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.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 figu...