Ram Bytes: The Gregg Williams defense is rolling
Bernie Miklasz
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bernie-miklasz/ram-bytes-the-gregg-williams-defense-is-rolling/article_956e67f5-5675-51ae-9ef2-11c1f90a6f16.html
Good afternoon.
Here are some notes on my Rams’ flip card:
1. Over their last five games, the Rams defense has played at the level we envisioned when coach Jeff Fisher hired Gregg Williams to as the defensive coordinator. It took the players a while to adjust to the Williams system, but it looks like the fellows have gotten comfortable.
Here’s a list of where the Rams rank among NFL defenses in some key categories since Nov. 2 (five games):
– No. 1 in most takeaways, 13.
– No. 2 in sacks, 22.
– Tied for No. 2 in fewest touchdowns allowed from scrimmage, with six.
– No. 2 in rushing defense, 65 yards per game.
– No. 3 in allowing opponents a third-down conversion rate of 30.4 pct.
– No. 5 in average yards per rushing attempt, 3.39.
The Rams defense still has some problems in pass coverage. The most glaring example of that was San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers, who made it look easy in picking apart the Rams soft coverage from late in the second quarter through the rest of the game.
Because of Rivers’ easy carving, I was disappointed by the play of the defense in that 27-24 loss to the Chargers. (And the Chargers also averaged 5.8 yards per rush in that one.) But looking at it in retrospect, the Rams limited the San Diego to two touchdowns from scrimmage. And the Rams’ defense scored a TD on the pick-six INT by Janoris Jenkins. So the actual damage wasn’t as bad as the numbers on the stat sheet.
Moreover, the Rams’ average yield of 6.98 yards per passing attempt ranks 14th in the NFL since Nov. 2. So we’re still talking about a slightly above-average rate there. Moreover, the Rams’ harassment of quarterbacks — exemplified by those 22 sacks — is a factor in their total of seven interceptions over the last five games. Only four teams have more INTs over that time.
Here’s the bottom line: the Rams have allowed an average of only 10.8 points from scrimmage over the past five games. And while it’s always possible to improve, you can’t ask for much more than that.
After a 1-4 start the Rams have gone 4-3, and the defensive turnaround is a prime factor in the better results.
After a slow start to the season, the Rams’ defense is aggressive, disruptive and a pain in the neck, back and arse to face. And that’s exactly what we anticipated with Williams in charge.
2. The reemergence of defensive end Robert Quinn has been a significant development for the defense. I don’t pay attention to the pass-rush stats that come from the Rams’ offices; I believe they’re inflated. So I turn to Pro Football Focus for a more objective measure. And according to PFF, Quinn has nine sacks, five QB hits, and 17 QB hurries over his last seven games. That’s 31 total pressures for Quinn in those seven contests.
3. We’ve talked about rookie defensive tackle Aaron Donald a lot in this corner, and excuse me while I do it again. Donald is now 12 games into his first NFL seasons, and right now Pro Football Focus has him rated No. 1 among all NFL defensive tackles. Donald is ranked No. 2 in run stops, has six sacks and 28 QB pressures, and grades out better overall than Ndamukong Suh, Gerald McCoy or any DT that you’d care to mention. And this young tiger is still learning the league … imagine how Donald will play after he gains more experience. GM Les Snead and Coach Fisher hit it big when choosing Donald 13th overall in May’s draft.
4. It’s time to talk about (again) another of our favorite players on the 2014 Rams. That would be rookie cornerback E.J. Gaines, from Mizzou. And yes, we’d like Gaines, anyway — just because of the Mizzou connection. But his performance has gone way beyond the scope of the obligatory local rooting interest. Gaines is getting better … and better … and better. According to Pro Football Focus, when opposing teams have targeted Gaines this season they have a passer rating of 77.6. And the quarterbacks have averaged 6.7 yards per passing attempt when going after Gaines. He’s been beaten for one TD pass, and has two INTs. Based on the PFF rankings of pass coverage, Gaines is No. 20 among NFL cornerbacks. And check this out: PFF rates Gaines at No. 8 among NFL corners in run stops.
5. Look, I’m not suggesting that E.J. Gaines is the next Roger Wehrli, a great CB at Mizzou who was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame after a fabulous career with the NFL team in St. Louis. But what Gaines is doing here is awfully impressive. And we’d say that if Gaines was the 18th overall pick in the draft. But he was the 188th overall selection, chosen in the 6th round. And that only adds to the admiration we have for Gaines — the player and the person.
6. The Rams apparently have found their slot receiver in Stedman Bailey. This is a small sample from PFF, but when Bailey runs a route from the slot, he’s been targeted 10 times, and he’s caught all 10 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown. That means the Rams’ QB has a passer rating of 148.7 when they go to Bailey as a slot receiver. Overall, Bailey has been targeted 28 times this season and has 20 receptions. That 71.4 percent catch rate is very good.
7. A couple of weeks ago, we talked about the breakaway capability of rookie Rams running back Tre Mason. And after Mason’s big game in the 52-0 win over Oakland, I can update update a statistic from Pro Football Focus. Mason has 569 yards rushing so far, and 257 of the 569 have come on runs that have gained 15+ yards. Among NFL backs that have played at least 25 percent of the snaps this season, Mason’s breakaway percentage of 45.2 percent is the best in the league.
(Explanation: 45.2 percent of Mason’s total yards have been accumulated on 15+ runs. That 89-yarder against Oakland certainly inflated Mason’s percentage … but even before that Mason had one of the top breakaway percentages in the NFL.)
8. I guess it’s fair to say that the Rams won the RG III trade. We may write more on this later in the week; obviously the Rams have benefited from the draft-pick bonanza they received in exchange for the rights to select QB Robert Griffin III. Injuries have badly diminished the benched Griffin, who is 4-14 as a starter since the start of the 2013 season. But one aspect of the trade I didn’t expect: neither Washington or St. Louis has an established franchise quarterback in place.
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