Linebackers

InvaderRam wrote:

i really like kiser. good athlete. good mentality.

having a hard time coming up with a reason why he wouldn’t succeed.

probably only a two down linebacker. but that’s probably all the rams need from him.

My thoughts exactly. It’s really too early for predictions but I will try one anyway. I think he is the starter and plays well as the 2-down ILB.

InvaderRam wrote:

Kiser: “I’m just going to go out there and do my best”
Micah Kiser talks improving his role, being comfortable during 2019 season.

https://www.therams.com/video/kiser-do-my-best

Or here:

Micah Kiser was so amped up about Eric Weddle that he almost let an F-bomb out 😂 pic.twitter.com/hXSY9I7MP2

— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) May 29, 2019

MCVAY ON KISER: “One of the things that you loved about him was the instincts, the awareness, the ability to anticipate – especially when so much of defense is reactionary based on some of things you can gather before the snap and then once that thing happens post-snap, it’s how quickly can I adapt and adjust based on whatever that call is defensively and what the offensive set, whether running it or throwing it dictates”

More of the same kind of thing, from a 2018 draft report:

Skill-Set Summary: Even though the NFL is a passing-driven league, pro defenses still have a place for a run-stuffing interior linebacker. Such players may be rotational, but they are key to goal-line, short-yardage, and four-minute defenses. In the older era of pro football, Kiser would be a more in-demand player, but he still should fill a role as a professional.

Kiser is a physical in-the-box defender against the run. He is thick, strong and sturdy, plus can diagnose plays and read his keys well. Kiser also tackles consistently, physically taking to the ball-carriers to the ground. While Kiser is an intelligent, instinctive defender, he doesn’t possess sideline-to-sideline speed or elite athleticism. Kiser makes up his lack of elite attributes by being a tough interior linebacker at the point of attack.

In pass coverage, Kiser is going to need development for the NFL to be a three-down starter. Kiser isn’t fast or fluid in pass coverage, so pro offenses could single him out for mismatch plays. Virginia often uses him as a pass-rusher by having him blitz off the edge or rush up the middle, and that is a more natural fit for Kiser as he can use his instincts and downhill quickness to pressure quarterbacks.

Kiser has some athletic limitations for the NFL. He is not a fast linebacker, not a fluid athlete, lacks lateral speed, and can have issues redirecting. Trimming some weight down might help him a little, but Kiser could be limited to being more of a run-stuffing linebacker for the pro game.

In the NFL, Kiser would fit best as an inside linebacker in a 3-4 defense with a fast run-and-chase linebacker next to him.

Breaking down the Rams’ primary linebacker situation heading into camp

Vincent Bonsignore

https://theathletic.com/1061937/2019/07/03/breaking-down-the-rams-primary-linebacker-situation-heading-into-camp/

On one hand, a defense that helped push the Rams to the Super Bowl returns in 2019 with eight of 11 starters in place. Given the fluid turnover rate in the NFL these days, that represents tremendous stability. Factor in the signing of veteran safety Eric Weddle to replace Lamarcus Joyner — very likely an upgrade opposite budding star John Johnson – and the Rams are in great shape defensively.

On the other hand, you can’t simply assume whoever emerges as starter replacements for defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and inside linebacker Mark Barron offer replacement-level production, so there is some uncertainty.

Add in the fact that there is some unknown at outside linebacker, in terms of what second-year starter Samson Ebukam will offer and whether Dante Fowler Jr. will finally reach his potential as a former third overall draft pick — or at least come close — and some uneasiness is warranted.

In fact, if any position on defense creates pause for the Rams, it’s linebacker, where only second-year starter Cory Littleton provides a level of certainty.

There is potential for this group to offer dependability, and that’s a level the Rams will gladly take alongside the dominance of Aaron Donald, the emerging stardom of Johnson, the steady reliability of Weddle and capable production from cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib.

Anything more is certainly possible, but at this point would represent a pleasant surprise. What the Rams can’t afford is anything less than that.

Here is a breakdown of where the Rams stand with their primary linebackers three weeks before training camp opens.

Known factor

MLB Cory Littleton

It’s hard to recall the uncertainty that Littleton represented this time last year as the heir apparent to Alec Ogletree. Going into his third year, Littleton was a known factor as a special-teams ace and flashed at various points in 2017 as a reserve inside linebacker. In fact, he was playing so well that defensive coordinator Wade Phillips started devising packages specifically designed to get Littleton on the field.

The question was, could he do it as a full-time starter?

Littleton resoundingly answered that question with a team-leading 125 tackles to go along with four sacks and three interceptions. He proved capable against the run and in pass coverage while establishing himself as an every-down backer. It was everything the Rams could have hoped for, and then some.

Littleton is still scratching the surface, and there is every reason to believe he won’t just replicate his performance last year but maybe even exceed it. If so, he’ll rightfully emerge as a star alongside Donald and Johnson.

Cautious optimism

OLB Samson Ebukam

The Rams knew there would be a learning curve with Ebukam, who was drafted in the fourth round in 2017 and inserted into the starting lineup last season. The former Eastern Washington standout possessed all the pertinent qualities required for an NFL outside linebacker in terms of size, speed and athletic ability, but there were some raw assets that needed smoothing out, and really only consistent playing time would address it. In that sense, there was some genuine learning on the job for Ebukam, and that showed in a season in which he finished with 40 tackles, three sacks and an interception.

The question now is, has Ebukam made the necessary improvements to take a decisive step forward as a second-year starter? That’s specifically as a pass rusher, where he struggled at times last year merging his physical gifts with the technical aspects of winning one-on-one battles against blockers. It’s those subtle aspects of pass rushing that Ebukam needs to harness and hone in order to be more of a force off the edge. The Rams brought in help by trading for Fowler at the trade deadline last year and signing free agent Clay Matthews last March, so the pressure isn’t on Ebukham to take a huge step forward. But the Rams do need improvement and more consistency from him. The talent is there. He just needs to put it all together.

Unknown factor

ILB Micah Kiser

Kiser is the odds-on favorite to replace Barron alongside Littleton, and for now the plan is to mitigate his learning curve by using him mostly on run downs. The versatility they have at safety – where Johnson and rookie Taylor Rapp can drop down to linebacker on pass downs – gives them a ton of flexibility in how they utilize their linebackers, and it means taking advantage of Kiser’s skill set in the run game.

Kiser was a tackling machine at Virginia as a downhill run-stuffer filling gaps and stonewalling running backs. But his surprising showing last year as a special-teams standout showed the Rams he has the athletic ability to potentially be a sideline-to-sideline run stopper as well. The concern is how he’ll hold up when opposing offenses single him out in pass coverage and all of a sudden he has to deal with a running back or slot receiver or tight end in one-on-one matchups.

It’s an area of the game that Barron provided adequate proficiency. He wasn’t great, by any means. But he more than held his own. The Rams need Kiser to provide the same, at the very least.

Intrigue

OLB Dante Fowler Jr.

In many ways, Fowler is the wild card here, as he has a chance to completely change the dynamic of the Rams’ defense if his potential is finally realized.

There is no guarantee of that happening, obviously. There is a reason, after all, that Fowler was available to the Rams last year at the trade deadline. He never lived up to the hype with the Jacksonville Jaguars as the third overall pick in the 2015 draft and became expendable. Now in his fifth NFL season, why should we expect him to suddenly put it all together?

Chances are he’s never going to be the dominant star many predicted he’d be coming out of college. But the comfortability he found after joining the Rams in early November translated onto the field, where Fowler provided some much-needed juice off the edge, and the prospect of a full training camp and an entire season in Phillips’ defense could be enough to nudge him closer to reaching his potential.

The Rams will take consistency and dependability from Fowler, who is fully capable of reaching double-digit sacks and, just as importantly, getting consistent pressure on the quarterback. Remember, by closing a wall on quarterbacks from the outside, it pushes them inside into Donald. Vice-versa, the push Donald gets from the interior sends them outside, where Fowler is talented enough to take advantage.

It’s imperative, though, that he gives the Rams a consistent presence off the edge. Anything less than that, and it’s a problem.

Catching lightning in a bottle?

OLB Clay Matthews

The Rams will be ecstatic if Matthews magically turns back the clock upon returning home to Southern California and delivers a throwback performance to his dominant Green Bay Packers days.

But that obviously isn’t likely.

Nevertheless, Matthews can absolutely be a big factor defensively simply in the versatility he brings and the concern he creates for opposing offenses while being deployed at various launch points.

The seed the Rams hope Matthews plants is that he has to be accounted for as a pass rusher, and given how they’ll line him up at outside linebacker, inside linebacker, defensive end and as a standup rusher all along the line of scrimmage, he’ll demand focus. And maybe create some confusion. That should lead to favorable matchups for his fellow pass rushers or, in the case of opposing linemen, doubling up blocking assets on Donald and free up lanes for Matthews to exploit.

Given the talent Matthews is playing alongside, the scheme he’s operating in and the creative ways Phillips will use him, it’s fair to assume Matthews will get plenty of opportunities to shine.

And if he has enough left in the gas tank, he could be a surprise factor.