The media darlings this offseason have been the Los Angeles Rams. A bottom feeder since 2004 suddenly finds themselves on shortlists for the Super Bowl after a shocking 2017 campaign and a splashy offseason with high-profile trades.
Los Angeles acquired cornerbacks Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh to go alongside Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald. While LA made sure their stout defense became more ferocious, they did not neglect their talented offense.
In addition to throwing to Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods and even running back Todd Gurley, quarterback Jared Goff now has Brandin Cooks from the Patriots as a new toy.
On paper, this team looks like they should make some noise. But here's the thing... in the NFL, things rarely go as they "should."
The Rams approached this offseason like a kid playing Madden, making all sorts of wild trades with a Devil-may-care attitude. In video games like Madden, you can get away with putting any player together because computer simulations don't have personalities. Gamers don't have to worry about chemistry issues. Real teams do.
Los Angeles is sitting on a powder keg with Talib, Peters, and Suh. Talib and Suh have developed a reputation of going rogue and even dirty during games. It was just last year Talib was ejected from a game for starting a fight with receiver Michael Crabtree over Crabtree wearing a chain during a game.
As for Peters, he has a reputation of being a monumental headache. Everywhere he has gone he has worn out his welcome. In college, he was removed from the team by UW head coach Chris Petersen, and last year he was suspended one game by the Chiefs for fighting with an assistant coach.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has put up with a lot of knuckleheads in his time, and it should speak volumes he was willing to part ways with one of the best corners in the game in the middle of his prime for merely a late-round pick.
This Rams team is talented, no one is disputing that. But I believe we are severely underestimating the potential for a team stacked with extreme personalities who have never played together to blow up dramatically.
