Rams shed 100 pounds at kicker, but special teams problems still weigh ton

The Los Angeles Rams have gone from a heavyweight to a featherweight at kicker. 

Unfortunately, their special teams problems still weigh a ton. 

Gone is Harrison Mevis, the 6-foot-1, 250-plus-pound kicker affectionately known as the “Thiccer Kicker.” In comes Blake Grupe, a 5-foot-7, 150-pound replacement signed off the New York Jets’ practice squad.

From the “Thiccer Kicker” to the “Thinner kicker,” there’s roughly 100 pounds of difference at the position, enough to make fans wonder whether the Rams are holding auditions for a football team or conducting an extreme weight-loss competition. 

But here’s what isn’t funny: The Rams have changed kickers, changed returners and shuffled personnel this season, yet the same special teams mistakes that have haunted them for two years refuse to disappear. 

And Sunday’s matchup against the Cardinals at SoFi Stadium will provide an immediate test of whether this latest overhaul represents actual progress or simply another rearranging of the deck chairs on the Titanic.

New kicker, new returner, same problems

Monday night’s 37-34 overtime loss to the Bills was the latest installment of a recurring nightmare for the Rams. 

A costly kickoff coverage breakdown. Another failure in the field-goal operation. Another game the Rams should have won slipped away because they couldn’t execute football’s most fundamental assignments.

Remember Philadelphia last season? Two blocked field goals helped derail the Rams.

How about the muffed punt in the NFC Championship game that likely cost the Rams another Lombardi Trophy?

Different seasons, different specialists, painfully familiar results.

Coach Sean McVay acknowledged the instability on Thursday.

“You have a lot of moving parts,” he said, explaining how injuries and roster changes have created a trickle-down effect on special teams.

The Rams have turned to Alex Bachman on punt returns, Jordan Whittington on kickoffs and now Grupe as their latest answer at kicker.

McVay admitted they’re “continuing to figure out some of our identity” when it comes to special teams.

That’s a troubling admission for a team with Super Bowl aspirations in the middle of October. An identity shouldn’t require a weekly search party.

The revolving door at kicker

Since Greg Zuerlein left as a free agent following the 2019 season, the Rams have had 11 different kickers in seven seasons. That’s not a typo.

Their latest experiment at the position, Grupe, arrives with some experience. He converted all 11 field-goal attempts and 10 extra points during his second-half stint with the Colts last season.

But kicking isn’t performed in isolation. There’s timing with long snapper Joe Cardona and holder Ethan Evans, protection assignments and a rhythm that usually develops through repetition.

Grupe has had only two days to establish that chemistry.

“It’s all about getting comfortable,” Grupe said. “There’s a lot of factors in switching cities, switching teams, switching organizations.”

Meanwhile, special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone continues preaching the same fundamentals.

“Let’s eliminate the bad football. Let’s stop from losing,” Ventrone said, recalling a favorite Bill Belichick saying.

Eliminating the bad football is easier said than done.

The Rams aren’t consistently losing special teams battles because opponents are producing extraordinary plays. Too often, they’re beating themselves through poor leverage, missed assignments and breakdowns in execution.

At some point, repeating the fundamentals without producing better results becomes an indictment of the operation itself.

All the pressure is now on Bubba Ventrone

After firing special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn in the middle of last season, McVay has publicly backed Ventrone, insisting no coaching changes are coming.

That’s his prerogative. But accountability cannot stop with whichever kicker happens to miss the latest field goal. Ventrone brought on two special teams players this offseason in Grant Stuard and Cardona. He helped select Grupe. He oversees the coverage units. He’s responsible for getting a constantly changing cast of players to execute together.

The Rams don’t need special teams to win every game. They desperately need them to stop losing games.

Sunday against Arizona, the standard shouldn’t be complicated: clean exchanges, disciplined coverage, secure returns and field goals that split the uprights.

McVay and Ventrone have changed the personnel. Now they will have another opportunity to change the results on Sunday.

Because whether the kicker weighs 250 pounds or 150, the burden of fixing this mess remains enormous on a team with Super Bowl aspirations.

And with the Rams struggling at 2-3 on the young season, and ostensibly 3.5 games behind the NFC West-leading 49ers, another special teams disaster might be more than this Rams team can afford.

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