Rams defense on verge of elite status

Are they finally there? Rams defense on verge of elite status

Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/are-they-finally-there-rams-defense-on-verge-of-elite/article_8f9eeb62-65eb-54f5-81b3-df704bfac4c1.html

Defense has been a lost art for so long in this corner of the NFL. From 2006 through 2011 for example, encompassing the head-coaching tenures of Scott Linehan and Steve Spagnuolo, the Rams yielded 30 or more points on 37 occasions.

This is where fantasy football numbers came to thrive — for teams playing the Rams, that is. Then came Jeff Fisher in 2012, a veteran coach with a reputation for tough, physical, aggressive defense.

The earlier Fisher Rams teams alternately teased and tormented on defense. As draft picks and free agents arrived — mainly draft picks — a young defense showed flashes of strong play but experienced more than its share of growing pains.

After a two-year delay triggered by his role in the New Orleans “Bounty-gate” scandal, defensive guru Gregg Williams finally arrived in 2014. Last year’s unit had a catchy nickname for its pass rush —#Sack City — and flirted with top-10 status.

Over the second half of the season, the unit started to come together. After back-to-back shutouts of Oakland and Washington after Thanksgiving, the Rams were 10th in total defense. But that defense only teased, because in Game 15 it was shredded for 37 points and 514 yards by Eli Manning, Odell Beckham Jr., and the New York Giants. The 2014 Rams finished 17th in total defense, respectable but certainly not elite.

So here comes 2015. For the first time since 2011, the Rams have the same defensive coordinator back for another season. Ten of 11 defensive starters returned, a retention rate unheard of in the modern age of free agency and the salary cap. The depth was there as well, with 19 of the 23 defensive players on the 2014 roster opening the season on the 2015 roster.

The Rams (4-3) reach the midpoint of this season with a key game at Minnesota (5-2). The visitors walk out for the noon kickoff at TCF Bank Stadium with the NFL’s sixth-ranked unit in total defense.

It has been 12 years since the Rams have been ranked that highly this far into a season. One of the bright young stars of this unit, defensive tackle Aaron Donald, was 12 years old at the time — Week 11 of the 2003 season. So it’s been a while.

The 2015 Rams also rank fourth in scoring defense, first in red zone defense, tied for second in sacks and are eighth in third-down conversion defense. The unit’s current self-imposed nickname, “Mob Squad,” hasn’t quite taken off. But the defense has.

So is it safe to say it? Has the Rams’ defense finally arrived as an elite unit? Is this the kind of defense Fisher has been seeking since he arrived here in 2012?

“We’re getting there,” he said. “The thing I like about the defense right now is that Alec Ogletree was playing really good football. We’ve been able to not replace him, but get by. Mark (Barron)’s playing really good ball right now as is Akeem (Ayers).”

Ogletree, who was playing weakside linebacker at a Pro-Bowl level, has been out the past three weeks following ankle surgery. He won’t be back until, at the earliest, the final couple of games of the regular season.

Similarly, defensive end Chris Long hasn’t played since suffering a knee injury Oct. 11 and could be sidelined at least another couple of weeks. But the Rams haven’t missed a beat with William Hayes stepping into the starting lineup for Long and Ethan Westbrooks spelling Hayes.

“When Ethan comes in there’s no dropoff,” Fisher said. “Will (Hayes) stepped up in Chris’ absence, and Eugene (Sims) can play when Rob (Quinn)’s not in. So we’ve got depth. When we’re moving people around we’re still getting the production.”

The Rams haven’t had this kind of depth before on defense.

“No, I don’t think we did,” Fisher said. “We know now. Even guys that haven’t had chances to play many snaps on defense. For example, like Cody Davis (at safety). No reservation whatsoever with Cody going in playing defense for us, based on what he’s doing on special teams and what I’ve seen on the practice field.

“If somebody goes down for a few minutes or for a series, somebody goes in and there’s no dropoff. It’s not like you’re concerned about ’em, or you gotta protect him, or you’re concerned about an offense attacking that position.”

That depth could be sorely tested against Minnesota because starters T.J. McDonald at strong safety and Quinn at defensive end are listed as questionable, with foot and knee injuries respectively. Neither practiced Friday, which is usually not a good sign for a player’s availability for Sunday.

But as mentioned, Fisher has confidence in Sims should he have to step in for Quinn. He feels that Eureka High product Maurice Alexander is ready should McDonald be a pre-game scratch.

Similar to Fisher, defensive coordinator Williams likes where the defense is headed, but isn’t ready to make any bold proclamations. Time and experience has shown that just when you say something like “our defense has arrived” you get smacked down the next Sunday.

So the depth has kept the defense playing at a high level. Can the Rams keep it up?

Similar to Fisher, Williams has been asked several times this season if the defense has reached elite status. He’s still not ready to go there.

“Again, it’s still early in the season for me to say that,” Williams said. “When get (to) those kind of things, it’s kind of when the season’s all over and done with.”

Williams has said for months that even with the talent assembled, the players must take ownership of the defense — care enough to have a say in what they do and how they prepare — in order to consistently play at the highest level. He thinks they’re getting there.

“They’re doing very well,” Williams said. “These guys, if we can stay healthy — we’ve gotta keep all of our guys healthy — they have a chance to really do it. They have a chance to be very good.”

But the Rams still have some dominant offenses to face, and some high-level quarterbacks to play. (Although Minnesota’s offense and Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater don’t fall into that category this week.)

“We’ve got a lot to do yet,” Williams said. “We’ve got a long ways to go. And you know what I want to do? I want to see are they gonna be the best defense this weekend? It’s each and every weekend.

“We can’t take any plays off. We can’t take any days off. We’ve had several nice weekends in a row. All of that is over and behind us now. We’ve got to go do it this weekend.”

And eight more weekends after that.