In less than 24 hours, the Los Angeles Rams will officially kick off the 2024 NFL season on Sunday Night Football, where they will go one-on-one against Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions in a rematch of last year's Wildcard Round matchup.
Soon, fans will see how the Rams GM Les Snead's new offensive additions fit into Sean McVay's scheme, if Matthew Stafford is still an elite passer, and, most crucially of all, if the dynamic rookie duo of Jared Verse and Braden Fiske can immediately step onto the field and produce like they're back at Florida State, where they formed such a dynamic tandem that LA just had to reunite them using a pair of top-40 draft picks.
Asked what he wants to see from his Rams rookies in their debuts against the Lions, McVay declared that while flashy stats and highlight reel sacks would be great, what he wants most of all is consistency snap-in and snap-out.
“It's just production snap in and snap out. I want these guys to enjoy it, but really, for our team as a whole, peak at the right time. Guys are excited. It's going to be a long wait until Sunday night at 8:25 p.m. or whatever it is on the East Coast. I want these guys to just play the way that they're capable of. I want them to play within themselves, understand where their play [opportunities] ‘Ops' arise within the different calls and what the offense presents,” McVay told reporters.
“Certainly, and I think you guys know this, I don't look at stats at all really in terms of what production is. It's alright, what's your responsibility within each given play? The beauty of football is each play has its own individual story behind it. A guy could make a great play, but it ends up being statistically where, hey, I funnel it. I set an edge back, but now here comes Kobie Turner funneling down the line of scrimmage. He ends up being able to cap it off. [I'm] looking for consistency and those guys just playing their game snap in and snap out and enjoying the moment.”
In the NFL, most players are judged by two things, above all others: statistics and eye tests. Sure, a player can do everything right, pick up two blocks, and set their teammate up for a huge sack, tipped pass, or even an interception, but if they end the game with just a pair of tackles or aren't constantly in the offensive backfield, fans will accuse them of a meh game, even if a keen eye will be more appreciative of what they bring to the table. If Verse and Fiske can consistently put themselves in the right position to succeed, it will, in turn, put the Rams in the best position to succeed, which is what's best for business across the board.
Jared Verse is incredibly excited for his Rams debut, too
Talking to reporters ahead of Week 1, Verse let it be known that he, too, is very excited to see live action for the Rams in Week 1, as he explained to Rams reporters earlier this week.
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“I'm excited for it. I mean, it's the first game, and there's nothing else to say about it,” Verse told reporters. “I'm going to go out there, I'm going to do what I did in college, I'm trying to make a big impact at the next level.”
After quite literally months of anticipation, Verse's chance to keep doing what he did in college is mere hours away; for the sake of the Rams, let's hope he picks up right where he left off without a hitch, as, in his final game with the Seminoles, he picked up two sacks and five tackles in a win over Louisville.
