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znModeratorfrom Vic Fangio’s defensive scheme
https://theathletic.com/1179997/2019/09/03/brandon-thorn-vic-fangio-denver-broncos-defense-scheme/
Structure and alignment
Fangio runs a base 3-4 defense that has a diverse blend of fronts depending on his personnel and game plan for the week. Offense in today’s NFL primarily consists of 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end and three receivers), so true “base” for a 3-4 team like Fangio’s is really a reduced front that has a defensive lineman and/or linebacker subbed out for another defensive back or two. So instead of a 3-4, you’ll most commonly see a 2-4, 2-3 or 3-3 front.
This unpredictable nature of which personnel groupings, fronts and looks a Fangio defense presents to an offense makes him a nightmare to prepare for.
The standard 3-4 is generally deployed when offenses come out in 12 (one running back and two tight ends) or 21 (two backs and one tight end) personnel. We will go through multiple fronts over Fangio’s time as a coordinator to showcase some of his structural versatility and what each front looks like.
While offenses used 11 personnel around 60 percent of the time in 2018, Fangio said his Bears defense saw it closer to 80 percent.
One of the Bears’ primary adjustments was to take a defensive lineman off the field and replace him with a corner, effectively playing out of a 2-4-5 front.
The defensive line
Having two powerful, jolting defensive linemen inside the tackles is an important feature and where it all begins for the Bears defense. Few teams 2-gap as often as Fangio does, but it is balanced with gap exchanges and movement to keep offenses on their toes. These roles will be filled with Derek Wolfe, Shelby Harris and Adam Gotsis in a rotation on early downs and rookie Dre’Mont Jones coming in on later downs to provide a pass-rush boost.
“It’s just, alignment-wise, it’s like it’s old-school defense, where you line up and you beat the guy in front of you,” Wolfe said. “We’re going to be moving. You beat him, beat him, beat him, and then next thing you know, we’re slanting somewhere and moving around and misdirecting.”
“Moving” means there will be gap exchanges and stunts incorporated into the defense that are geared toward confusing offensive linemen, creating hesitancy that ruins blocking schemes.
By being creative and unpredictable with the ability to teach a wide array of technical nuances at a high level, Fangio and his staff will be able to extract the most out of this group and produce an overachieving unit.
The linebackers
The linebacker position is Fangio’s specialty, and he has helped mold some of the greatest ever to play the game, dating back to the famed “Dome Patrol” with the Saints in the early ’90s with Sam Mills, and Kevin Greene with the Panthers, Ray Lewis with the Ravens, Khalil Mack last year, and now Bradley Chubb and Von Miller in Denver.
Linebacker in the 3-4 framework is broken down into two groups: off-ball inside linebackers and edge players who primarily play in a two-point stance.
“The edge players are very important in this 3-4 defense Vic and I have been running for the last eight years,” defensive coordinator Ed Donatell said. “You need guys that can compress the edge, and then you need somebody who can rush the passer.”
Wolfe has mentioned the “fun pass-rush games that are just different” that Fangio employs, and Chubb noted the creativity in Fangio’s defense last year in Chicago.
“Sometimes they would have Khalil and Leonard (Floyd) on the same side,” Chubb said. “Sometimes they had Khalil at a 3-technique, with Leonard on the other side.”
Dialing up exotic fronts and blitzes on third downs with man coverage behind it were staples of the Bears defense last season. Putting your two best speed-rushers on one side and overloading one side of the line creates confusion and chaos, making it very difficult for blockers to decipher the deception.
Additionally, Fangio designed overload blitzes to isolate Mack on the opponent’s tackle, with the rest of the offensive line preoccupied with the numbers advantage the defense had on the other side. Miller and Chubb could be the beneficiaries of a design like this.
The secondary
Fangio and Donatell are entering their ninth consecutive season together. This is the third stint in Denver for Donatell, whose expertise is rooted in coaching defensive backs.
Their collective experience on the defensive side of the ball shows up in how well they are able to disguise their intentions pre-snap as well as mix man and zone coverages on the same play. This is made possible by having intelligent players to carry out a complex scheme, but it has to start from the top with coaches who are smart enough to implement and communicate it efficiently.
Part of the change the new staff will bring to the Broncos secondary and defense will be how it splits up zone and man coverages, with more of the former on early downs and the latter on third downs.
“The way this defense is set up, it’s going to be confusing,” Chris Harris said. “We’re going to be able to disguise, be able to make quarterbacks think instead of just coming out there like, ‘Y’all know we’re in man.’ Now I don’t have to play a guy man-to-man and cover him all over the field like I’ve had to in the past. Now I can read. I think my picks will go way up now because I’m going to have the chance to read the quarterback more. I’ll get to show you a different skill set that I have.”
Having smart, instinctive defensive backs who can hide their intentions pre-snap and then transition to man coverage on later downs when pressure is being dialed up in front of them is important, and Denver has it in spades. Harris (5-foot-10), Callahan (5-9) and recently traded for Duke Dawson (5-11) are smaller players who can play outside or in the slot, giving the defense plenty of malleability to appease Fangio’s play calling. Behind them are promising young corners with more size in Isaac Yiadom (6-1) and Bausby (6-2), who offer up a good mix of physicality, length and ball skills.
The Bears put together a brilliant defensive game plan against the high-powered Rams offense last season in Week 14, mixing up third-down coverages between man and zone while clogging running lanes, oftentimes with a 6×1 defensive front the Patriots used as a template for their dominant defensive performance in Super Bowl LIII.
Incorporating Cover 1 or “man free” allows the defense to play man coverage across the board, with a single-high free safety playing the deep middle of the field.
The Rams were held to 214 total yards and 3.5 yards per play against the Bears.
Fangio often switched the role of his safeties so each would get to play as the deep middle or man defender out of single-high coverages.
znModeratorKeith Carter, the Titans offensive line coach, is the grandson of Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Gino Marchetti, who spent 13 years with the Baltimore Colts.
znModeratorESPN Stats & Info@ESPNStatsInfo
The Titans won Saturday despite being outgained 530-300 (-230).That’s the worst yardage differential in a win in NFL postseason history
Vincent Bonsignore@VinnyBonsignore
DB LaMarcus Joyner told me: “Every Sunday in the NFL, the foundation of football, is built on physicality. But some dudes – (Derrick Henry) get a high off it. He’s a freak of nature”Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
Happy to see @Rodger_Saffold going to the AFC championship! Was always a first-class guy in Rams locker room and obviously a huge difference maker on offensive line. Titans are on a roll.znModeratorJohn Harbaugh: Titans beat us in the trenches https://t.co/7l8bXdN3iq
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) January 12, 2020
znModeratorI think it’s obvious
SF takes Minn,
and Baltimore takes Tenn.Houston loses, seems obvious too.
That’s all home teams, but I think Seattle beats GB.
znModeratorJosh McDaniels’ preferred offensive coordinator, Kevin O’Connell, takes a different job
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/josh-mcdaniels-preferred-offensive-coordinator-031421938.html
On Friday night, the Los Angeles Rams made the move to hire Kevin O’Connell as their next offensive coordinator. O’Connell spent the 2019 season as the Washington Redskins offensive coordinator and will now work under Sean McVay.
O’Connell, 38, was a former New England Patriots third-round draft pick in 2008 but spent just one season as a backup quarterback with the team before bouncing around the NFL.
And while O’Connell was only with the Patriot short-term, his hire on Friday actually may actually be of some significance for the team.
As the MMQB’s Albert Breer detailed on NBC Sports Boston’s “Boston Sports Tonight”, O’Connell was going to be McDaniels’ offensive coordinator if he got the Browns or Panthers job. So could O’Connell taking another job signal that McDaniels isn’t the favorite in Cleveland?
And so my guess, and I don’t know this, but my guess is that if Kevin O’Connell had an offer on the table from the Rams — and let’s remember, that’s also going to be a non-play-calling job — if he had an offer on the table from the Rams, chance are he checked in with Josh first.
And at the very least, it seems likely that Josh didn’t walk away from the meeting today with the job. Now what I can say, there were good feelings coming out of the meeting. I also think Kevin Stefanski, the Vikings offensive coordinator, is still in this. I would also say that the 49ers defensive coordinator, Robert Saleh, is a dark horse here.
Essentially, it’s impossible to know if O’Connell’s hire means anything about McDaniels at the moment. As Breer said, he probably checked in with McDaniels before taking the job. And McDaniels did meet with the Browns for seven hours on Friday and him joining the Browns may be one of the two “likely results” for this hiring situation.
But if McDaniels doesn’t know definitively whether he has the job or not, O’Connell would probably have trouble turning down a coordinator spot with the Rams.
The McDaniels situation will likely have a resolution at some point in the coming days. The only way it could extend further is if the Browns favor either Stefanski or Saleh and the team of their favored coach advances in the playoffs.
But if that happens, the answer on the Browns coaching search will likely become clearer. And the longer there is no news about the hire, the better it will be for the Patriots’ chances of keeping McDaniels.
znModeratorReport: Rams, Cowboys both want Stan Drayton as RBs coach
Report: Rams, Cowboys both want Stan Drayton as RBs coach
The Cowboys and Rams both covet the service of Stan Drayton as their running backs coach.
Hall of Famer Gil Brandt of NFL Media reports that the teams “appear to be a in a war” for Drayton.
Drayton is the associate head coach and run game coordinator at the University of Texas, where he has coached since 2017. He was with the Bears in 2015-16.
His only other NFL experience came early in his career with the Packers. He was assistant offensive quality control/special teams coach from 2001–2003 in Green Bay.
Drayton coached Ezekiel Elliott at Ohio State, where Drayton spent four seasons.
The Cowboys had Gary Brown as their running backs coach the past seven seasons, while Skip Peete coached the Rams’ running backs the past four seasons.
znModeratorNFL Playoffs Sunday Preview: Examining whether the Packers have enough offense, the Chiefs need to jump on Houston early, the NFL makes more baffling officiating decisions, and playoff teams hanging on to top assistant coaches (so far) https://t.co/c0T4xFdP47
— The MMQB (@theMMQB) January 12, 2020
znModeratorFootball Perspective@fbgchase
Mark Ingram injury and Ravens receivers struggling made this a one-man show for Lamar.He passed or carried the ball on 83 plays, the single-most in NFL history. That is insane. Only one other player has had more than 72 plays (Steve Young had 77 in a playoff game).
trey wingo@wingoz
Here’s the entire list or RBs that have rush for at least 180 yards in 3 staight NFL games:Derrick Henry
Thats it
NFL Research@NFLResearch
Derrick Henry is the first player in NFL history with 2 games of 175+ rush yards in the same postseason.NFL Research@NFLResearch
Derrick Henry has 561 rush yards in his playoff career, the most by a player in his first 4 playoff games in the Super Bowl era.ESPN Stats & Info@ESPNStatsInfo
The @Titans are the 3rd team since the 1970 merger to beat the No. 1 scoring offense (Ravens) and No. 1 scoring defense (Patriots) in the same postseason.The other 2 teams both won the Super Bowl (1988 49ers, 2004 Patriots).
Colin Cowherd@ColinCowherd
There’s a difference between a referendum and a reminder. This loss is not a referendum against Lamar. Simply a reminder. QB Mobility is awesome but has limitations. Ultimately.znModeratorCongratulations to Roger Saffold for making the conference championship for the second consecutive year! Rodger played 9 years as a Ram and through the ups and downs he was a constant professional! pic.twitter.com/mLJZjGBDvS
— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) January 12, 2020
znModeratorBrett Kollmann@BrettKollmann
The Titans picked an excellent time to play their best game of the year.znModeratorDerrick Henry is ridiculous 💨
(via @Titans)pic.twitter.com/6gYqHRAGpC
— ESPN (@espn) January 12, 2020
znModeratorSosa K@QBsMVP
Marcus Peters just tackled Derrick Henry. I’ve really seen it all now.Steven Jackson@sj39
Ravens looks rusty and out of sync. This first half for the Ravens looks like a bad first half of practice, and coach threatens to start it over. Too bad it’s the post season and not the preseason.Tony Dungy@TonyDungy
Tennessee Titans are plaguing a very smart game against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. They are taking away the middle of the field and forcing him to throw outside. And their defense is playing fast and chasing him down when he runs. Very impressive.znModeratorThe newest member of the @ProFootballHOF: Bill Cowher.
Congratulations, @CowherCBS! #PFHOF20 pic.twitter.com/s5f1gXuDfO— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) January 12, 2020
znModeratorznModeratorOut with the old
In with the youth
#Dirty30s 😈 pic.twitter.com/zIhAf3n9ry— ToeMas (@RamTommyInLA) January 11, 2020
znModeratorWell, who knows, but I remember ole Dick Vermeil always had tons of experienced vet-coaches around him. Seemed to work for ‘him.’
I can only hope McVay knows what he’s doin.
Yeah and that brings up another thing. Regarding the D-coordinator: on paper, so far so good. But a lot of what makes Fangio tick is his feel for “in real time”, on the spot adjustments. Does Staley have the knack for that? Cause I don’t think that can be taught. Knowing quickly, what to do when.
The scheme ought to be good overall, and the strategies, and so on. But does Staley have anything like Fangio’s feel for how a game is going, and spontaneous ability to react to it?
Even if he doesn’t, it looks like a good hire.
znModeratorPA Ram
He worked as QB coach for Mike Pettine (HC)/ John DiFilippo (OC) in Cleveland (2015). He was in charge of “special projects” for Chip Kelly in SF (2016). And QB coach (2017) for Jay Gruden / Matt Cavanaugh, then passing game coordinator in 2018 and then Cavanaugh got bumped upstairs to “senior offensive assistant” so he could be OC in 2019. So he’s coached under 3 “highly regarded” offensive guys, DiFilippo, Kelly and Gruden.
I read he was Josh McDaniels’ preferred OC and was expected to get the job if JM got the Panthers or Browns HC gig, according to Albert Breer (Boston Sports Tonight).
znModeratorI like em both. So far so good.
Problem with young coaches though is, how soon before they’re gone?
By the end of the decade every single NFL team will be coached by a McVay tree guy.
znModeratoran ESPN article from a few months ago:
https://www.ramsfansunited.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=11067&p=169273
Which coach’s defense is the toughest to read and attack?
LaFleur: There are so many guys and every system is different, but I look at Vic Fangio. Just the fronts and the multiple looks you get from him. That’s incredibly difficult.
“Well, I would say thank you for the compliment. … You hope that’s the case, you hope you are a challenging team to play, you want to be tough to prepare for because they’re tough to prepare for.” -Vic Fangio, now Denver’s head coach, on praise for his schemes
Shanahan: My hardest has probably always been Vic Fangio. He does so many things with his personnel groupings that he puts you in a bind with protections. He ties a lot of stuff together. Playing against him, I feel he packages stuff very similar to how I would think. [Bill] Belichick is very similar. They do it in a different style. You know they don’t just run their defenses. They figure out what you’re doing and then they think about how to stop what you’re doing
McVay: For us, I think Fangio and the Bears did an outstanding job of a sound scheme with versatility mixed with great players. And clearly what New England did down the stretch was impressive. Those are the two defenses that gave us the most trouble.
znModeratorDeadpool
What Staley’s hiring means as far as offseason personnel. Just some early, early guess work based on what Fangio has done in the past.
1st, I can see why this hire was made. Fangio runs a very similar 34 1 gap system or 43 under with a standup DE. Call it what you want. 2ndly, Fangio was hellbent on stopping the run first, and that seems important in a division with SF and Seattle. Lastly, Fangio ran a ton of differnt looks, not only from moving his fronts around to press man, off man and zone coverage.
What kind of personnel did fangio use?
NT – In SF, he had Sopoaga 330 lbs, in Chicago Goldman at 320 lbs and in Denver Purcell at 328. So I would guess at some point Staley is going to want a bigger NT, thats good news for you Greg Gaines fans out there, all 2 of you lol. Anyhow, I wouldn’t be shocked to see a bigger DL drafted or signed in FA this offseason.
DE – He has always had a very good pass rushing DE, from Justin Smith to Hicks to now Donald, so that seems set. Other then the obvious hole Brockers will create.
LBers – his OLBers will look alot like what the Rams have now, so I’m not expecting anything earth shattering here, obviously Fowler is a FA. A good fit on a cheap deal would be Vic Beasley Jr from Atlanta.
ILB – this is where it could get very interesting. As where Wade could care less about his ILBers, Fangio valued his ILBers bigtime. He had Willis and Bowman in SF, he brought in Danny Travathon in from Denver after some fantastic years with Phillips and then drafted Roquan Smith #8 overall. He didn’t have anything great in Denver, and Fangio’s draft focused on offense for the 1st half of the draft, so the jury is out there, but I would guess Littleton jumps way up the list for re-signing and probably a higher then we would think draft pick.
Safeties are interchangeable and that is a bit of an issue with Rapp, because he just ins’t that rangy deep safety, and works best moving forward. I think they make it work but would not be surprised if they add a rangy FS later in the draft to develop so they can move Rapp around like a 3rd safety/LBer.
Cbs – Fangio likes his CBs with some size, and man skills first and foremost. After RAMsey is extended this group is set.
So to recap
Corners seem set
Safeties seem set until late in the draft
OLBers – gonna need to get one in FA or the draft in that 255 to 265 lb range that can stand up or put hand in the dirt. Vic Breasley Jr in FA and a few draft guys that work are Weaver – Boise State, Lewis – Alabama, Greenard – Florida, Zuniga – Florida. Lynch and Irving are FAs from Chi that were backups.
ILB – Becomes immediately the biggest area of need IMO. Littleton, it would seem becomes priority #1 in FA, and a draft pick somewhere day 2 or early day 3. Some names that pop out to me: Troy Dye – Oregon, Harrison – Ohio St., Rice – Georgia, Weaver – Cal, Strnad – WF, Cam Brown Penn St. Trevathon from Chi is a 30 year old short term solution at ILB as a FA, And Denver has a pair of FA ILBers in Corey Nelson and Joseph Jones.
DE – Brockers is going to need to be replaced, but it won’t be a high priority as there are some in house candidates and later round draft picks IMO. FYI Denver has 4 34 Ends as FAs this year including a 30 year old Derek Wolfe coming off injury. The other names are Gotsis, Heath and Harris.
NT – Unless the kid (37, man I’m getting old calling him a kid…) goes away from Fangio and goes light. Gaines is the closest thing they have, and Fangio has never been around a high drafted NT, so I’m guessing they add some day 3 beef to come in and compete. Now, I will go out and say I would love me some Leki Fotu in the 3rd. Dreamy…Anyhow, some day 3 NTs: Benito Jones – Ole Miss (really like on day 3) 325 lbs, lawrence – LSU 315 lbs.
Purcell is a NT FA from Denver, restricted, and 28 so, keep the name in the back of your head.
==
It seems like there are 2 trains of thought when it comes to coaches.
1. We are going to do what we do, and what we do best, and if you beat us, you beat us.
then theres:
2. We are going to adapt and evolve and adjust and actively change, giving us the best chance to beat you.
Phillips was a #1 type personality, McVay and his stubbornness to evolve off the 11 personnel makes him seem like a type 1, but he wanted a type 2 DC.
I personally like type 2s. personal preference obviously. I love the flexibility it gives you, because I think for the most part, teams will eventually figure you out if all you do is the same thing over and over.
znModeratorznModeratorLooking at the game plan keys for the Divisional Matchups — #49ers play-action vs. Quarters#Titans red zone coverage schemes#Chiefs creating isolation matchups for TE Travis Kelce#Packers targeting RB Aaron Jones on vertical throws
It’s up at E+https://t.co/XhBLnuz8wU
— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) January 11, 2020
znModerator4 things to know about new Rams DC Brandon Staley https://t.co/V72E8f3gm9
— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) January 11, 2020
znModerator4 things to know about new Rams OC Kevin O'Connell https://t.co/Cz50xzCTqy
— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) January 11, 2020
znModeratorRams hiring Kevin O'Connell as OC, Staley as DC https://t.co/gMl3uJtiFD
— RamsNewsNow (@RamsNewsNow) January 11, 2020
January 11, 2020 at 9:12 am in reply to: more about the hires (O’Connell, Staley)…including Hammond article #110295znModeratorWhat you need to know about new Rams coordinators Brandon Staley and Kevin O’Connell
Rich Hammond
The end of a 9-7 season brought a lot of change to the Rams, and that’s not a bad thing.
Coach Sean McVay is not being meek to start 2020, as evidenced by his selection of Brandon Staley as the Rams’ new defensive coordinator and Kevin O’Connell as the new offensive coordinator. The team has not announced either move, but a Rams source confirmed Friday that the hirings are in progress.
So at the same time, McVay made a brash move and also showed some vulnerability. Those are great signs for Rams fans wondering how McVay might respond to his first dose of adversity as a head coach.
Staley is a bold hire. He’s only 37, and as recently as three years ago, he worked as defensive coordinator for the Division III Blue Streaks of John Carroll University. For the past three years, though, Staley has been a protege of Vic Fangio, one of the most respected NFL defensive coordinators of his generation.
McVay is said to have been highly impressed with Staley’s interview this week and is buying early on a young coach who could have a bright future. It’s a big move away from Wade Phillips, who was cut loose this week and has been coaching in the NFL longer than Staley has been alive. McVay could have been timider and promoted an assistant from Phillips’ staff such as Joe Barry or Aubrey Pleasant, but instead he took a big swing. That’s understandable and admirable. Now it just has to work.
In hiring O’Connell, McVay fills a spot that had been vacant since Matt LaFleur departed after the 2017 season. McVay spent two seasons without an offensive coordinator, but it became increasingly clear he needed some help. That’s not a failure. Only two other NFL coaches do not have a full-time offensive coordinator, so now McVay has another voice and pair of eyes to help him. McVay will continue to call offensive plays, but O’Connell certainly can assist with game planning and adjustments.
The genesis of all this is McVay’s desire to reshape his staff to meet his current needs, instead of those of 2017. That shows a lot of introspection and proactive thinking. The Rams went 9-7 this season. They fell far short of expectations but weren’t terrible. They were the only team with a winning record to miss the playoffs.
McVay could have stood pat, not made changes to his staff and argued the Rams were one missed field goal from a 10-win season and a possible playoff spot. The fact he’s in the process of making widespread changes should indicate mediocrity won’t be accepted, and that’s good.
McVay is not the same coach as in 2017, when at age 30 he hired Phillips and handed over the defense. McVay had to learn and grow, and now, after three years on the job, it seems he wants to branch out and take more ownership over other areas of the team, including the defense. It’s encouraging McVay didn’t try to do it all and recognized the need to bolster his offensive staff.
The Rams still must find a new special-teams coordinator (to replace John Fassel, who left this week for the same job with Dallas) and a running backs coach (to replace the fired Skip Peete), but these are the big moves, and they’re accompanied by a lot of questions. Let’s tackle the five biggest ones.
Who are these guys?
This seems like a good place to start because neither coach has a long professional résumé.
Staley is 37 years old and a former quarterback at the University of Dayton who spent a decade coaching in the community college, Division I and Division III ranks until he joined the Chicago Bears in 2017 as the outside linebackers coach under then-defensive coordinator Fangio.
When the Denver Broncos hired Fangio as their head coach last year, Staley followed, again to coach outside linebackers. In 2019, Fangio worked with Von Miller and Bradley Chubb and helped develop undrafted rookie Malik Reed, who took over for Chubb after a season-ending ACL injury.
Denver’s defense ranked 10th in the NFL in 2019, allowing an average of 19.8 points per game. That was an improvement over 2018, when the Broncos ranked 20th (21.8 points per game).
O’Connell, 34, grew up in Carlsbad and started 21 games at quarterback for San Diego State. A third-round pick of New England in 2008, O’Connell spent parts of five seasons with the Patriots, Lions, Jets, Dolphins and Chargers but appeared in only two regular-season games.
After some time as a private quarterbacks coach, O’Connell got hired as Cleveland’s quarterbacks coach in 2015, then moved to San Francisco as an offensive assistant in 2016. Washington coach Jay Gruden — one of McVay’s coaching mentors — hired O’Connell as his quarterbacks coach in 2017, then promoted him to pass-game coordinator in 2018 and to offensive coordinator in 2019.
Gruden was fired in October and Washington scored the fewest points in the NFL this season, but the Redskins had an uneven offense and played rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins for half of the season. O’Connell left Washington after the Redskins hired new coach Ron Rivera two weeks ago.
How will the Rams offense change?
It might change quite a bit, but not necessarily because of O’Connell, who essentially will do the same job as LaFleur in 2017 as a coordinator without play-calling responsibilities. The offense clearly is still McVay’s baby, as it should be. After his great success in 2017 and 2018, McVay deserves an opportunity to show he can bring a top-10 offense back to the Rams after a down season.
McVay’s top offensive deputies the past two seasons — pass-game coordinator Shane Waldron and run-game coordinator Aaron Kromer — also double as position coaches. O’Connell will not, so he could be most valuable in helping McVay make adjustments that seemed slow to develop in 2019 (and late in 2018). But any significant changes to the Rams offense most likely will come from McVay.
How will the Rams defense change?
It’s annoying to answer a question with a question, but the real one might be: Is Staley going to be a true disciple of Fangio or will he go his own way? Fangio, in his 25 years as an NFL coordinator and coach, is known for a base 3-4 package that can shift its looks frequently, depending on the opposing offense and game situation.
Staley won’t necessarily duplicate Fangio’s defense, but he said something revealing last year to reporters in Denver who were curious about his background and the schemes he ran in college.
“A lot of defense that I coordinated,” Staley said, “we mirrored a lot of stuff from San Francisco (Fangio’s previous team), so when I came to Chicago, I felt like I had been coaching for Vic for a long time because I had been watching so much of his stuff. When I interviewed, a lot of the teach tapes we had at John Carroll, there was a ton of 49ers stuff on there. I think I was able to catch his eye a little bit, and it’s worked out great.”
It seems very likely the Rams will stay with a 3-4 front, but it could look quite different. Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports recently had an informative string of tweets and indicated McVay wanted a defensive coordinator with a willingness to mix up his personnel looks. The Rams might not necessarily even be a “man” or “zone” team. That’s the kind of unpredictability McVay is seeking.
Will the Rams lose any defensive assistants?
There’s a good chance. Barry, the current linebackers coach (and assistant head coach), was considered an internal candidate to replace Phillips, and he’s also reportedly a candidate to become USC’s defensive coordinator. If the Trojans offer Barry that job, there’s seemingly a good chance he will leave the Rams.
Pleasant, the Rams’ cornerbacks coach, is another one to watch. At 33, Pleasant is considered a rising star and also was thought to be a potential Phillips replacement. Last year, Cincinnati was interested in talking to Pleasant about its coordinator opening, and surely McVay understands (and appreciates, given his recent history) young, eager coaches aren’t going to stick around forever.
Ejiro Evero, the Rams’ safeties coach, also might draw attention from NFL teams and college programs.
Are these good moves?
O’Connell seems to be a clear yes. He has experience as an NFL offensive coordinator and has been around the league for more than a decade, and while O’Connell’s primary task will be to assist McVay, he offers another benefit: He can be another mentor for young quarterback Jared Goff.
The Rams still have Waldron and assistant Zac Robinson, but as a private coach, O’Connell also worked with some of the best college quarterbacks of this decade, including Johnny Manziel, Marcus Mariota and Bryce Petty. Goff had an uneven season — partially attributable to the Rams’ lackluster offensive line and run game — and he needs to improve in 2020. O’Connell will help.
Staley is more difficult to project. He’s taking a huge step up in responsibilities, and he’s replacing a beloved legend in Phillips. He is exactly what McVay sought — smart and adaptable — but he’s going to receive a lot of scrutiny. McVay is betting that Staley is a future coaching star.
The fact McVay chose Staley isn’t a slap at Pleasant (or anyone else). McVay entered the search with a clear idea of what he was looking for, and when Staley aced the interview, he got the job.
znModeratorAlbert Breer@AlbertBreer
Key thing here: How challenging Vic Fangio’s defenses have been for McVay to go against. This hire is a sign of the Rams’ respect for Fangio.znModeratorRich Hammond@Rich_Hammond
Kevin O’Connell got hired by Jay Gruden in Washington, then Gruden promoted him twice (QBs to pass-game coordinator to OC). It’s not exactly a stretch to think Sean McVay talked to his pal Jay about O’Connell.znModeratorSorry Neil.
Fixed. You want me to delete your last post and this one by me?
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