elaine95
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The Rams will be facing the Cardinals without one of their best players.Running back Todd Gurley Darrell Henderson Los Angeles Rams Jerseys , the 2017 offensive player of the year, is officially inactive for Sundayâs game at Arizona.Gurley suffered a knee injury last Sunday against the Eagles, and he hasnât practiced all week. Coach Sean McVay had said that they wonât risk Gurleyâs availability for the playoffs by playing him if heâs not healthy enough to go.The Rams can still lose the No. 2 seed to the Bears in the NFC, which would force the Rams to play in the wild-card round. With quarterback Jared Goff regressing recently and opposing offenses figuring out how to neutralize defensive tackle Aaron Donald, the Rams could be at risk of losing to a Cardinals team that seems to be motivated to win for its head coach, Steve Wilks. THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) â One year ago, general manager Les Snead and the Los Angeles Ramsâ front office decided they had to jump through the championship window that had suddenly, shockingly appeared before them.Now that theyâve landed on their feet in Atlanta, Snead has zero regrets about writing the checks and making the commitments necessary for his Super Bowl-bound team to make that leap.âAfter winning the division last year, after contending last year, we sat back and said, âWe definitely feel like we can do this, and we could do this consistently for a little while Los Angeles Rams Jerseys 2019 ,'â Snead said Wednesday. âI think the moves this year were (about saying), âLetâs improve. That wasnât good enough.'âThe Rams reached the playoffs last season for the first time in 13 years, with rookie coach Sean McVay leading a seven-win improvement for a franchise that hadnât had a winning season since 2003.But Los Angeles promptly lost its first postseason game to the Falcons, putting a slight damper on that incredible one-season turnaround.Knowing the tenuousness of NFL success for every team except the Patriots â and realizing the impact that a Super Bowl run could have in the Ramsâ new hometown â Snead decided it was already time to do everything possible to help homegrown stars Todd Gurley, Aaron Donald and Jared Goff.âThat feeling after Atlanta was hollow, even after the sweetness of the breakthrough,â said Snead, the genial Alabama native in charge of the Ramsâ front office since 2012.So the Rams made several enormous bets on themselves, and every single one of them has paid off.The Rams acquired defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters and edge rusher Dante Fowler to bolster their defense. They gave huge contracts to Gurley and Donald â and even to receiver Brandin Cooks, who had just been acquired from New England for a first-round pick and hadnât even suited up yet for Los Angeles.Sneadâs largely homegrown roster was suddenly supplemented by elite, high-priced veteran talent, and McVayâs staff made it all work.After matching the NFLâs best regular-season record at 13-3 and then beating Dallas and New Orleans in the postseason, the Rams are beginning preparations for their trip to Atlanta to face New England in the Super Bowl on Feb. 3.Snead knows some of the Ramsâ moves were greeted with raised eyebrows. Talib and Peters are well-known for their strong personalities Darrell Henderson black jersey , with Peters particularly enduring rough patches in college at Washington and again with Kansas City.Yet there hasnât been a hint of serious conflict in the Ramsâ harmonious locker room. Despite some up-and-down performances, Peters allowed the Rams to get past the loss of Trumaine Johnson, their top cover cornerback last season, while Talib is a team captain who has been the Ramsâ top cover man since returning from injury in December.Suh didnât immediately have the dramatic effect many expected after he signed for one season at $14 million, but he was incredibly disruptive in the Ramsâ two playoff games â which also happened to be the first two postseason victories of his nine-year NFL career.Snead gives much of the credit to McVay and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, but he also isnât surprised.âWe always say around here that weâre not collecting talent,â Snead said. âWeâre building a team, and thereâs more to team than just a skillset on the football field. I like to say, âYou canât bring someone in thatâs going to be a toothache.â ⊠And also, our culture can lead to them thriving.âThe Ramsâ bets on continuing excellence from Donald and Gurley paid off with outstanding seasons from both stars. Cooks also lived up to his five-year, $81 million extension from July, racking up 80 catches for a career-best 1,204 yards receiving.The Rams acquired Fowler from Jacksonville during the season, and his effectiveness has steadily increased Darrell Henderson Jersey Mens , culminating in two strong playoff games against Dak Prescott and Drew Brees.Snead had one clever move left for the winter, signing veteran running back C.J. Anderson last month after Gurley was slowed by a knee injury. Anderson had been released by three teams in the previous eight months, but the compact back immediately delivered three consecutive 100-yard rushing games.Snead is quick to point out one important factor in the Ramsâ recent moves: Goff is still on his rookie contract, which frees up a large chunk of Los Angelesâ payroll that would otherwise be given to a franchise quarterback, as the third-year pro appears to be.âThat gives you some flexibility within the budget to do some other things,â Snead said. âThe goal is also to continue being sustainable when you do have to maybe give Jared a raise in due time.âSnead plans to enjoy the next two weeks, but he isnât ready to reflect fully on the success of his moves â not while heâs still spending several hours a day preparing for the draft and free agency.âAll thatâs done now is (to) put you in a spot where youâve got an opportunity to go get a bigger trophy, and thatâs the focus,â said Snead, who spent his formative front-office years with the Falcons.
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