Recent Forum Topics › Forums › The Rams Huddle › developments on defense?
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April 28, 2024 at 11:30 am #150591znModerator
In the post-draft comments Saturday McVay said that with their new DC they will do some familar things but will also try some new and different things to “push the envelope.”
Here’s what is kind of visible from that. They signed veteran DBs who knew match-zone and who were also versatile in terms of what they did and where they lined up, which just suggests a lot of disguised coverages. That’s certainly true of Kamren Curl who made a name for himself based on his versatility, and it applies to Lake too. (Darious Wms. played a lot of match-zone with the Rams when he was their CB under both Philips and Staley.)
There’s more! If you look at the front 7 guys they drafted, and then include Turner, they are versatile about where they line up. (This doesn’t apply to Davis, the 6th rounder, who looks to be a straight-up NT). Verse for example can line up at LB/edge, 4/3 DE, and even 3-tech. Fiske can line up at DT or 3/4 DE. Turner we already know moved around, from NT to 3-tech.
It just seems like the defense as a whole will scheme in a lot of movement and versatility. Like they used to do with Donald where they would have him line up all over the DL–except, in 2024 it will be with 3 to 4 guys moving around that way at the same time. This can also mean we’ll see a lot 3/4 and 4/3 fronts, and not just the 3/4 front they’ve mostly used. (They used a 3/4 “under” front with AD, where you have a traditional 3/4 DE and a 3/4 NT but Donald wasn’t the other end, he was usually a 3-tech lining up on the guard’s shoulder). Verse and Young allow them to have straight-up 4/3 fronts. All this combined with multiple and disguised coverages.
It’s the 2024 defensive motto. Who do you replace Donald with? A committee. More than that, a committee that gets schemed into multiple fronts and coverages–much more so than they have before.April 28, 2024 at 11:33 am #150592wvParticipantI assume a downside to this kind of change might be miscommunication? Too much ‘thinking’ and not enough quick reacting? Yes? No?
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April 28, 2024 at 11:38 am #150594znModeratorI assume a downside to this kind of change might be miscommunication? Too much ‘thinking’ and not enough quick reacting? Yes? No? w v
No. Or not necessarily. The scheme does the work for you. The point is to get the players to play aggresively. Anyway the communication and thinking come in the secondary, where notice they went for vets instead of rookies.
In the front 7 you just have to know where to line up according to the call. So in “eagle red 1” (made up term) Verse knows he’s a 4/3 end. In “chickhawk blue 3” he’s at OLB/edge. And the guy on the field with the green dot making the calls is Jones, a vet.
April 29, 2024 at 4:32 pm #150646znModeratorramsman34
The D front will be very situation-multiple. The more Shula can mix up the fronts, personnel, stunt/blitz looks, the more issues it creates for opposing offensive game plans and protections.
April 29, 2024 at 7:23 pm #150651znModeratorNot that they will stay in their base formation, but what is their base formation?
ROLB……ILB/nickel-DB……ILB…….LOLB
……RDE or 3-TECH……NT…….LDEGoing from left (or ROLB) to right, starting with the LBs:
Young
?Rozeboom?/Lake
Jones
VerseThen it gets tricky?
Turner (if 3 -TECH), Fiske (if 3-TECH or DE)
Brown
Johnson? Fiske? Hoecht? Goodlow (UDFA)? Olajiga (UDFA)?Last year the RDE was Jonah Williams but he signed with the Vikes.
I have a feeling it will be
Turner (3-Tech)
Brown (NT)
Fiske (LDE)That btw does not look great. It’s too young. The defense might be generally effective in 2024 but I see them ranking between 18th and 12th.
May 10, 2024 at 1:02 pm #150831znModeratorCody Alexander@The_Coach_AThe Rams are bringing back Darious Williams, who is a coverage-diverse CB & excels in zone, which is a staple of LA’s defense. In addition to Williams, LA is adding Safety Kameron Curl from the Commanders. Another coverage-diverse DB who plays well in zone.May 10, 2024 at 1:40 pm #150833InvaderRamModeratorramsman34 The D front will be very situation-multiple. The more Shula can mix up the fronts, personnel, stunt/blitz looks, the more issues it creates for opposing offensive game plans and protections.
i’m curious to see how shula handles this defense. losing donald sucks for sure.
but more than that. going with a young defense. a very young first time coordinator. that could hurt as well. i don’t know. morris entered the job with a lot more experience. he’s a leader. what is shula? is that a good mix? rookie coordinator with a young defense?
May 10, 2024 at 1:43 pm #150834InvaderRamModeratorfurthermore with a rookie coordinator and a young defense is it a good idea to make the defense so “multiple”? seems like “multiple” is another way of saying more complex or difficult. would it be better to simplify it? players having less experience executing that kind of defense and a coordinator with no experience calling those plays?
May 10, 2024 at 1:53 pm #150835znModeratorfurthermore with a rookie coordinator and a young defense is it a good idea to make the defense so “multiple”? seems like “multiple” is another way of saying more complex or difficult. would it be better to simplify it? players having less experience executing that kind of defense and a coordinator with no experience calling those plays?
This is all building off of what Morris was doing. However, you have a valid point, but I think they answered it by signing 3 vet FAs in the secondary. It’s the secondary that has to do most of the multiplicity/disguised coverage action. It’s the front 7 that’s young, not the secondary. While they were making the front 7 younger they were making the back 4 older.
May 10, 2024 at 2:47 pm #150837InvaderRamModeratorIt’s the secondary that has to do most of the multiplicity/disguised coverage action.
well that’s good to know. i like curl. i don’t think he’s talked about enough. or maybe the other teams know something the rams don’t. i choose to believe the rams outsmarted everyone else unless the actual games show differently. i like white. it’s a gamble, but a smart one i think. and williams should be fine.
i’d still feel better if the rams brought jj back. maybe with trading skow they can do something. but if not i think lake should be fine too.
and i expect jones to step up. obviously he’s a front seven guy. but he does a lot of things well, and he’s a leader.
May 10, 2024 at 3:44 pm #150838ZooeyModeratorwell that’s good to know. i like curl. i don’t think he’s talked about enough. or maybe the other teams know something the rams don’t. i choose to believe the rams outsmarted everyone else unless the actual games show differently. i like white. it’s a gamble, but a smart one i think. and williams should be fine. i’d still feel better if the rams brought jj back. maybe with trading skow they can do something. but if not i think lake should be fine too.
The Rams evidently think White’s floor is high enough that, combined with Williams and the rest of the squad, they did not take a single CB in 10 picks. That surprised me, but this group knows what it’s doing.
It is evident that defensive strategy has changed for the secondary. Gone are the days of 2 CBs, a slot, a FS and a SS. They are mixing up what they are doing, and the offense can’t tell pre-snap necessarily what those guys are going to do. I don’t know, but I think I’m going to tune in and see what happens this year. There is an awful lot to like, in spite of AD’s retirement.
May 10, 2024 at 6:22 pm #150839HramParticipantYou mean watch the Rams games this year?!
hmmm, good plan 🙂
May 10, 2024 at 7:38 pm #150840InvaderRamModeratorIt is evident that defensive strategy has changed for the secondary. Gone are the days of 2 CBs, a slot, a FS and a SS. They are mixing up what they are doing, and the offense can’t tell pre-snap necessarily what those guys are going to do.
you guys are convincing me. i feel a lot better than i did several hours ago.
i definitely think after reading this that after the running game the secondary is what i’ll be watching the most.
May 11, 2024 at 2:29 am #150843znModeratorErnest Jones had terrific year last season with 145 tackles and 4.5 sacks. He certainly has stepped up as a defensive leader on this team as well. Very interested in his development without AD99 in 2024.
Jones beats the RB Gibson block attempt and sacks Washington QB – 2023 pic.twitter.com/0ES1PAemrz
— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) May 11, 2024
May 13, 2024 at 10:17 am #150865znModeratorfrom https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2024/5/13/24155216/bobby-brown-iii-could-be-the-rams-best-kept-secret
Brown ranked 24th all time for the defensive tackle position in athletic score from 1987 to 2021. He has a 93rd percentile vertical, 92nd percentile broad and a 95th percentile 10-yard split. So why does he only have a half sack for his career? His usage has a lot to do with it. In college, Brown’s last year he finished tied for 8th among all defensive tackles in college football in sacks. To put it into perspective, Brown had more pass rushing snaps in eight games during his last season in college than he did in 2023 playing in 13 games.
.While Pro Football Focus charts Brown at 154 pass rush snaps to 159 run defense snaps, it’s worth mentioning on film those aren’t true pass rushing snaps and for the most part he’s asked to do the dirty work to get guys like Donald and Turner one on one opportunities. Now, with Donald gone the door has opened up for Brown even if the Rams drafted Fiske. There’s no reason to believe the three of Brown, Fiske and Turner can’t all thrive in Chris Shula’s defense.
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Brown’s game is actually very versatile and is underrated in general. While he can be deployed all over the line of scrimmage, most seem to think he’s strictly a nose tackle which is far from the truth. He gets great pad level as he gets low off the snap, he sheds blocks with ease but when he’s asked to take on double teams he drops his anchor and is absolutely stout at the point of attack. Brown has powerful hand usage and is an overall violent player. I’m excited to see what he does in a contract year this year and I’m sure the Rams are as well.
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Bobby Brown was drafted with pick 117 of round 4 in the 2021 draft class. He scored a 9.82 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 24 out of 1309 DT from 1987 to 2021. https://t.co/KuO0lJZiLC #RAS #Rams pic.twitter.com/wP1zDIveOf
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) May 1, 2021
May 21, 2024 at 12:06 am #150992znModeratorThe Rams can’t replace Aaron Donald. But Chris Shula, grandson of Don, has a plan
Eric Williams
What to say?
Chris Shula had envisioned this moment for a decade, rolling through the thoughts in his mind of how he would articulate his vision to players as a first-time NFL defensive coordinator.
On the first day of offseason work, the words came naturally for the new DC of the Los Angeles Rams.
“That was something I had been thinking about — how to set the tone in front of the entire unit,” Shula told FOX Sports in an exclusive interview. “You just want to set the expectations of the standards that you want to hold them accountable to, the style of play that we want to play with. But not only that, we want to build relationships with these guys, get them to feel comfortable, be able to ask questions and be vulnerable.
“I wanted to get all that out there in that first meeting. So I spent a lot of time and put a lot of thought into what I wanted to say and how to go about it. You don’t just want to go right to football. … You want to show them that we really care about them, and we’re going to have a plan for them to get better every day.”
Shula had a practice run a decade ago as the defensive coordinator for Division III John Carroll. Then he worked his way up as a position coach with the Los Angeles Chargers and, for the past seven seasons, in various capacities with the Rams.
“No matter what’s happening, up or down, he’s always steady,” said Rams inside linebacker Ernest Jones. “He’s super intelligent; the way he’s been able to transfer my game from a pre-snap position is second to none. … Players love him, and he’s going to fit in perfectly.”
In his first season as an NFL defensive coordinator, Shula faces the monumental task of replacing future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald, who retired this offseason after a decade of dominance. Shula knows it will take a committee approach to fill the huge void left by arguably the greatest interior defensive lineman in league history.
Shula plans to focus on what his players do best. And that goes back to what his grandfather, Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, taught him during his visits to Miami as a youngster: Schemes may change over time, but the fundamentals of killing blocks, tackling, taking the ball away and the pursuit of the football remain the same.
“I don’t take it for granted, as far as what he accomplished in this league,” Shula said of his grandfather, the all-time winningest NFL coach. “I don’t really think about it, as far as holding up a legacy or anything like that. But it is cool to hear different stories about him.
“One thing that stuck out to me, and still does, is everybody thinks football has changed so much. [My grandfather] always said, ‘As far as I’m concerned, it’s still about blocking, getting off blocks. Tackling and breaking tackles. Securing the ball and taking the ball away.’ … [So] we try to emphasize here just the simplicity of football.”
Shula also learned the game from other members of his family. His father, Dave, played a year in the NFL as a receiver and spent 15 years as a coach, including four-plus seasons as head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. He currently serves as the receivers coach at his alma mater, Dartmouth.
Chris’ uncle, Mike, was the offensive coordinator for three NFL teams and was the head coach at Alabama before Nick Saban. Mike Shula is currently an offensive analyst at South Carolina.
Shula and Rams head coach Sean McVay share a bond through their family’s football legacy. McVay’s grandfather, John McVay, was an NFL head coach and later served as general manager of the San Francisco 49ers, teaming with offensive guru Bill Walsh to lead that franchise to five Super Bowls. Sean’s father Tim was an all-state quarterback in high school in Ohio and played defensive back at Indiana.
Sean McVay and Chris Shula also share another bond: They were college teammates at Miami University in Ohio.
“He’s that guy that everybody feels like he’s their best friend because he’s so present when he’s with you,” McVay said of Shula. “He’s so authentic. He’s so refreshingly secure in who he is, and he’s been prepared for this opportunity.
“I’m excited because I think he’s surrounded by a bunch of other good coaches, and I think he’s really ready to help these players be the best that they can be.”
Early on Rams, Shula worked for former Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, who’s from another multi-generational football family. Phillips saw Shula’s potential from the start.
“He’s a sharp guy, a quick learner, a hard worker and an outstanding coach,” Phillips said. “We turned things around there pretty quickly. We worked really well together. He can coach inside and outside linebackers really well, along with the rest of the defense. He’s a Shula.”
Along with Phillips, Shula worked as an assistant with the Rams for defensive coordinators Brandon Staley and Raheem Morris, now the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.
Shula, 38, said he’s taken bits and pieces from all three defensive minds, learning the importance of keeping things simple from Phillips, innovation from Staley and the value of building good relationships with players from Morris.
Shula and his staff are now knee-deep into building the defense they want. The biggest question, of course, is how to fill the huge hole in the middle of the line left by Donald.
“Obviously, we’re going to have to step up as a group,” Shula said. “We made a big point to Kobie Turner that we don’t expect him to be an Aaron Donald, because he really is one of one. We knew when he was in the game how offenses were going to protect against us. Now, it’s a little bit more of a guessing game.”
Shula mentioned the possibility of Turner, who had nine sacks as a rookie nose tackle and finished third in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, expanding his role to play multiple positions along the defensive line. And he expects the pass rush to benefit from the chemistry and ability of a pair of Florida State rookies, Jared Verse and Braden Fiske. They were the Rams’ top two selections in this year’s draft.
“We liked them each individually as players, whether they were on the same team or not,” Shula said. “I think [playing together is] going to help them definitely, especially when they get into those rush-type situations if they’re on the same side. There’s some really good clips of them rushing together. I think that’s a feel thing. We like the package deal we got with them.”
However, Philips believes the Rams will have to find another player like Donald who can consistently win one-on-one pass rush opportunities. According to Next Gen Stats, Donald generated 659 pressures since 2016, 239 more than the next-closest defensive tackle (Chris Jones, 420).
Donald finished with 111 sacks in 10 NFL seasons, second among defensive tackles to Hall of Famer John Randle (137.5). Donald is No. 3 in league history in tackles for loss with 176.
“We could utilize Aaron in a lot of different ways,” Phillips said. “So, that takes away your one-on-one advantages. We tried to make sure Aaron had a one-on-one as much as we could, especially in passing situations because he could beat people one-on-one.
So, it’s just the personnel you have and try to utilize what they can do. They have other good players obviously, but there aren’t any Aaron Donalds, that’s for sure.”
Shula also said the Rams will continue to use a 3-4 defensive front for their base scheme. And even though Turner can’t replace Donald by himself, the second-year pro will be a major factor.
“He’s going to be a guy who’s on the field a ton,” Shula said about Turner. “We love to have the flexibility to move those guys around, depending on the personnel group that’s in the game. We’re lucky, because he can play multiple spots pretty easily, whether it’s physically or mentally.
“We can keep people guessing where we can kind of move him around. And the nice thing about Kobie is he’s so selfless, he’s always going to do what’s best for the team. So it will be fun to use that chess piece accordingly.
“It’s going to be interesting to see how it all plays out.”
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.
May 21, 2024 at 12:38 am #150995znModeratorIt just seems like the defense as a whole will scheme in a lot of movement and versatility.
Chris Shula on that (see posted article by Williams). Talking about movement/versatility by way of discussing Kobie Turner’s role:
“He’s going to be a guy who’s on the field a ton,” Shula said about Turner. “We love to have the flexibility to move those guys around, depending on the personnel group that’s in the game. We’re lucky, because he can play multiple spots pretty easily, whether it’s physically or mentally.
May 31, 2024 at 12:05 pm #151084znModeratorBobby Brown III looking forward to having bigger role in 2024
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – For most of his time with the Rams, nose tackle Bobby Brown III‘s primary role has been that of a run-stopper.
Just like with the rest of the defensive line, though, more will be asked of each member of the position group as it attempts to fill the void created by Aaron Donald’s retirement. And for Brown, that means having a bigger role.
“Just being hard on myself, being more detailed,” Brown told theRams.com about his preparation for the upcoming season. “But as far as I how feel, I don’t feel no type of way. Pressure makes diamonds.”
Brown’s production took a step forward in 2023. Despite missing four games with a Grade 3 MCL sprain, he produced a career-high 31 total tackles (four for loss) while starting the other 13 games he played in. He also started in the Rams’ wild card playoff game against the Lions, making four total tackles.
Having more chances to rush the passer is something Brown said he hasn’t had since high school.
“I’ve been more of a run-stuff guy since I got to college, even though I had five sacks my last year,” Brown said. “Once I got here, I haven’t played a third down to rush the passer. So now it’s just a whole different world, being able to play my game going to a different world I haven’t played in awhile, but it’s fun.”
Entering the final year of his rookie contract, Brown said he’s looking forward to showing he can play anywhere, and also simply be on the field.
“I love playing football,” he said.….Overview
Interior defender with the size and pad level to handle reps at nose or three-technique in an even front. Brown shed weight in 2020 and played at a fairly high level inside an SEC-only schedule. His footwork and body control are inconsistent, leading to clear wins and clear losses, but he has the strength and potential to take firmer control at the point of attack with more technique work. He can read-and-react as a two-gapper or play on the move with adequate effectiveness. His rush tends to be a little uninspiring, which could push him off the field on passing downs. He won’t be 21 until August and should come in as a quality backup early on before working into a starting role in the future.
Strengths
- Size and traits to play both tackle spots in even front.
- Consistent to stay low off the ball.
- Doesn’t linger on the block for very long.
- When feet are set under him, his anchor versus double teams can be sturdy.
- Reads zone and gets skinny to slink between blockers.
- Leverage helps him escape previously centered blocks.
- Adequate close-out down the line of scrimmage.
- Violent hands improve ability to soften edges as rusher.
- Fires a long-arm stab and runs behind it to push pocket as bull rusher.
- Recognizes screen development and makes quick double back.
Weaknesses
- Pass rush is typically lumbering.
- Would like to see more energy and spirit in his rush approach.
- Not enough edge-hunting to open door to the pocket.
- Doesn’t get to rush counters to rid himself of mirroring pass protection.
- Rarely gets early arm extension at point of attack.
- Loose with feet, causing some inconsistency with his base.
- Movement isn’t as controlled and efficient as it needs to be.
- Can improve with technique to improve hand control in read and react.
June 4, 2024 at 1:05 pm #151114znModeratorfrom https://www.lafbnetwork.com/los-angeles-rams-darious-williams-sneed/
PFF on Darious Williams
“Williams has been one of the league’s best at preventing separation for several years now, but the grades finally caught up with him in 2023,” writes John Kosko, “His 85.3 coverage grade ranked tied for fifth among his peers, and now he returns to Los Angeles, where he posted an 81.9 grade in 2019 and an 81.5 grade in 2020.”
June 5, 2024 at 6:52 am #151121znModerator[Byron] Young was asked to name a teammate who’s stood out in OTAs thus far and he immediately went to Verse.
“I’m going to start with Jared Verse. No lie, if you’ve been here so far, he’s just handling it like a pro,” Young said. “His get-off is insane, rushing the passer, every day just showing up, listening, being accountable. Me being a vet and him being younger, he’s listening. He’s just a guy that wants to learn. Every day I talk to him and that’s what I love about him. He’s a guy that’s hungry. He’s definitely hungry.”
Verse might only be a rookie, but he’s making his voice known in practice. Young says Verse is vocal on the field, which provides some extra juice for the defense – something he loves to see from the first-year edge rusher.
“I love it. I was telling coach about that the other day. He definitely brings the dog out of me,” Young said. “His aggression, his love for the game. Every day he comes out there, you’re going to hear him and that’s what we need. We need that spark, man. It’ll be some days, I feel like we’re starting slow but you will hear him and he will spark up the team. when they drafted him, I already knew he was like that, so I was just happy. I was like, I’ve got to come out of my shell more so he’s definitely going to have me do that.”
Young and Verse are projected to be the starting outside linebackers for the Rams this season, with Michael Hoecht also in the mix. Young and Verse bring an abundance of speed and power on the outside, especially with Young bulking up and adding 10 pounds of muscle to his frame this offseason.
June 10, 2024 at 8:34 pm #151169znModeratorLA Football Network@LAFBNetworkNot So “Fearsome Foursome” Anymore? #Rams fall to 22nd in latest LB unit rankings. Can they improve before the season starts?..FTN Fantasy unveiled their 2024 Linebacker Unit Ranking this week and the Los Angeles Rams starting four linebackers were ranked toward the bottom, despite the teams’ recent attempts to shore up the group..Here is what FTN wrote of those four linebackers;
The Rams found a gem in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft in Tennessee’s Byron Young. Young finished his rookie season with the second most pressures (50) and sacks (8.0). He was also top five on the team in tackles (61) and tackles for loss (8). His development will be crucial for a team looking for consistent pressure without Aaron Donald.
Los Angeles also used the draft in 2024 to fortify their edge-rushing talent, selecting Florida State’s Jared Verse in the first round. Verse had three straight seasons with a PFF grade above 82.0, including a 2023 season that saw him post career highs in sacks (11.0) and hurries (36). He also had a 90.8 pass-rush grade in his final collegiate season and will have an opportunity to see immediate playing time with the Rams. Veteran edge rusher Michael Hoecht (39 pressures and 6.0 sacks in 2023) can provide some stability if Verse needs time to acclimate.
Interior linebacker Ernest Jones IV took a major step in his third season, generating 145 tackles and 4.5 sacks while setting career-highs in PFF grade (82.1), run defense grade (90.0) and pass rush grade (78.2). He will be joined by Christian Rozeboom, a below-average starter who had a 49.0 PFF grade in 2023 despite having 79 tackles and an interception.
Ultimately, this group’s ranking hinges on how well Verse can play across from Young. If he struggles to adjust to the NFL level, then it could be a very long first season without Aaron Donald for the Rams.
June 10, 2024 at 10:21 pm #151170InvaderRamModeratorUltimately, this group’s ranking hinges on how well Verse can play across from Young.
i’d say it actually hinges on how much of a leap young and turner can make in their second year.
rookie pass rushers rarely bust out immediately. but usually do in their second and third years no? so for me if young and turner can step up in donald’s absence then the defense might be ok and possibly even elevate verse and fiske’s play their rookie years.
June 10, 2024 at 11:54 pm #151171ZooeyModeratorDon’t know what to do with this. It doesn’t seem to merit its own thread, and I’m not entirely sure that I found this on my own, or if someone else already posted this. Delete it if it’s redundant.
But here is Les Snead on AD coming out of retirement. The entire interview was interesting to me, but I’ve cued this up at the AD comment.
June 23, 2024 at 11:54 am #151253znModeratorDaniel Jeremiah@MoveTheSticks
Always fun to see what words come to mind when studying players. Florida State edge Jared Verse–carnage, rugged, violent, powerful, jolting are a few of the words on my sheet.***
from JB Scott: https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2024/6/23/24183774/rams-olb-depth-chart-jared-verse-byron-young
The OLB room is starting to get crowded in Los Angeles. Once the pecking order is established in training camp, how should we expect things to look?
While Young impressed as a rookie, at age 26 there are questions around how much room he has left to grow at the NFL level. He also hit the “rookie wall” last year and there was a substantial drop in production from the first half of the season. There’s a chance, if not probable, that Verse steps in and is the Rams’ best OLB on day one. That’s a fair expectation of the 19th overall selection and who most draft experts had solidly ranked in the top three EDGE rushers from this class.
Starters: Jared Verse & Byron Young
The first thing that sticks out about the combination of Verse and Young is how their skillsets, at least on paper, seem complementary. Verse is a physical, violet EDGE who makes his presence felt. He’s more explosive than fast. On the other hand, Young is somewhat undersized and wins with speed and high motor.
…
There will be opportunities; who makes the most of them?
Brennan Jackson, 2024 4th rounder
Nick Hampton, 2023 5th rounder
Ochaun Mathis, 2023 6th rounderJune 23, 2024 at 4:18 pm #151255InvaderRamModeratorif the rams lose donald and morris and still are able to finish top 10 that’d be a pretty amazing accomplishment.
would it be unprecedented?
i remember when martz hired lovie and the rams d turned around in 2001. did they have to make drastic personnel changes? is that when they added lewis, pickett, and archuleta?
June 23, 2024 at 9:35 pm #151256znModeratori remember when martz hired lovie and the rams d turned around in 2001. did they have to make drastic personnel changes? is that when they added lewis, pickett, and archuleta?
Fwiw here’s what I remember about that.
Well part of the 2001 turnaround was the 2000 collapse. Before 2000 every single DL starter had off-season surgery, and then some of them like Farr got injured during the season. Carter had back issues. Plus of course turns out that Giunta was not up to it as a solo coordinator.
In 2001, they added draft picks (Polley, Archuleta) and free agents/trades (Ahonotu, Fields, Aeneas) and then guys already on the roster stepped up (Zgonia, Young, Little). They also had on-the-roster vets who stayed steady, like Fletcher and Wistrom. Picks like Lewis and Pickens didn’t really do much.
The differences between then and now?
- the defense didn’t really collapse in 2023 like it did in 2000
- back then, the most they lost was Carter, who while good was no Donald
- 2024 depends heavily on 2023 and 2024 draft picks, much more than 2001 depended on draft picks…actually, frankly, 2001 was a disappointing draft
- 2001, they changed the scheme by hiring an outside coach; obviously in 2024, they promoted their own guy, so at least there’s general scheme continuity
It’s really hard to say right now how good they will be in 2024. In 2000/2001, it was a collapse then a turnaround. In 2023/2024, it’s a slower building process heavily dependent on young players in the front 7 plus a first-time coordinator.
June 25, 2024 at 12:46 am #151264InvaderRamModeratorplus a first-time coordinator
also at the time lovie was a first time coordinator as well so pretty much an unknown quantity like shula.
it’s gonna be fun to watch.
July 3, 2024 at 2:00 pm #151321znModeratorRams Bros.@RamsBrothersIs Cobie Durant in a “make or break” year with the #Rams? We don’t think so. Still a valuable, versatile piece in the secondary who was publicly endorsed by Jalen Ramsey (multiple times). The Rams moved him around a ton in 2023.July 4, 2024 at 2:59 pm #151336znModeratorGary Klein@LATimeskleinThe Rams agreed to terms with veteran safety John Johnson, the team announced..me (@ moi.com):Johnson? Part of this year’s formula.
Veteran secondary. Veteran secondary. (Counting veteran in a relative way as 3 or more years in the league…though I highlighted the veteran FAs w/ 5 or more years): Curl, Durant, Lake, White, Williams, Yeast, Johnson.
Young front 7, including Fiske, Turner, Young, and Verse.
Aggression and multiple different sets/formations up front.
Match zone and disguised coverages in the back, all heady veteran stuff.
..July 5, 2024 at 6:55 pm #151343InvaderRamModeratorso does this say anything about lake?
i’m happy but also a little disappointed because i can’t help but think that this doesn’t happen if lake impressed in otas.
that’s seven veteran dbs and i’m assuming the eighth db is rookie kinchens.
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