The L.A. Rams have built a 'superteam,' but evidence suggests that strategy doesn't work in the NFL
Winning in sports generally isn't a particularly puzzling conundrum. The more talent you possess, the higher your chances of victory.
It's an adage that's been in place long before the days of television deals and multi-million-dollar contracts.
The sentiment has fueled strategic efforts to build teams for the ages: See talent, scout talent, and employ it. And more often than not, having superior players is the primary component necessary to create a winning culture.
In the National Football League, however, that's not necessarily the case.
According to Hall of Fame quarterback and FOX Sports analyst Troy Aikman, the NFL acts as its own anomaly, and the possession of first-rate skill does not equate to on-field production.
The former Cowboys signal-caller has a winning pedigree that most pro QBs could only dream of: He led a dynastic 'Boys troupe in the 90s that collected three Lombardi trophies under his guidance.
And for Aikman, an All-Star assembly of talent like the one the Los Angeles Rams currently possess is the opposite of what generates successful football on a weekly basis.
"We’ve talked about it — the All-Star team just — I’ve never seen it work in the NFL," Aikman said Tuesday on 1310 "The Ticket", a sports radio show based in Dallas.
"I know Washington tried it back in, I think, ‘99. I’ve just never seen a team that goes out and tries to put together this All-Star team that can win a Super Bowl, much less success. It usually unravels, and right now, that’s kind of what’s happening to the Rams. They’ve just not been very consistent."
"It was not a good performance at all the other night when we had them," he said in regard to the team's 36-28 loss to the Packers on Sunday. "I don’t know if they’re going to be able to pull it together or not. That was a huge game for both of those teams, not only for the Rams to keep pace with Arizona in the division, but also they were still in the hunt potentially for a first-round bye. But it just does not have a good feel. I feel it throughout the entire organization. I just don’t know that they’re going — I don’t think they’re done. I think they’re going to have some moments where they climb back into it, but I don’t know if they’re going to have enough to get over the hump."
Aikman was alluding to the Los Angeles' election to build a star-studded cast of characters via trade, rather than construct its platoon from the ground up through the draft. Matthew Stafford, Jalen Ramsey, Odell Beckham Jr. and Von Miller are all Pro Bowl-caliber players they've acquired through trades, and yet, the Rams continue to muddle in inconsistency. They're currently in the worst stretch of their season, having dropped three consecutive affairs to the Titans, 49ers and Packers.
Things aren't looking sunny for the star-studded ensemble in La-La Land, and Aikman isn't the only football voice with reservations regarding their method of team-building.
"Every sport has a different culture. NBA and international are very star-driven," Colin Cowherd said Thursday on "The Herd."
"Football isn't. The top three winningest NFL franchises in the last decade: New England, they're the opposite of a superteam. They let stars go all the time. Number two in Green Bay, it's about value, they wouldn't even get J.J. Watt. You know who's number three? The Seattle Seahawks. They've lost the core of their identity. Why? They're very top-heavy. It's a very strict salary cap in the NFL, so when you pay for a star, you have to validate his existence. 'Ooh, Matt Stafford's in town, we're going to become a throw-the-football team.' Timeout, that's not what the Rams were three years ago. When Sean McVay first came into this league, it was run the football, Todd Gurley, play-action pass, a lot of movement. The Rams lost themselves. I think Aikman's on to something."
There are numerous past cases that support Aikman's viewpoint:
Washington — 2000
Following a 10-6 season in 1999 in which it won the NFC East but lost in the divisional round of the playoffs, Washington was eager to follow up on its first playoff appearance since 1992 with a bang. It went all-in on the "win-now" mentality that offseason, signing future Hall of Famers Deion Sanders and Bruce Smith in free agency, as well as three-time Pro Bowler Mark Carrier. All were 32 or older.
The squad also traded two first-round picks, and a fourth- and fifth-round selection to acquire the No. 3 pick in that year's draft, which complemented the No. 2 selection it already held. In the draft, it selected linebacker LaVar Arrington and offensive tackle Chris Samuels, both of whom would go on to become Pro Bowlers.
But the big spending resulted in a colossal disappointment: Washington didn't even make the playoffs the following season, amassing a mediocre 8-8 record and finishing third in the NFC East.
Philadelphia Eagles — 2011
Following a 10-6 finish and wild-card exit in 2010, Philly brought in a haul of big-name players. The squad signed Nnamdi Asomugha (2010 Pro Bowler), Jason Babin (2010 Pro Bowler), Steve Smith (of Giants fame, 2009 Pro Bowler), Ronnie Brown (2008 Pro Bowler), Cullen Jenkins, Evan Mathis and Vince Young.
It also traded for Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (2009 Pro Bowler) in an offseason trade and drafted future Pro Bowler Jason Kelce in the sixth round of that year's draft.
The result for the self-dubbed "Dream Team" was a .500 record of 8-8, and the unit failed to make a playoff appearance.
Los Angeles Rams — 2018
The 2017 Rams went 11-5 to win the NFC West title and make their first playoff appearance since 2004. But they lost in the wild-card round and responded by bringing in an All-Star array of troops that included Ndamukong Suh, Brandin Cooks, Marcus Peters, and Aqib Talib the following season.
The team was much more successful than the first two on this list, recording a 13-3 record in the regular season. But the Rams lost Super Bowl LIII to a squad that's the exact opposite of a superteam: the New England Patriots.
None of the aforementioned headliners remained on the Rams' roster following that season.
The 2021 Rams have yet to write their final chapter in the history books, but if Aikman's hypothesis holds true, they'll be another addition to a growing registry of superteams that have met their Kryptonite.