"I think that's where the personnel guy, the scout at heart, that's got to be one of the reasons you're in the business," Rams general manager Les Snead said a few days after the celebration in New Orleans ended. "I call scouts — they're like farmers right? — they are out farming and all of a sudden the crop is harvested somewhere along the way."

Snead's crop was Fowler's possibly season-saving hit on Brees and the seed was planted in more typical harvest time — back in September. The Jaguars won three of four to start the season coming off a trip to the AFC Championship game in 2017, and hopes were high for 2018. Across the country, the newly-assembled and promising Rams were looking a bit thin at the outside linebacker/edge rusher spot.

Third-year defensive lineman Morgan Fox tore his ACL in OTAs and became one of the first members of L.A.'s 2018 injured reserve. Defensive tackle-turned-outside linebacker Dominique Easley returned from an ACL tear by the season's start, only to return to the injured reserve after Week 3, and the Rams were down to sophomore outside linebacker Samson Ebukam and fourth-year outside backer with little starter's experience, Matt Longacre.

Snead, who said one of the required skills for a GM is long-range vision, was making calls to Jacksonville — part of his search for depth at one of the few less-than-lethal spots in the Los Angeles defense. Snead described the his team's situation at outside linebacker early on as "sound" — but with some foresight, the need for more pressure off the edge was clear.