It was announced Friday that the second season of the Amazon documentary All or Nothing will focus on the 2016 Los Angeles Rams.
Yes, thoseLos Angeles Rams -- the team that ditched St. Louis, and eventually, their head coach on the way to a grisly 4-12 finish. Is this the team that deserves the type of eight-hour deep dive the Arizona Cardinals got last season? Before you answer that -- because I suspect I know what your answer is -- let's break down the reasons why a RamsAll or Nothing season could be worth your time during a fallow period on the football calendar.
The End of Jeff Fisher
Fisher's "No More 7-9 Bulls*" was by far the most memorable thing about the Rams' Hard Knocks season last summer. What happens when you challenge your players like that and they react by getting worse? Well, you get fired obviously, but we'll also get a behind-the-scenes look at how Fisher handled a season that he entered with extremely high expectations. And remember, Fisher was dismissed before the season even ended, so it will be fascinating to see how NFL Films and the Rams document the end. If you're hoping to actually see Fisher get fired, I wouldn't hold your breath. But who knows? This is unchartered waters.
Where's Les?
During last summer's *Hard Knocks*, the near-total absence of Les Snead puzzled me to no end. Here the Rams had this handsome and charismatic general manager, and yet his screen time was limited to a few cameos. Could a rift between Fisher and Snead explain his disappearing act? Did Snead have an issue with the cameras? It will be interesting to see if the GM remains off the grid, something that could be a tough trick to pull off when cameras are everywhere for an entire season.
Unwrapping Jared Goff
Goff came off as a good-natured kid with a sense of humor during the five weeks of Hard Knocks coverage. Did that easy demeanor get beat out of him during a miserable rookie season? Goff is one of the great mysteries entering the 2017 season and more than a few pundits have already written him off. I'm interested in getting a closer look at how he handled a challenging 2016.
"Get that camera out of my face, punk!"
I can't tell you for certain if this statement was ever uttered. But it's fair to assume a variation of it was expressed many, many times as the Rams' season slipped into the abyss. It's one thing to have cameras all around you for a month during training camp, a time when everyone's tied for first place and optimism overflows. It's a totally different situation when a film crew is a daily presence while you close your season on a seven-game losing streak.
When in doubt, trust NFL Films
No one in the game does it better than the Sabol empire. They've turned lemons into lemonade before -- they got me invested in Joe Philbin for God's sake! -- and you can confidently put your faith in the operation to find a way to turn this Rams season into entertaining television. And even if they can't, what else are you going to watch in the beginning of the summer?
