Does Wade’s D get “finished” this offseason?

[Rams43]

I think that that might be the plan.

The O got the most attention in last year’s draft, although Wade got a few FA’s.

Now it’s his turn, I think.

Would just love to know his thinking and strategies in so many areas.

Quinn. Can he be a star in Wade’s 3-4? If not, Quinn’s salary is a killer liability. Gotta be one or the other, don’t you think?

Who is gonna be Wade’s 3rd DL starter? Is he on the roster? Maybe a FA that is tbd? Or a draft pick?

Ogletree, does he stay inside? Or does Wade prefer him outside?

If Tree moves outside, who takes his place inside? Again, on roster, FA, or draft?

Barron. Does Wade love him inside? He said nice things about Barron this season, but what about now? Health issues and cap cost are definitely factors, I would think. Might be iffy when push comes to shove.

How badly does Wade really want TruJo? I wonder. Especially if he requires a ton of precious cap dollars. Might have another less expensive FA in mind. Or maybe a premium draft pick? A Snead CB gem special?

Webster might not be able to start outside by opening day. Maybe ever. Does Wade like Troy Hill as his starter? I bet we will see 2 new starting outside CB’s for next opening day.

I’m sure that Wade loves Joyner, and that Joyner loves playing for Wade. Joyner will get extended, I’m certain.

JJ is Wade’s “boy” and will be a starter next year, for sure.

Sooooo...

Lot’s of questions personnel wise on our D for next year.

I foresee heavy draft on D plus maybe a FA or two for Wade and his D this offseason.

When all the dust settles, we could see a lot of new faces as starters. Maybe as many as 7, depending on how the LB corps settles out.

But I think we come out with an upgraded D that will finish Top 5 in scoring. Probably won’t be any talk about a weak run D for the Rams, either. Lol.

Thoughts?

 

[gabriel18]

Buffalo has some stud LBers . That's what the Rams need .

 

[WestCoastRam]

I gotta be honest, we have so many FAs on defense and more than likely will lose a few, I'd almost be happy if we just maintained and would be ecstatic if we were to improve.

Ideally we could keep some of the secondary and then be able to improve the depth on the Dline and possibly find another pass rusher and better NT than Westbrook.

That seems like a tall oder for this offseason.

 

[MachS]

Tree to the outside seems like a perfect fit. Let him rush which is one of his best attributes and minimizes the amount of tackles he has to make in space. He can still get out and cover as well.

It would be nice to draft a stud MLB this year.

 

[EastRam]

I gotta be honest, we have so many FAs on defense and more than likely will lose a few, I'd almost be happy if we just maintained and would be ecstatic if we were to improve.

Ideally we could keep some of the secondary and then be able to improve the depth on the Dline and possibly find another pass rusher and better NT than Westbrook.

That seems like a tall oder for this offseason.

We're going to see this offseason if McVay is a complete coach when it comes to both sides of the ball.

Or is his only focus going to be about the "O"

 

[Adi]

DL: Need a big body to help with the run and taking on Blocks. Potroast on wades broncos defense was great . Donald needs to be extended, brockers is a beast.

LB: Need better pass rush from olb, I don't think Quinn or barwin are starters and should be rotation players. Target an outside pass rusher in the draft or free agency . Demarcus ware and Von miller made that broncos defense work. I like 26 and 52 in the middle, with better pressure up front They will not need to take on so many blocks . I love their speed.

SECONDARY: sign Joyner , him and jj3 make a great combo. Resign Tru on hometown discount and find 1 more corner in fa or draft . NRC needs to stay at nickel.

No matter what happens this defense will be better with another year in the system . I have faith in the organization to focus on this defense and make moves in the off season

 

[Dodgersrf]

We're going to see this offseason if McVay is a complete coach when it comes to both sides of the ball.

Or is his only focus going to be about the "O"

It's really not entirely up to McVay. Or even Ahead for that matter.
Since McVay has been hired, we've heard the Rams preaching community and unity. It sounds like most decisions will be made as a collective unit.
There is no way our poor run defense will be neglected this off-season.
I am very optimistic about 2018 and beyond

 

[Jacobarch]

Tree to the outside seems like a perfect fit. Let him rush which is one of his best attributes and minimizes the amount of tackles he has to make in space. He can still get out and cover as well.

It would be nice to draft a stud MLB this year.

Well in a 34 they are both ILB but yes one does play on the outside a little more. We do need that thumper tho. But maybe with a better NT and having Westbrooks as a rotational NT could solve a lot of our problems.

 

[HE WITH HORNS]

We need some bigger LBs that won't get run over next year. Our passing D is good, our run D is a liability.

 

[Dodgersrf]

DL: Need a big body to help with the run and taking on Blocks. Potroast on wades broncos defense was great . Donald needs to be extended, brockers is a beast.

LB: Need better pass rush from olb, I don't think Quinn or barwin are starters and should be rotation players. Target an outside pass rusher in the draft or free agency . Demarcus ware and Von miller made that broncos defense work. I like 26 and 52 in the middle, with better pressure up front They will not need to take on so many blocks . I love their speed.

SECONDARY: sign Joyner , him and jj3 make a great combo. Resign Tru on hometown discount and find 1 more corner in fa or draft . NRC needs to stay at nickel.

No matter what happens this defense will be better with another year in the system . I have faith in the organization to focus on this defense and make moves in the off season

Quinn played much better later in the season, but I think there is no question he's better at 4-3 DE. Shoudnt be hard to find a trade partner if we want to move on from him.
I believe we have quite a bit of money spent on Quinn, Tree and Barron. Did all 3 really play at their strongest positions this season? That's a lot of money wasted if the answer is no.

 

[WestCoastRam]

I keep hearing people talking about putting Ogletree at OLB in the 3-4 and having him rush the passer. Guys, an OLB in the 3-4 is basically a DE. Ogletree would be demolished trying to set the edge in the run game and would be EASILY eliminated as a pass rusher by the most rudimentary left or right tackle.

You might as well put Joyner at DE while you're at it. Please please please stop talking about moving Ogletree to OLB. This is not a 4-3 defense!

 

[wolfdogg]

I think most of the off season focus with FAs and draft will and should be about the defense. I like our d but we have to find a way to stop the run better. The offense is pretty much there barring a major upgrade at one position through FA. Love Gurley Goff the receivers and the line. Would be interested in looking at Eifert and even Graham at TE. Adding one of thise 2 would stack our offense as the defense would have a hard time with covering a package of Sammy woods kupp Gurley and one of these REs

 

[Zodi]

I keep hearing people talking about putting Ogletree at OLB in the 3-4 and having him rush the passer. Guys, an OLB in the 3-4 is basically a DE. Ogletree would be demolished trying to set the edge in the run game and would be EASILY eliminated as a pass rusher by the most rudimentary left or right tackle.

You might as well put Joyner at DE while you're at it. Please please please stop talking about moving Ogletree to OLB. This is not a 4-3 defense!

Exactly. Dude has trouble shedding blocks. How is he going to rush the passer from the edge? Or seal the edge? He's basically a safety, like Barron-- just a bit bigger. He's only good at blitzing when he's the fifth guy.

I think Barron is gone by product of Ogletree getting that huge extension. We need a true 3-4 ILB, and two true 3-4 OLB's. I don't mind our secondary. Joyner, Johnson, Davis, Johnson, NRC, and hopefully Webster. I like that group. Lock 'em up.

 

[Merlin]

If Les Snead doesn't address the defense he's gonna be in trouble. Mark my words. Because as good as Wade is, he does show some dips in year 2 when teams don't get him what he needs.

Even a great DC needs players. Wade did a great job all year long with some subpar parts, and now it's time to get that defense retooled and ready for a playoff run.

You gotta be able to survive defensive dogfight type games in the playoffs, no matter how good your offense is. That's the simple truth of it, IMO. Rams need more pieces, and with the FA impact to the secondary this is one scary @$$ offseason for Snead.

 

[norcalramfan]

I’m completely underwhelmed by Ogletree. He can’t tackle and I would like to see him gone. I believe we extended him so I don’t know if we could trade him. He didn’t even look prepared on Atlanta’s last touchdown.

 

[Merlin]

I’m completely underwhelmed by Ogletree. He can’t tackle and I would like to see him gone. I believe we extended him so I don’t know if we could trade him. He didn’t even look prepared on Atlanta’s last touchdown.

It ain't gonna happen man.

What they'll probably do is cut/trade Barron, and move Tree over with a complementary ILB who brings more physicality and tackling ability.

 

[EastRam]

It's really not entirely up to McVay. Or even Ahead for that matter.
Since McVay has been hired, we've heard the Rams preaching community and unity. It sounds like most decisions will be made as a collective unit.
There is no way our poor run defense will be neglected this off-season.
I am very optimistic about 2018 and beyond

Sure it is. I doubt very seriously that if McVay says he wants this guy or that guy Snead says naw this guy is a better fit.

But the wild card in our offseason
Is Demoff. He's is my biggest "Shaw" fear.

If the Rams are going to have a long run Demoff and Pastoor (spelling). Have to get out of the way and sign who they are TOLD to sign.

 

[Soul Surfer]

Draft a nose tackle and an inside linebacker fairly high to shore up the run defense.
Pick up a couple of defensive backs in free agency or draft one.

Make sure the defensive backs are both strong in run support.

Coach them up.

Let Trumaine go.

 

[Mackeyser]

I’m completely underwhelmed by Ogletree. He can’t tackle and I would like to see him gone. I believe we extended him so I don’t know if we could trade him. He didn’t even look prepared on Atlanta’s last touchdown.

We're locked in on Tree since he resigned during the season.

Also, I think he was playing with one arm since he hyperextended his elbow. He didn't have the brace, but he wasn't his usual self.

I don't think we can afford Barron anymore, but dang if he didn't actually make the tackle on the runner to save huge gains. Several of his tackles were "Make it or watch the guy go for a TD" cuz no one had a decent angle behind him.

I'll have faith that this crew will be mindful of their goals and function with intention and purpose.

This is such a radical departure from the previous regimes that I honestly am gonna have to sit back and watch because any expectations are likely to be way off.

 

[UKram]

They overhauled the offense in one season which needed a lot more work than the defense does so I’m saying yep