Rams defense & halftime adjustments

Rams making the right adjustments at halftime, especially on defense

RICH HAMMOND

link: http://www.ocregister.com/2017/12/07/rams-making-the-right-adjustments-at-halftime-especially-on-defense/

THOUSAND OAKS — Twelve minutes. For those in the seats, it’s barely enough to grab a hot dog and drink. For the Rams’ Wade Phillips, apparently it’s enough to change the complexion of a game.

Phillips, the Rams’ veteran defensive coordinator, makes the most of the brief halftime break. The Rams’ ability to tighten up in the third quarter is a major reason why they’re atop the NFC West, and why they have a fighting chance to stifle Philadelphia’s high-powered offense on Sunday at the Coliseum.

The Rams haven’t allowed a point in the third quarter in six consecutive games, and they’ve allowed only one third-quarter touchdown this season (in a September victory over San Francisco). The Rams have outscored opponents in the third quarter by an astounding margin of 92-13.

“I think our guys are just ready to play when they come out,” Phillips said after Thursday’s practice at Cal Lutheran. “You’d like to say, ‘Yeah, it’s coaching,’ but it would be the other coaches, not me.”

What does a typical halftime look like for the Rams’ defensive coaches? Phillips said they meet as a group at the start of the break. Linebackers coach Joe Barry proposes run-defense adjustments for the second half, while defensive backs coaches Aubrey Pleasant and Ejiro Evero talk about pass defense.

Then the coaches take the second-half strategy to players, just a couple minutes before kickoff.

“We discuss it all,” Phillips said. “We say, ‘Hey, this is what we’ve got to get done,’ then they go in there and present it to the team. The adjustments, we do it all together, and those (assistant coaches) communicate well with their own (position) people.”

Much of the Rams’ second-half defensive improvement has come on the ground. Opponents have run for an average of 83.7 yards in the first half, but only 40.0 yards in the second half.

Part of that involves game situations. The Rams have led at halftime in eight of their 12 games, so naturally, teams will throw more in the second half when playing from behind. But, overall, the Rams have allowed an average of only 142.7 yards in the second half, compared to 191.3 in the first half.

Plus, the improvement against the run isn’t all based on the score. Last Sunday, the Rams held only a six-point halftime lead and lost middle linebacker Alec Ogletree to injury. The Cardinals, who ran for 100 yards in the first half, totaled only 18 rushing yards in the second half and got only a field goal.

The Rams’ reputation as a second-half defensive team started two months ago at Dallas, when the Rams trailed 24-14 at halftime and looked helpless against the Cowboys’ offense, particularly a running game that gained 133 yards in the first half behind Ezekiel Elliott and Alfred Morris.

On their first four drives of the second half, the Cowboys gained only 41 yards on 13 plays, punted three times and threw an interception. Dallas totaled only 66 rushing yards in the second half and the Rams pulled away from an early-season-defining 35-30 road victory.

That was the start of a nine-game stretch in which the Rams haven’t allowed a third-quarter touchdown. They shut out Dallas, Arizona (twice), the New York Giants, Houston, Minnesota and New Orleans, and allowed only a field goal to Seattle and Jacksonville.

It’s a remarkable run that certainly will get tested Sunday by an Eagles team that is tied with the Rams for the most points in the NFL this season.

The challenge for the Rams might be to stay in the game early. The Eagles have outscored opponents by a margin of 78-28 in the first quarter this season and, three times, Philadelphia has taken a lead of at least 17 points into halftime.

“It’s going to be a dog fight,” defensive tackle Aaron Donald said. “We’re going to be ready for it.”