New regime in Rams land. Same old Eric Dickerson.
The legendary Los Angeles running back stirred the pot last season when he called for coach Jeff Fisher to be fired in November and was subsequently barred from attending Rams games on the sidelines.
Now a new coach (Sean McVay) is in charge in Thousand Oaks, but Dickerson still has two cents and change to offer on the state of the quarterback position.
"For me, my guy that I would start the season with is Sean Mannion," Dickerson said Friday on The Herd. "I've been saying that since last year. Give him a shot. You drafted him. He was great at -- where'd he go to school? -- Oregon State, playing in a pro-style offense. He's a big guy, got a great arm."
Dickerson later added: "Look when you win, that [Fisher] situation would have never been there. I think you had a better chance of winning with Sean Mannion. I think even this year they start with Sean Mannion."
It's confusing what Dickerson actually wants the Rams to accomplish here. The organization made sure to rid itself of the "middle-school offense" that Fisher and offensive coordinator Rob Boras ran last year, hiring the whiz kid who transformed Kirk Cousins into a potential $30 million man. Jared Goff, whom the Rams drafted first overall and brought along very slowly last season before starting him in Week 11, has another offseason under his belt and has been earning rave reviews from teammates. Plus, Mannion has thrown just 13 passes in the pros.
In regards to starting Mannion, the Hall of Famer might have had a point last year, when it wasn't certain that Goff was ready to take professional snaps, but it was clear L.A. was going nowhere with then-starter Case Keenum. But there's next to no reason why McVay, a young coach brought in to be Goff's QB whisperer, would peg Mannion for the starting position, barring injury to Goff.
At this point, Dickerson just sounds like he's grasping for clicks, and it's working.
