Coach Sean McVay, GM Les Snead Compare Rams' Offseason to Warriors Adding Kevin Durant
The Rams decided to take a gamble this offseason by going for a big move.
In fact, they went for few by trading for wide receiver Brandin Cooks, and cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters in addition to signing defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.
While all four players have had plenty of success in the NFL, there's no guarantee they will all fit with what Los Angeles was starting to establish in coach Sean McVay's first season, in which the team went 11-5 and won the NFC West for the first time since 2003.
In a recent story from Sports Illustrated's Greg Bishop, McVay and general manager Les Snead talked about how they view their offseason moves in comparison to teams from the past, such as the 2011 Eagles who also added a pair of big name corners and some other intriguing pieces to a squad that was coming off a division title.
While they acknowledged the similarities to what they are going through and what happened in Philadelphia years ago, Snead saw his team's offseason more in line with how the NBA's Golden State Warriors were able to construct their dynasty.
Snead sees his approach as less Hollywood, more pragmatic. “I wouldn’t call this a splashy offseason,” he says. “Heck, I wouldn’t even call Sean a splashy hire.”
But he can only downplay the Rams’ offseason spending so much. The reality: That approach is not without risk. It’s faintly reminiscent of the so-called Dream Team that Philadelphia assembled in 2011. That team finished 8–8, then 4–12. “You do see people get ahead of themselves,” McVay admits. (Snead: “You knew at some point you were going to hear the Eagles thing.”) But coach and GM don’t see their roster that way. In fact, the comparison they choose is much loftier: They point to the NBA’s latest dynasty, the Warriors.
No, they’re not suggesting they have quite that level of talent, hands down more than anyone else in the league. They’re saying only that teams can collect superstars—adding someone like Kevin Durant, the second-best player in the NBA—and still win. Says Snead, “We’ve seen the Warriors embrace that.”
The Warriors comparison isn't perfect considering the core in Golden State had already won a championship before adding Durant, but the general premise still holds.
The Rams open their season Monday, Sept. 10 on the road against the Raiders. They are looking to make the postseason for consecutive years for the first time since the 2003 and 2004 seasons and they are trying to capture back-to-back division titles for the first time since they won seven straight from 1973-79.
You can read Bishop's full story on McVay here.
