Man Crush Monday: Sack City and Co. Channel Inner GSOT

~~~Awkward Reflection - Feel Free to Pass Over~~~

Since joining the team here at TST, I've learned a lot about the Rams, their fans, and what it really means to be a part of this community. Man Crush Monday has been an exercise in learning the lay of the land at TST as well as trying to grow as a writer to give y'all better material.

When MCM started, it was my first regular 'assignment' on the site; it was my pet project, my baby, whatever you wanna call it. It was a buddy's idea that I was trying to turn into a reality. I started by trying to highlight what the Rams did well in the game, but the articles largely fell flat - to me at least. It was lacking 'personality' if you will. Finding the right format and tone for MCM has become a venture in finding myself as a writer.

I've used trial and error at its finest with a few different formats here and there, and I'm changing it up again. After much thought and deliberation, I think I've finally figured it out! After 13 weeks - this is how it's gonna roll. I've decided...not to decide! It's actually quite liberating. I won't explain here... you'll see what I mean.

Maybe it's because Thanksgiving was this week. Maybe it's because the Rams had another decisive win. Maybe it's the celebratory drinks. Probably a combination of everything. But right now... I'm man crushing on having the privilege to be on the TST staff and having this forum to share my love of the Rams with all of you.

If you have read this, thank you. Not just for that 3 minutes of you time, but for being a part of this community we all enjoy.

~~~End Awkward Reflection~~~

~~~Back to Your Originally Scheduled Programming~~~

Holy shit did that just happen?!? That was the best performance since...well since 2 weeks ago vs. Denver. I don't understand why they can't string games like this together, which frustrates me. But hey - I'm not going to troll after a 52-0 drubbing of the Raiders.

Yesterday was an amazing day to be a Rams fan. The Offense scored TDs on their first 5 possessions and had 38 at halftime. The Defense forced 5 turnovers and had 6 sacks. The Rams made the Raiders look like a JUCO school playing 'Bama. I don't even know where to start when there are so many people that deserve some love!

Option #1 - Trumaine Johnson

Janoris Jenkins must be tutoring Johnson. Not only did 'Tru' have 2 picks (giving him 3 through 5 games), but he took one of them to the house. He also had 6 tackles and 2 additional passes defensed. He embodied everything that this young Rams secondary has become: Playmakers. Yes, the Raiders were simply outmatched, but the Rams secondary - particularly Tru - still took advantage of mistakes when they were made.

Option #2 - Tre Mason

Anytime a player finds himself in the endzone 3 times, he will also find himself on this list. Given 89 of his 117 yards came on one play, but - lets face it - the stats in the second half don't mean diddly. Mason had 113 yards on 6 caries in the first half. That's good for 18.8 a carry. DAMN. Honestly I don't care that he only had 4 yards on 8 carries for the rest of the game. At that point in the game the Rams were running the ball to kill the clock not to score points.

Option #3 - Robert Quinn

Aaron Donald may be giving Quinn a run for his money as the best DL on the Rams, but IMO he isn't there just yet. Quinn has 9 sacks to Donald's 6 and - truth be told - Quinn is the reason that Donald gets his. Quinn forces opposing offenses to double team him, leaving Donald 1-on-1 with an interior lineman who will most likely not be able to keep up with his quickness.

He has been a regular on MCM for his ability to take over games and Sunday was definitely one of those days. Per ESPN, Quinn was credited with 3 sacks against Oakland. Much like the 3 TD or 2 INT situation above, anytime you have 3 sacks, you're likely to find yourself featured on MCM.

Decision

There you have it folks, your 3 candidates for MCM are Tru, Mason, and Quinn. So.... who's it gonna be?