The franchise began in 1936 as the Cleveland Rams, and only moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1946, making way for Paul Brown's Cleveland Browns of the All-America Football Conference. After the 1994 NFL season, the Rams left California and moved east to St. Louis, Missouri. Between 1999 and 2001 the team was known as "the Greatest Show on Turf", after they set all sorts of records and were the most entertaining team to watch, winning their only Super Bowl along the way in 1999. Sadly for St. Louis, the team moved back to LA in 2016, after 22 years away from home.
The Rams can only get better than their 4-12 record from last season. Jared Goff needed a season to acclimatise to the NFL, but in his second season with new offensive guru Head Coach Sean McVay things should be looking up. The Rams have potentially one of the most exciting rosters to watch this year. There should be another great show in Tinseltown this year.
Roster
Head Coach: Sean McVay
Sean McVay may or may not be an "offensive expert," but his hire by the Rams organisation is a massive step in the right direction after it was stuck in neutral under the guidance of Jeff Fisher. McVay's relationship with second-year quarterback Jared Goff will dictate the team's success. Goff already showed signs of improvement during the preseason. Plus, coordinator Wade Phillips will make sure to get the most out of the Rams defense.
OFFENCE
So much will be riding on last seasons no.1 overall pick Jared Goff to produce this time around. The Rams had the worst offence in the league, finishing in the bottom two in every category. However there are reasons to be optimistic. Todd Gurley is one of the league's best backs, and they've added weapons for Goff in Sammy Watkins and rookie Cooper Kupp. Plus Tavon Austin and Robert Woods are two dynamic receivers. Surely Goff will be better in his second seasons.
DEFENCE
Although the offence was poor last season, the defence held its own and finished in the top 10 in total defence. They possess one of the best defensive lines, with Michael Brockers, Robert Quinn and Aaron Donald all great players. Trumaine Johnson has turned into one of the better corners in the NFL, and will be the star man in the secondary. Defensive Co-ordinator Wade Phillips always finds a way to field a strong defence, and this year won't be any different.
MVP
Aaron Donald, DT
Todd Gurley is definitely the teams offensive MVP, but the heart and soul of this team and defensive MVP is superstar DT Aaron Donald. Donald is the most dominant interior rusher and defensive tackle the league has seen since Hall of Famer Warren Sapp. Donald is a top 5 defender in the NFL, and has made the pro bowl in each of his 3 seasons, including winning rookie of the year in 2014.
It's crazy to think that Donald is already the best DT in the game at just 26 years old. It'll almost be unfair if he keeps improving. Aaron is quite short at his position, but using that to his advantage to get low, gain leverage and absolutely bull rush his way through blockers. If Donald stays healthy and plays at the same level, he'll go down as one of the defensive greats.
Other notable players: QB - Jared Goff. RB - Todd Gurley. WR - Sammy Watkins. WR - Tavon Austin. DE - Robert Quinn. DT - Michael Brockers. LB - Alec Ogletree. CB - Trumaine Johnson.
L.A. Memorial Coliseum
The L.A. Memorial Coliseum opened in 1923, and is home to the USC Trojans college team and hosted the Olympics 3 times. The Coliseum was home to the Rams from 1946 to 1979, and is serving as their home stadium again until the completion of Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, which they'll share with the Chargers.
Capacity: 93,607
To find out more about L.A. Memorial Coliseum and upcoming events, CLICK HERE
Los Angeles
State: California
Population: 3,976,322
Los Angeles is a sprawling Southern California city and the center of the nation’s film and television industry. Near its iconic Hollywood sign, studios such as Paramount Pictures, Universal and Warner Brothers offer behind-the-scenes tours. On Hollywood Boulevard, TCL Chinese Theatre displays celebrities’ hand- and footprints, the Walk of Fame honors thousands of luminaries and vendors sell maps to stars’ homes.
To find out more about Los Angeles, CLICK HERE
Records
Super Bowls
1999
(XXXIV)
Conference Champions
NFL National - 2
1950, 1951
NFL Western - 1
1955
NFC Champions - 3
1979, 1999, 2001
Division Champions
NFL West - 2
1945, 1949
NFL Coastal - 2
1967, 1969
NFC West - 11
1945, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1955, 1967, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004
Playoff Appearances - 27
1963, 1976, 1978, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
All Time Record
(Since end of 2016 Season)
Regular Season
Wins: 544 Losses: 554 Ties: 21
Post Season
Wins: 19 Losses: 24
Total
Wins: 563 Losses: 577 Ties: 21
Hall of Famers - 18
Bob Waterfield, QB - Class of 1965
Dan Reeves, Owner - Class of 1967
Elroy Hirsch, HB/E - Class of 1968
Tom Fears, E - Class of 1970
Norm Van Brocklin, QB - Class of 1971
Ollie Matson, HB - Class of 1972
Deacon Jones, DE - Class of 1980
Merlin Olsen, DT - Class of 1982
Eric Dickerson, RB - Class of 1999
Tom Mack, G - Class of 1999
Jack Youngblood, DE - Class of 2001
Jackie Slater, T - Class of 2001
George Allen, Coach - Class of 2002
Marshall Faulk, RB - Class of 2011
Les Richter, LB - Class of 2011
Orlando Pace, T - Class of 2016
Kevin Greene, LB/DE - Class of 2016
Kurt Warner, QB - Class of 2017
DIVISION
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