Summer Blues: Is Rams' Preseason Approach Biting Them?
There are few faster ways to fall from grace in Hollywood than producing a subpar sequel.
That's what the Los Angeles Rams did in the first stage of their Super Bowl title defense, situating themselves on the wrong end of a 31-10 shellacking at the hands of the Buffalo Bills.
Like many of Tinseltown's disappointing follow-ups, it wasn't enough that the Rams had to lose, but they had to turn themselves into a disappointing sideshow spectacular, one where fanatical and professional observers are left questioning the franchise's prior accomplishments.
It was a game where pink smoke-spewing canisters spent more time in the Western New York end zone than those of the horned helmets did. Falling to further failed sequel tropes, the Rams (0-1) suffered from missing cast members (i.e. Odell Beckham Jr., Von Miller, Andrew Whitworth) while those left beyond struggled to pick up the slack.
Attempts to be bigger, better, and flashier than its predecessor once blessed with a big budget only added to the disappointment of the ending, as the Rams' new Super Bowl banner played witness to a brutal defeat.
Unlike many failed sequel directors who often use the "studio interference" button as a life raft, Sean McVay assumed responsibility for the Los Angeles no-show.
"I just feel a sense of letting a lot of people down that I care about, within what I can do a better job of," McVay said. Whether that's making better decisions from some of the play calls, just the overall feel for the flow of the game. For that, I'm not going to run away from the mistakes that I made tonight, but I do trust (that), like I was saying, we're going to fix this.’"
"That's all we know how to do. We're going to do everything in our power for that and that's the mindset and mentality that we're going to take.”
The Rams are now in a relatively cursed spot where they'll not only have to deal with questions about their long-term prospects, but those questions earn a three-day life extension thanks to opening up on the NFL's traditional Thursday night kickoff showcase.
Whereas the Bills (1-0) get to embark on what'll essentially be a 10-day Super Bowl parade, Los Angeles is now subject to a gauntlet of overreactions, gossip, and fear.
There are a few worth discussing and exploring in a healthy manner: how concerned, for example, should the Rams be about, say, Matthew Stafford, Allen Robinson, or Cam Akers? How did an offensive line let a relatively peaceful Buffalo pass rush let Stafford get sacked seven times?
But, if McVay truly wants to shoulder the blame, let's ask a potentially uncomfortable question: is his patented, influential, game-changing approach of fully resting starters during the preseason starting to dull the Rams' horns?
Now let's make a few things clear: for one thing, there's more than enough time to right the Rams' ship. If this was indeed a movie, the Rams' 2022 season is hardly through the opening credits.
But it's fair to say that opening scenes, particularly those of the sad sequels, can be foreboding signs of what's to come. "Alien 3" and "Halloween: Resurrection," for example, each killed off some of its most beloved respective protagonists minutes after the studio logos appeared and neither holds a cherished spot in the hearts of the fanbases.
Furthermore, the preseason is indeed a mostly fruitless exercise, serving more as a future spring league showcase than a look into the NFL's future. Sure, the occasional summer cult hero rises and even makes the roster ... Rams fans fell in love with undrafted rookie Lance McCutcheon this time around ... but teams have instead opted to give their primary men reps in the more seclusive settings of joint practices rather than the packed, full-price-charging locales of game day stadiums.
But with a downright brutal showing against the Bills ... combined with a joint practice that doubled as a Super Bowl rematch getting out of control ... the Rams might've inadvertently served as a rare advocate for the long-hated preseason.
It's not just that the Rams merely lost on Thursday night: they were drastically outplayed, looking like a team that was taking its first game day reps at SoFi Stadium since February's win over Cincinnati. That proved to be a literal case in many situations.
Sure, the usual suspects did what they could to limit the damage: Cooper Kupp's big plays were relatively limited but he still managed to put up numbers (13 receptions, 128 yards, and a score) that would at least satisfy his fantasy football constituents.
But the Rams too often looked like a team that was too in awe of its own prior accomplishments, one that allowed Buffalo to waltz down the feel at its own pace without a relative care in the world.
In comparison, Buffalo starters (with the exception of Josh Allen, who played a single scoring series) earned relatively consistent minutes over the first two exhibition games before getting the night off in the finale.
To put the Rams' struggles into perspective: the 21-point loss was not only just the seventh three-possession loss of the six-year McVay era, but their current 0-1 record is the first time they've had a losing record since 2016, when John Fassel was trying to clean up the mess Jeff Fisher left behind. McVay knows what he's doing and there's a reason that other contenders have opted to duplicate his preseason strategies.
But to watch the might Rams lethargically limp to the finish, one where they could hardly be bothered to finish off a game-ending drive with a score to avoid a second-half shutout, it's fair to at least ponder whether it would've been beneficial to give the starters even one possession before the summer slate let out.
Could McVay had a little more confidence in the returning Cam Akers if he had a few summer snaps? Could Stafford have developed a bigger on-field relationship with Robinson, sparing him a night of endless short-yardage forces to Kupp? Alas, we'll never know.
If the Rams at least looked competitive against a team everyone already envisions hoisting the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the year, this would be a moot point. But the preseason perhaps still exists, at least from a practical standpoint, for teams like the Rams. It's a simulated chance for players, particularly the almighty quarterback, to develop chemistry with his new collaborators, a chance to shake off offseason rust, an opportunity to let the next generation know what to expect at the NFL level.
Had they kept pace with Buffalo, it'd perhaps be a moot point. But the Rams' three-touchdown defeat was the worst for a hosting defending Super Bowl champion since the NFL started having them immediately start their title defenses on Thursdays (the 2013 Baltimore Ravens lost by 22 but were forced into a road game).
McVay, perhaps admirably, decided to shoulder the blame for other reasons, not exactly willing to remove the preseason from its perch of relative irrelevance.
"I didn't do a good enough job getting us ready to go to our capabilities. I have total belief and confidence in what we can do moving forward, whether we won tonight or whether we had a humbling experience like this, we've got 16 games guaranteed left," he said. "This hasn't been the first setback that we've experienced and we're going to respond the right way. I do trust that. All I know how to do is look at this film, correct it, put together a good week of preparation and be ready to go against the (Atlanta) Falcons next week."
"There's no way to put it other than (we) didn't do a good enough job. It starts with me, and then we can overall execute better in a lot of areas.”
At only 36, McVay has left a sizable mark on NFL history, one where teams have adopted a so-called "Rams-like approach" to the preseason and one where opposing teams actively seek to find "their own Sean McVay."
Like almost any coaching legend, McVay has simply been dealt a punch in the mouth, one whose scars will likely heal if the Rams handle business against the woebegone Falcons next Sunday (1:05 p.m. PT, Fox) and emerge from an Arizona/San Francisco/Dallas trio with a winning mark.
The audience has settled in. They're in for the long haul. It's up to McVay and his relatively rusty starters to prove why this franchise deserves another victorious installment.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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