The Los Angeles Rams kickstarted the offseason by making headlines with their blockbuster trade for Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Although general manager Les Snead is doing what he can to keep this roster intact, the move helps solidify the team’s status as one of the favorites to win the NFC West in the 2021 NFL season. The other, of course, being the San Francisco 49ers.
The rivalry between these two teams started to pick up steam in recent years as both led a major turnaround that resulted in successive trips to the Super Bowl. Regardless, it appears 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel is not ready to give it that distinction just yet.
Samuel recently took a shot at the Rams’ offseason moves during an appearance on the 21st & Prime podcast with Deion Sanders and Jamie Dukes, via 49ers Webzone:
“I ain’t lost to them in two years,” Samuel responded. “I ain’t lost to the Rams in two years, so it is what it is. They try to do what we do, but they can’t do it like we do it, you feel what I’m sayin’?”
Samuel also went on to criticize the Rams’ approach on offense:
“The Rams want to play-action all game,” Samuel continued. “They ain’t dropping back and letting the ball go. They can’t do it. They want to play-action, get their little down flats, the little flat routes all game, just let their people run. You ain’t gonna win like that.”
While Samuel is hesitant to label it as a rivalry, he is doing what he can to add fuel to the fire. It is safe to say that there is still a hit of bad blood stemming from defensive tackle Aaron Donald’s lack of knowledge on him from their first meeting in 2020.
Of course, there is certainly some truth to Samuel’s comments. The 49ers have swept the Rams over the last two seasons and head coach Sean McVay has acknowledged his shortcomings when it comes to the lack of explosiveness on offense.
This is why L.A. got a head start on addressing this issue by adding a bona fide gunslinger like Stafford under center. They will likely do what they can to shore up some more firepower around him through free agency and the 2021 NFL Draft.
Meanwhile, San Francisco is looking to bounce back from an injury-plagued year that saw them finish at 6-10. This includes Samuel after he was limited to just seven games during the 2020 campaign.
