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For two glorious years, the Los Angeles Rams dazzled the NFL with an explosive offense and an opportunistic defense that allowed yards on the ground but produced turnovers when necessary. Most everyone expected more of the same in 2019. Flawless execution was the standard by which the Ram identity was formed under Sean MvVay.
After half a season of inconsistency in all three phases, the Rams are forming a new identity on the fly. Coach McVay is unwavering and predictable about his process and belief in his coaches and players. But there is a new direction being formed and it’s so subtle that most wont appreciate it until the players learn to execute the plan effectively.
On offense, a dominant run game characterized by the usage of 11 personnel and zone blocking which sets up play action has been “played out” as defenses have learned how to stop it consistently. As the offensive line no longer has the veteran cohesion previously enjoyed, variances of 12 personnel and power blocking have both diversified the attack and slowed the growth of cohesion for the offensive line. Goff’s reads need to go from long to short to a quicker read to help mitigate the time the line has to hold its blocks. As Goff is forced to longer distances on later downs because the first down wins are diminishing, McVay has countered with more spread/pass first looks. The offense will remain a work in progress as they learn new rules in their schemes.
The defense has officially moved on from both its starting corners, Peters and Talib. Weddle is an upgrade over Joyner from the neck up, but he’s a step below his All Pro form physically at this stage. The loss of JJ to IR has kept Rapp at safety instead of the hybrid LB/SS role originally planned. While the edge pressure has improved, Phillips has relied more on generating pressure in a gambling fashion at the sacrifice of too many open receivers when the rush fails to get home. The younger defenders are missing assignments far too regularly and the vets have needed to compensate. This unit is also far from a polished unit in control of its identity.
The most puzzling aspect of this team is the suddenly inconsistent performance of the special teams. Both Zuerline and Hekker have missed on more kicks in half a season than any of us can recall for entire previous seasons. It’s not that they’ve been bad...it’s just not been the usual, well, “them.” And while Jo Jo has had a couple nice returns, even that aspect hasn’t been a net improvement. While there haven’t been as many trick special teams plays yet, I suspect Bones is holding his better looks for later in the year when they may become more necessary.
While a 5-3 record isn’t a disastrous beginning, the optics of the games themselves lend to the belief that the drawing board has been wiped and a new identity is being created. The offense is getting back to basics until the new run game “finds its legs.” The defense will gamble more than the past as man pressure will become normative. With a team depending on so much youth to grow, it’s going to take no less than a collective passion to overcome deficiencies for this team to finish on top. And if that’s the new identity, while it may not be sustainable for a dynastic run, it might be enough for 11 more games.
After half a season of inconsistency in all three phases, the Rams are forming a new identity on the fly. Coach McVay is unwavering and predictable about his process and belief in his coaches and players. But there is a new direction being formed and it’s so subtle that most wont appreciate it until the players learn to execute the plan effectively.
On offense, a dominant run game characterized by the usage of 11 personnel and zone blocking which sets up play action has been “played out” as defenses have learned how to stop it consistently. As the offensive line no longer has the veteran cohesion previously enjoyed, variances of 12 personnel and power blocking have both diversified the attack and slowed the growth of cohesion for the offensive line. Goff’s reads need to go from long to short to a quicker read to help mitigate the time the line has to hold its blocks. As Goff is forced to longer distances on later downs because the first down wins are diminishing, McVay has countered with more spread/pass first looks. The offense will remain a work in progress as they learn new rules in their schemes.
The defense has officially moved on from both its starting corners, Peters and Talib. Weddle is an upgrade over Joyner from the neck up, but he’s a step below his All Pro form physically at this stage. The loss of JJ to IR has kept Rapp at safety instead of the hybrid LB/SS role originally planned. While the edge pressure has improved, Phillips has relied more on generating pressure in a gambling fashion at the sacrifice of too many open receivers when the rush fails to get home. The younger defenders are missing assignments far too regularly and the vets have needed to compensate. This unit is also far from a polished unit in control of its identity.
The most puzzling aspect of this team is the suddenly inconsistent performance of the special teams. Both Zuerline and Hekker have missed on more kicks in half a season than any of us can recall for entire previous seasons. It’s not that they’ve been bad...it’s just not been the usual, well, “them.” And while Jo Jo has had a couple nice returns, even that aspect hasn’t been a net improvement. While there haven’t been as many trick special teams plays yet, I suspect Bones is holding his better looks for later in the year when they may become more necessary.
While a 5-3 record isn’t a disastrous beginning, the optics of the games themselves lend to the belief that the drawing board has been wiped and a new identity is being created. The offense is getting back to basics until the new run game “finds its legs.” The defense will gamble more than the past as man pressure will become normative. With a team depending on so much youth to grow, it’s going to take no less than a collective passion to overcome deficiencies for this team to finish on top. And if that’s the new identity, while it may not be sustainable for a dynastic run, it might be enough for 11 more games.
