interviewed Corn for the first time - a legendary episode.

 

Q - ‘Biggest pet peeve in this year’s Madden?’

-Trent’s Boss waiting to put in his vacation request 1 day before Trent

 

That’s an oddly specific name! Anywho….pet peeves and Maaden, where do I begin? I think the safety AI this year drives me crazy, there is nothing worse than watching your safety stand there, and let the ball fly over his head, or making a terrible angle at a tackle. Honorable mentions are the terrible commentary, and the regression system.

 

Q - ‘Will we ever see Mariota wear ‘The Beaver’ jersey again?’

-Stiffer Rod

 

JP is returning to the Titans next cycle - you already know the answer.

 

Q - ‘Rank the top 10 coaches for this cycle.’

-Subway

 

I am actually saving this for another bit, but I appreciate the question, Subway.

 

Q - ‘Who are the top 7 GMs in the league?’

-Slade Wilson

 

Interesting that you want to see the top 7. In terms of GMs, I look for guys who always seem to be calculated in their moves, they don’t panic, and they always get value for their decisions. Some of the guys I look at in this are Eikim, Astin, Weedseed, Cave, Metal, Black Magic, and Ian Johns. There’s a reason you always see success from these guys (no particular order by the way.)

 

Q - ‘We’ve gotten a lot of the awards wrong, ever thought about changing how awards are voted on?’

-M’Balz Es-Hari

 

I think ‘a lot’ is a stretch - I think most of the time we get the vote right, but yes there is a popularity contest aspect to the awards. I believe if we added more choices in the vote, the vote would become diluted and more often than not, we would see an incorrect winner. Right now, we try to get the best 5-6 guys at the category, and see if they can win 50-60% of the vote.

 

Q - ‘Early on in the cycle, it seemed there was a difference between bad and good quarterbacks - do you agree, and has that changed?’

-Ben Pharteen

 

I agree - I remember when we first started, how much better Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, were than the bottom tier guys. Once the cycle picked up, and more talented quarterbacks entered the league, I think it starts to even out for the most part. As we go on, I think user skill determines this difference more than it does early on. There is a reason you see Eric Haskins, Jared Yount, guys like that atop the statistical charts every year.

 

Q - ‘Help!!’

-Kid’s in Metal’s Basement

 

Sending help via pony express.

 

Q - ‘Out of the old heads (Blue, Cave, Silk) will any of you ever win a title? Seems like the new crew has taken over and the game has passed you guys by.’

-The Biggest Blackest Dick

 

There are more to the ‘old heads’ than that group, that just seems to be the black guys who haven’t won yet. I do think that the new group (Astin) has been very successful, but for the most part, the newer group hasn’t seen as much success as you think. Roc, Ian Johns, Malik, have had their runs, but we seem to always see the same few at the end of the run.

 

Q - ‘Did this cycle prove that Ernest is overrated? He was pegged as a top 5 guy this time last year.’

-Subway

 

This, for some reason, is a continuous topic of debate - where does Ernest stand in the pantheon of Red Zone users? I don’t think as many people as you think ranked him top 5 last year, but let’s just go with that. I think Ernest is properly ranked in the top 12 users in the league, being in a more competitive division saw him struggle early on - but he has seen his fair share of success the last two seasons. I don’t know if anyone actually saw him as top 5, but once again, this topic seems to come up every year.

 

Q - ‘Would you ever consider owner mode for Madden 19?’

-Tauph You Dumb Bitch

 

If they add new features that won’t bankrupt your team and ruin the offseason if you can’t be on the Xbox every single day, sure. But the likelihood of that happening is slim - do you even expect them to touch owner mode this year?

 

Q - ‘Would you entertain the idea of left sticking?’

-Left Stick Papi

 

Jake, Tiko, is that you?

 

Q - ‘Where do you see yourself in 10 years?’

-Tauph

 

Probably owning a house, being married, I’ll probably have freaking kids….man oh man. But somehow I know I’ll still be in this stupid league, wasting my Saturdays on articles that only half the league reads….I love it so much.