Yeah.
That’s why I believe there was also more to the story of Stafford wanting out.
I think Holmes knew that McVay and Goff wanted a divorce and had planned on bringing Goff here from Day 1.
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Agreed. I would not put it past holmes to have sturred the pot and talked up stafford to mcvay before the trade and perhaps while he was interviewing for the job and still under employment to the rams.
For sure he had inside info on the rams and the relationship between goff and mcvay and used it to improve his new team in the trade negotiations.
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Been a Ram fan since my dad took to me see Roman Gabriel and the Fearsome Foursome, loyally followed them to St. Louis, and reveled in the rebuild when they came back to LA.
Obviously, football is a business but there’s still a certain standard with how people should be treated. The way Goff was treated his last year in LA, along with the way the trade went down was extremely unprofessional. It soured me on the entire Rams organization.
I also followed Goff and Holmes here to Detroit and rarely go on the RamsRule site, but I’m on this site everyday checking out the latest opinions. Love Holmes as he was really the architect of many of the Rams drafts along with Snead. Holmes just has an eye for talent and sticks to his plan. Interestingly, the last time I was this fired up about a team, in this case the 2023 Lions, was the 2018 Rams.
It always amazes me how Rams fans have such a short memory that Goff led us out of the Jeff Fisher sh*t show along with McVay’s offensive scheme. Last time I checked, Goff still has to make the read and pass the ball not McVay or Ben Johnson. Head coaches and OC’s are SUPPOSED to design offenses to the strength of their personnel.
Goff is just flat out a winner. He’s been part of a huge rebuild at every place he’s played and led those teams into being winners within one or two seasons. Can’t wait to see the moves Holmes makes in the offseason and who we draft. 2023 is going to be a phenomenal year!
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Great post! I was on board with Goff last year in no small part due to the insights that I received from the former Rams fans on this board. They really did Goff dirty and I am rooting even harder than I otherwise would have for Goff to be extremely successful (multiple championships!) in Detroit.
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Nice post.
There have been several posters from the Rams that have joined the Den, @BearlyThere @DETROIT-RAM were two that made me think Goff was the future not a bridge.
However, more than the new Lion fans was the fact that Holmes AND Agnew came from LA and saw upfront and personal what happened in LA. If they believed in Goff that hinted that there was more to the story than the McVey side we kept hearing in the media.
While acknowledging that it’s the NFL and anything can change, this on the surface appears to be the beginning of a fun Lion’s run.
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Can we stop referring to “the trade” as the “Stafford trade” and instead start referring to it as the “Goff trade” as he was the best QB in the deal?
We got the better QB, a pair of 1st round picks (including a top 10) and a 3rd.
They got a QB that was just about done but was able to put it together for 1 more season and get lucky vs San Fran that his game losing duck like throw that was an easy pick but was dropped.
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I would reluctantly accept the Bills offer of Allen, two 1sts and a 3rd for Goff.
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At the time of the trade Stafford was our franchise QB, set most organizational records at the QB position, and over his 12 seasons here had 9 seasons where he started every single game for our team. In 2020 Stafford threw for more yards, more TDs and had fewer turnovers than Goff did.
I agree that the trade has set us up nicely for the future but from a Lions fan standpoint Stafford has still done far more during his Lions career than Goff has thus far. Therefore I do think it’s fair to call it the “Stafford trade.”
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Add me to the list of Rams fans who didnt love how the Goff/McVay situation went down. I still bleed blue and yellow. But I’m a realist as well. We gave a top 10 QB away for nothing. While the Eagles got a 1st for Wentz who isn’t good as Goff and came off a worse year then Goff did his last year in LA. The Eagles are built for continued success and the Rams might be a one year hit with Stafford.
Last year Stafford was the better QB and the trade paid off for the Rams. Seeing Goff get his mojo back really muddles the trade for me. Stoked we won it all but continued success while also still winning it all would be better. Now I can’t say we win with Goff but I do know our team last year was better than the 2018 Rams team that Goff lost the Superbowl with.
Stafford may be the better QB. But was the difference large enough for what the Rams paid? My gut says no.
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I welcome Rams fans to this forum and this board. And I would offer that probably the entire state of Michigan was rooting for the Rams in the SB. It was as hard as I have ever rooted for a non-Lions team ever.
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I said it before, but Goff succeeding in a place like Detroit is a perfect story. Guy gets shipped out and people keep saying the second first in the trade was to offset your negative value. Media keeps calling you a bridge qb, you got sent to nfl purgatory with people saying you deserve it, and even when you start to turn that team around peoplegive all the credit to your oc while proceeding to say the team needs to draft your replacement. In a place that is treated just like that by the national media, if he comes out of that situation and becomes a winner he will be a king. And the media still may not give him the respect he deserves.
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I was hard on Goff because of the turnovers. Bravo to him and his o-line for brining that under control and turning a weakness into a strength. Even Josh Allen has trouble winning football games when he keeps giving the ball away. We don’t need any more of that.
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The trophy says it was worth it.
Even if mcvay was traded for a better coach (instead of Goff being traded), there’s no guarantee that y’all would have won the trophy.
It’s timing and mesh on both sides that makes the trade just fine.
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I remember when Goff was the problem and McVay was a genius.
Watch the headlines. McVay is in hot water with the organization for the handling of employee’s.
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I can’t say I’ve heard much of that…
There are a lot of nuances to the McVay Rams saga. Getting rid of coaches and players even in questionable matter isn’t anything really new. And McVay is winner with a Superbowl ring so the media by large give him the benefit of the doubt as they should! He’s earned it. Up till now anyways.
However, the “genius” stuff is more media gimmicky/talking point/perception then it is fact. McVay inherited a team with a good defense, elite RB and franchise QB. The media would have you believe Sean turned water into wine. When in reality Gurley, Goff, ect. We’re all good players regardless of McVay and Jeff Fishers incompetence made McVays abilities seem greater than they actually are or more illuminated per se.
McVay didn’t start from scratch like Kyle Shanahan did with the 32nd ranked D and Brian Hoyer as QB. Sean took a good core and made them better and then eventually sold the future for a ring. Now can he be part of a rebuild and truly show his worth? I think we’ll see how great McVay really is or isn’t the next few years?
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Stats don’t tell the story. I watch how these players play.
I’m on the Goff bandwagon also. At least for the next two seasons depending on how he plays, but the love for him is a little too much. Let’s be real.
Goff is no Jared Allen. I would trade Goff and both our 1st round pics for Allen. The Bills would never even accept it.
Sean McVay is one of the best offensive minds in football. He did have INT problems, and he did have INT problems here. He also had brain farts. Like forgetting which down, and throwing the ball away on 4th down a couple of times. McVay did the most with Goff. Winning seasons, playoffs, superbowl. McVay had to cater to Goff, and we are doing that also. McVay, and no one else couldn’t, and can’t open up a playbook for him. Stafford win superbowl his first season.
Goff doesn’t have the tools. He played great only the last 8 games.
I support Goff because he has super great chemistry here. He’s in the best possible situation to succeed. He doesn’t have to carry this team. As long as he keeps playing as he was, and is efficient, and mistake free I will support the guy.
But be real guys.
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This isn’t true. Yes, McVay did take over a team with talent like Gurley, and Donald, but McVay is a “genius” offensive coach. Goff wasn’t good enough. They wanted to upgrade that position. Goff couldn’t get them over the hump. Goff had a mix of good, and very bad. I would say Goff was very average, and that wasn’t good enough. They get Stafford, and they win the Superbowl. That tells you everything.
They traded a 1st for Ramsey. A 2nd round pick for Von. Who wouldn’t do that? They signed Bobby Wagner who played at an elite level. The only mistake they made was Allen Robinson. Who isn’t that good.
The future they sacrificed is Stafford. That’s it. They would have had their first round pics. Think about this. They sold their future in order to win a SB. They sold their future to upgrade their QB. Then they won.
The Rams got hit with injuries I’ve never seen before. And their OL was the worst. A few moves, and the Rams should contend again.
He’s statistically top five or ten in nearly every metric led three top five offenses, two time pro bowler and should have been this year, rewrote most all the Lions record books, currently has the fourth longest streaks of passes without a pick in the history of the NFL. His best year just a few years ago he led the 12th best offense in NFL history. But he played great only the last 8 games?
I’ve seen it before. 2019 Rams. Last year with the Lions. We lost our LT, Center, rookie RT had to play LT, Immediately lost our top three WRs and our RB was hurt most the year
Rams bigger problem is their cap situation. They are going to have to restructure Stafford and push money in future years and hope he stays healthy into his late 30’s. Restructure a 30 year old Ramsey, restructure Donald assuming he doesn’t retire, restructure Kupp, release Floyd, Higbee, Wagner. And keep the talent coming all without great draft capital
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Like I said, the stats don’t tell the story. And YES he played great the second half of the season. You are telling me he played good the first half?
Don’t twist things around please. Goff has had a successful career so far. He’s not a bad player. He doesn’t have the tools like Stafford, or Mahomes, or Allen, or AR, or Herbert, etc. There’s at least 10 QBs I’d rather have.
I want Goff to be great, and right now he’s showing he can be. But I need more than 8 games. Like I said, I support Goff, but I am also being realistic.
EDIT - You edited your reply, so I will discuss. For sure, you’re not wrong. They paid a lot o keep their elite players, and sign one. Their mistake was Allen Robinson. They lost Kupp, Stafford, their OL, and Donald. Their best players. And even Robinson. I wouldn’t say their cap problem is the problem. Having elite players is a good problem. The problem is those draft picks. But they’ll still have their 2nd, 3rd ect. They can use those picks to upgrade. And if they come back healthy I think they’ll compete again. Then they’ll have their 1st again, and cut some guys, replace some guys, etc. I don’t think they’re in bad shape like others think.
Offensive genius? That’s more so a narrative in my opinion and I’ll show you the stats. Is McVay a great coach? Up to now I’d say yes.
Here’s McVays offense ranks in points since he was Redskins OC in 2014
2014: 26th
2015: 11th
2016: 11th
2017: 3rd
2018: 2nd
2019: 10th
2020: 22nd
2021: 6th
2022: 27th
So McVay has had 2 top 5 scoring offenses in those 9 years. Those both happened to be the years with Goff. Overall, you’d expect better numbers from a “genius”.
Again, McVay is a awsome coach. He’s just not Andy Reid or Kyle Shanahan when it comes to offense. McVay runs a tight ship, is a great motivator who pushes everyone non stop, he does a good job with his hires and he’s made ballsy moves that have paid off. I’m just ready to see how he handles himself when the hand of cards are not as favorable.
And I do agree the Rams can be good next year and in all likelihood we will be. True contenders? I don’t know. But definitely a playoff caliber team.
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