LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sean McVay, Andrew Whitworth, Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp all joined the Rams in a four-month span of early 2017.

They've teamed up with Aaron Donald to form the core of this franchise's incredibly successful half-decade.

The Rams are best known around the league for collecting stars with the unique approach to team-building that has propelled them to steady success under McVay and general manager Les Snead.

But the Rams’ risky strategy is possible only because of the foundation they built in early 2017, shortly after they finished their 12th consecutive non-playoff season and 13th consecutive non-winning season.