Rams could be building new 'Fearsome Foursome' led by tackle Aaron Donald

Rams could be building new ‘Fearsome Foursome’ led by tackle Aaron Donald

RYAN KARTJE

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/rams-702751-donald-line.html

Editor’s note: The following is the second in a series of position-by-position looks at the Los Angeles Rams roster heading into the offseason.

It has been a half-century since the most feared defensive line in NFL history last stood side by side in Los Angeles, rewriting record books and redefining defense as we once knew it.

But Rosey Grier has not forgotten that legacy. At 83, the last surviving member of the original “Fearsome Foursome” fondly remembers towering over the line of scrimmage next to Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen, and Lamar Lundy. He still relishes stories of the intimidation that Rams’ line could inflict.

“Sometimes, we wouldn’t even go in the huddle,” Grier said. “And when the offense came back, we’d just be staring at them. They knew we were coming for them. We were always coming.”

Fifty years later, the need for a fearsome pass rush in an increasingly vertical NFL has become more pertinent. Fortunately for the Rams, as they return to Los Angeles, their biggest strength again appears to be a relentless four-man front – a group Grier believes could be built to match his legendary Rams’ line.

“I don’t know if they’re there quite yet,” he said. “But they definitely can get there.”

The centerpiece of that new fearsome vision is an undersized, soft-spoken defensive tackle, who, in two seasons, has already proved to be a generational talent. Because box scores rarely account for his dominance, Aaron Donald might not receive the same fanfare as Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, who is widely accepted as the NFL’s best defender. But a closer look at the film suggests Donald, contrary to popular belief, might be just as good – if not better.

Over the course of a debut 2014 season in which he won Rookie of the Year, Donald graded higher than any other tackle in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. In an All-Pro second season, Donald racked up an outstanding 79 total pressures and 11 sacks. The result at Pro Football Focus was a 99.9 grade out of 100 – the highest the site has ever handed out, better even than Watt’s previous bests.

“He’s just a dominant force, almost downright unblockable,” Sam Monson, an analyst at Pro Football Focus said. “Donald is a guy that changes how offenses try to block the line. He transforms the entire front.”

With such a dominant presence in the middle, offenses are forced to double-team Donald, leaving one-on-one matchups along the rest of the line. But too often the Rams’ talented front has squandered that mismatch.

While the team’s two highest-paid players, Chris Long and Robert Quinn, were both once Pro Bowl defensive ends, both have been far less effective recently. Two seasons ago, Quinn put together a 19-sack campaign, but as nagging injuries piled up, that total fell to just five in 2015. For Long, the two-year decline has been even more steep, with just four sacks in 18 games.

Now, with a $14.25 million cap hit attached in 2016, Long is likely to be cut this summer; though, a hefty pay cut is possible.

“It’s no secret,” Long said after the season. “I haven’t been myself.”

William Hayes, who stepped into Long’s place last season, showed flashes of reliability, but will be a free agent. Former first-rounder Michael Brockers also improved at nose tackle in 2015, after three inconsistent seasons. Another former first-rounder, Nick Fairley, has struggled, but remains talented. He’ll also be a free agent.

If the Rams plan to craft the league’s best defensive line around Donald’s abilities, though, they’ll need a consistently dominant rusher to emerge.

Other than drafting an edge rusher with a high pick – which would mean ignoring more pressing defensive needs – or shelling out top dollar for a free agent, a bounce-back season from Quinn might be the Rams’ best case for improvement. Quinn had back surgery in December, so that’s far from certain. But if Quinn returns anywhere near his 2013 self, Monson said, L.A. could easily boast the NFL’s best line.

“You would have something I don’t think the NFL has seen in the last decade,” Monson said. ”That would be terrifying for an offense – a guy coming up the middle relentlessly and a guy that’s coming from the edge with speed we haven’t seen before.”

With Donald, one piece of that terrifying puzzle is in place. But in their first season back in Los Angeles, the Rams are still a few pieces away from a truly fearsome foursome up front.