Rams' defense is very shorthanded these days

Rams’ defense is very shorthanded these days

by Alden Gonzalez

http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles-rams/post/_/id/34920/rams-defense-very-shorthanded-these-days

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — The Los Angeles Rams have yet to see five of their projected defensive starters in a preseason game.

One, defensive lineman Dominique Easley, is out for the year after tearing his ACL. Another, defensive lineman Aaron Donald, continues to hold out. And three others — cornerback Kayvon Webster, outside linebacker Robert Quinn and inside linebacker Mark Barron — have been kept out of the first two preseason contests, either because of a minor injury or as part of a long-term maintenance plan.

The Rams’ defense has looked good all summer, but the most encouraging signs from the first team have been confined to 11-on-11 drills during practice.

First-year head coach Sean McVay is still waiting to get a glimpse of what it all looks like in live action.

“When you talk about some of the players that we’re anticipating we’d like to be a big part of what we’re doing this year, it does make it a little bit more difficult because of the importance of those guys playing together — the calls, the communication,” McVay said Sunday, following a 24-21 win over the Oakland Raiders on Saturday night. “Just like anything else on offense, you talk about those defensive guys having that continuity, being able to play together.”

The Rams are converting from a 4-3 to a 3-4 under defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. Though many of the principles are the same, the Rams have been unable to get everybody on the field together for the transition. Ethan Westbrooks will presumably start in place of Easley, and Louis Trinca-Pasat has been drawing starts in place of Donald, whose holdout has threatened to spill into the regular season.

Webster, who spent the last two years playing under Phillips in Denver, was one of three cornerbacks inactive for Saturday’s game, in addition to Nickell Robey-Coleman and Mike Jordan. Barron and Quinn have participated in several practices, but McVay is seemingly opting to keep them as fresh as possible for the regular-season opener.

“In a perfect world, you would like those guys to get more reps together,” McVay said, “but not at the expense of setting them back where they might not be healthy for the Sept. 10 date against the Colts.”

McVay is “optimistic” that Quinn, Barron and Webster will all play in Saturday’s preseason home game against the neighboring Los Angeles Chargers, which will basically represent the last chance for the starters to see action. Most of the starters will play into the third quarter that night, but Quinn, Barron and Webster might take on a lighter workload if they do play.

The Rams’ defense held a very shorthanded Cowboys team to nine first downs and 248 net yards in the preseason opener. On Saturday, however, Derek Carr led the Raiders to touchdown drives on two of his three possessions, with Trumaine Johnson intercepting a pass in between.

“There’s a lot of guys that we’re projecting as being parts of what we’re trying to do moving forward that haven’t gotten a chance to all play together, other than in some of those practice settings,” McVay said. “Which is good, but it’s still not a game.”