Los Angeles Rams
For those who wonder why mediocrity is such a bad thing, we give you the Los Angeles Rams. Twelve straight years of .500 or worse football, and at the end of it all they have paltry young talent to show for it.
If Los Angeles wants to give new head coach Sean McVay the highest chance to succeed, the expectations for the next few seasons must be minimal. Quarterback Jared Goff was dismal in eight games last year — falling apart when faced with blitzes and therefore allowing opposing defenses to play the run every time.
Running back Todd Gurley took a step back as well. It was partly as a result of Goff and partly as a result of the offensive line, but it was a step back nonetheless.
McVay and the Rams shouldn’t even think about winning until two years from now. The goal should be building a competent supporting cast around Goff and Gurley on offense and turning the defense into a top-5 unit through the draft.
Starting next season, Los Angeles has all of its picks. Make use of them. And don’t sleep on the trade value of players like Marc Barron, Trumaine Johnson and Robert Quinn. If the Rams want to break the cycle of mediocrity, they have to be worse than they’ve been before they can get good.