Rams Team Building Strategy Will It Be Duplicated or a Rareity

[wakingfane]

Rams build is what McBeane preach against. The opposite of having a chance every year and never mortgaging your future

[QCity]

It's a statistical outlier. Kudos to them for pulling it off. You could make a good argument that the Rams were the 5th or 6th best team in the league and the stars aligned for them this year.

 

If you really want to mimic their success then a) draft another Aaron Donald and b) draft another Cooper Kupp. Good luck.

 

 

[BarleyNY]

8 hours ago, ScottLaw said:

But my point is the Bills should take that approach… maybe Not as drastic as the Rams but more aggressive with better players in FA/traded at the expense of draft picks and cap if necessary.

It didn’t work out well because Brees’s arm fell off and Philly didn’t have a QB… neither is a problem for the Bills. 

It’s not time for the Bills to do something like this.  I’m not saying that they shouldn’t make a move if they think they need to.  But they have a window that’ll be open a long time.  No need to screw things up for a few seasons for one shot. 

[Motor26]

I don’t really see the harm if the Bills were to go all in. They will still have Josh for another 6 years and then some I would assume. I just need to see one Bills super bowl victory in my life. 

[Big Blitz]

I mean isn't it what the Browns did?

 

Hunt

OBJ

Clowney

Hooper 

[DrPJax]

13 hours ago, corta765 said:

With the LA Rams winning the super bowl it brings up an interesting question as in sports in general whoever wins the title the rest of the league mimics to some extent the following season. The really interesting thing with the Rams is they in many ways put together a dream team and it actually worked. If you ever played Madden one of the fun things to do is just go all out with no regard to the cap or picks for the title. Now that is putting it loosely as even though the Rams don't have a 1st round pick until 2069 (I Kid), they are actually 2nd in total draft picks since 2017. So the Rams are using their 1st/2nd round picks for established talent, but they do have players they draft and develop. Kupp himself was a 3rd round pick (#69 no joke). With that said the Rams are not a perfect team as they do have some holes, but they basically bet that their talented players would cover those gaps and with Stafford as an upgrade at QB it could mask the flaws even greater. For a long time it has seemed that GM's value picks over anything and carefully planning their window. One of the things I appreciate with the Rams winning is it validates to some extent a just go for it and worry about the rest type strategy.

 

My question to you is if you think more GM's might be a bit more inclined to trade some future for immediate success or will the Rams stay an outlier?

I am old school, it wouldn’t feel as satisfying winning one like that after all they did was rent a bunch of talent for one year.  Those guys have no ties to the fans, community , or have any sense of culture or loyalty to each other or the organization. It just doesn’t feel like a part of the way the Bills mafia has been there , suffered with the team and stuck with them thru thick and much thin.  It’s a Hollywood type of team and all those guys will go their separate ways, having used the team as a way to just say hey I got my ring.  The Bills are more than just one SB title to me, they are part of my life for a long time and I like it meaning something to the players who understand what the Bills mean to a small community and also embracing the Bills past and their past players.
 

 

  Just throwing in guys like Miller or obj  as quick mercenaries doesn’t appeal to me. I like having Allen being a risk , one doubted by everyone outside if Buffalo , who has grown into a superstar but still is important to the community and now even his family is involved with Buffalo as his grandmother has a hospital wing named in her honor. The core of the team has been draft picks and free agents who weren’t fitting in or weren’t appreciated until they fit in together in the culture they have all now helped establish under Mcd. I don’t mind adding free agents who are going to stay for some time and add to the culture and community.  I don’t get that sense from that Rams team and there is nothing special to remember about that team. Really , who will think much of that group as time passes?
 

Winning a SB will be great , but it will be much more meaningful having gone thru things like 13 seconds together and then finally overcoming all of the Allen doubters and all the bad breaks to finally win one for the Bills mafia!  I know it’s sentimental stuff but I’ve put a lot of years into following the team and even people on here , and I hope we win it the old fashioned way ; building it from nothing and finally guys like Hyde and poyer , Josh , Gabe, Tre, Diggs , guys who want to be a part of that Bills culture, finally get rewarded. It will mean something more than just “ let’s buy a title “: ; that just doesn’t feel like a blue collar , hard work ethic type of team building and it just wouldn’t feel like it was anything more than just a gimmicky one trick year. I have been waiting a long time for a SB win , and I want it to feel worth that wait when it happens.  Yesterday it just felt like it was about a bunch of individuals who care about themselves and that doesn’t seem Billsy to me !  

[billieve420]

If Bills are in contention next year as we expect barring injuries. Hope the FO is aggressive come trade deadline if we need to make moves in push for the Super Bowl.

[GunnerBill]

The only lesson is there is more than one way to win in the NFL. 

 

You generally (though not absolutely always) need a top 10 Quarterback. After that there is a myriad of ways to put the rest of it together. But Superbowl winners normally have 4 to 6 elite level players. And then you need a bit of luck at the right time. 

[Buffalosouth]

With how much they moved on from their draft picks I think McVay could actually be done. Why stick around when you can't add cap friendly first round talent. They will not be a dynasty... or this will be a hot take exposed 

[QCity]

5 hours ago, Motor26 said:

I don’t really see the harm if the Bills were to go all in. They will still have Josh for another 6 years and then some I would assume. I just need to see one Bills super bowl victory in my life. 

 

Oh that's it? You just need one? You think everyone else here is planning on 4 or 5? 

[Norcalbillsfan]

Rams were 1 interception my grandma could have made away from losing to a Jimmy g led team. If they lose that game I think they get some shade about being a "dream team" and losing. But they won so everything is justified, they could have gave every single pick they had this year for Stafford and its all justified if you win.

For example I'm not for a Barkley trade but if the bills were to trade a first round pick for Barkley and they lose the afc championship game again, it's a bad trade and beane is in the hot seat, But the bills win a superbowl with barkley it's the greatest trade ever in bills history and beane is a genius. Gms have to be bold and put their neck out there and hope it pays off when the go for a "dream team" like the rams did.

Edited February 15, 2022 by Norcalbillsfan

[BarleyNY]

59 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

One shot? Last I looked the Rams have been perennial winners the last 4 seasons and just won the SB because they stayed aggressive rather than sitting on their hands like McBeane have done. 

Yes, the Rams had done well leading up to their last push.  As I mentioned, pushing hard at the end of a team’s window is typical.  The Rams are near the end of their window, the Bills are not.  Ask me again in 7 or 8 years and I’ll say “yes, we should mortgage the future and try to win it all (again) before Allen retires.”

 

And let’s be clear about two things:

1) I have no issue with the bills being aggressive in a targeted manner.  There is a difference between the kind of aggressive that cripples a team in the future and the kind that is part of sustainable team building.

2) The Rams won it all for a lot of reasons. One was their aggression in building their team.  Another was that they drafted Aaron Donald.  Another was luck.  SF dropped an easy INT or they aren’t even in the SB, Cincy was one play away from beating them and then there’s the luck of playing the Bengals rather than the Bills or Chiefs.  Heck, just being in the NFC is much better than being in the AFC these days.  So there’s no guarantee that trying to get over the top by making moves like trading a 2nd and 3rd for one season of a player like Von Miller is going to make the difference. 
 

My main point is that the Bills have too many competitive seasons ahead to hinder themselves in future seasons to make expensive, marginal improvements for one or two seasons. 

[zow2]

We have a really good team and have not had to mortgage future draft picks.  I'm all for making a smart move if it's there, on the table.  Sure,  pull the trigger for a position that can help get us over the top.  Don't need to sign some old has been, because he's a big name.  There's zero chance I would part with a 1st round pick unless it's for a QB, which we don't need.

[stuvian]

The Rams have been good for awhile. Adding Miller, Stafford and OBJ feels like a one and done although Stafford will be enough to continue selling tickets. I have read that salary cap wise this team will need to be blown up. I am reminded of the Toronto Raptors bringing in Kahwi Leonard on a one year rental.

[BarleyNY]

28 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

I’m not suggesting they mortgage the future… I’m suggesting they be more aggressive like the Rams have been and not sit out FA while solely relying on the draft to find your elite talent…. And who’s to say Allen will be as good as he is now 7-8 years from now? 
 

A team with all the talent the Rams have AND Josh Allen is not losing.(assuming health is maintained) 

The Rams are definitely mortgaging their future. The way they spent picks and cap space to upgrade their roster is going to hurt them.  It was worth it because they won it all.  But there was no guarantee at the time that it would work.  They just tried to improve their odds a little bit while they were still in their window.  They can probably hold it together a little longer too if they want to.  

 

I am good with the Bills being aggressive though.  Just not screwing up future seasons aggressive. 

[corta765]

8 hours ago, DrPJax said:

I am old school, it wouldn’t feel as satisfying winning one like that after all they did was rent a bunch of talent for one year.  Those guys have no ties to the fans, community , or have any sense of culture or loyalty to each other or the organization. It just doesn’t feel like a part of the way the Bills mafia has been there , suffered with the team and stuck with them thru thick and much thin.  It’s a Hollywood type of team and all those guys will go their separate ways, having used the team as a way to just say hey I got my ring.  The Bills are more than just one SB title to me, they are part of my life for a long time and I like it meaning something to the players who understand what the Bills mean to a small community and also embracing the Bills past and their past players.
 

 

  Just throwing in guys like Miller or obj  as quick mercenaries doesn’t appeal to me. I like having Allen being a risk , one doubted by everyone outside if Buffalo , who has grown into a superstar but still is important to the community and now even his family is involved with Buffalo as his grandmother has a hospital wing named in her honor. The core of the team has been draft picks and free agents who weren’t fitting in or weren’t appreciated until they fit in together in the culture they have all now helped establish under Mcd. I don’t mind adding free agents who are going to stay for some time and add to the culture and community.  I don’t get that sense from that Rams team and there is nothing special to remember about that team. Really , who will think much of that group as time passes?
 

Winning a SB will be great , but it will be much more meaningful having gone thru things like 13 seconds together and then finally overcoming all of the Allen doubters and all the bad breaks to finally win one for the Bills mafia!  I know it’s sentimental stuff but I’ve put a lot of years into following the team and even people on here , and I hope we win it the old fashioned way ; building it from nothing and finally guys like Hyde and poyer , Josh , Gabe, Tre, Diggs , guys who want to be a part of that Bills culture, finally get rewarded. It will mean something more than just “ let’s buy a title “: ; that just doesn’t feel like a blue collar , hard work ethic type of team building and it just wouldn’t feel like it was anything more than just a gimmicky one trick year. I have been waiting a long time for a SB win , and I want it to feel worth that wait when it happens.  Yesterday it just felt like it was about a bunch of individuals who care about themselves and that doesn’t seem Billsy to me !  

 

I wouldn't say your old school as much as a true sports fan. This sentiment is common imo it hardcore markets like BUF/PIT/GB/KC where people bleed football. You are not just joining the team but the community itself and the expectation is you will embrace the community as the community will embrace you 100% day 1. Big markets like DAL/NYC/LA I would say have zero issue with constant shuffling the deck and really could care less on the community piece it is just win.

[SoTier]

22 hours ago, 13 Second Prevent Defense said:

What would the take be in the Bengals held on and won the game.  You should draft and sign mostly lower priced FA's and rarely trade your pics?  In short, the Rams went for it and it worked out for them.  But it did not have to.  Generally teams that have signed/traded for superstars have not had SB success.  I dont think there will be a huge movement towards this approach. However, with younger coaches and GM's I think we will see more player movement than in the past.  I dont expect the Bills to take this approach on scale the Rams did which I know will be disappointing to many.

 

I think the Bills need to be careful to not give too many moderate contracts to average-ish players.

 

Last year, Tampa Bay went "all in" to sign Tom Brady and it paid off.  This year, the Rams went "all in" to trade for Matthew Stafford.  Both teams had solid pieces behind them and then added some extra talent, most notably the Rams.   I think that's the lesson here: if you have a good team, going all in for a top QB is worth it.  I think that this pattern wouldn't be possible for most NFL teams to follow for a number of reasons.  Some teams already have top QBs.  Some teams in need of a top QB don't have the cap room to acquire one.  Bottom feeder teams lack too many supporting pieces for a top QB to help them become SB contenders.   Mostly though, the biggest impediment for following the pattern that the Bucs and Rams used to succeed is that truly top QBs seldom become available.

 

The only truly top level QB available at present is DeShaun Watson.  Maybe Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson might become available at some point, but that's iffy.   Most off seasons, there are no truly top level QBs available in FA or for trade.

 

 

[Nextmanup]

What the Rams did is nothing new, and sure it will be attempted more in the future.

 

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't work.

 

I admire teams that go all in in this manner...and I wish the Bills would aggressively pursue a "win now" mindset...not at the total expense of the future, but I wouldn't mind bringing in established vets in exchange for draft picks, etc.

 

Our window is wide open right now...so jump through the damned thing and let's get this over with! 

 

I've been waiting 50+ years for a championship.

 

 

 

 

[Thurman#1]

There just aren't that many Matt Staffords around and available.

[george c]

The Rams benefitted from pure luck…as in not facing the Bills or the Chiefs, where both would have demolished the Rams.

Save for Stafford, IMO, their approach of selling their early round draft choices for aging vets is a 5 year competitive death sentence. 
McVay is the luckiest guy on the planet this week.