http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/ ... 6ec40.html
Tim Walton is a classic sports scapegoat.
He became the Rams' defensive coordinator last year only after Jeff Fisher’s preferred hiring candidate, Rob Ryan, skipped town after attending a few staff meetings.
Ryan believes in the 3-4 defensive scheme. Fisher is a 4-3 guy. And make no mistake, the Rams run the Jeff Fisher Defense.
So Ryan bolted to New Orleans to run his own program for the Saints. His exit left Fisher scrambling for a replacement. The pool of candidates was not deep.
This gave Walton an opportunity to step up from his previous role as Detroit Lions secondary coach.
He came highly recommended by Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz, who served under Fisher with the Tennessee Titans. But Walton faced a steep learning curve.
The Rams suffered a rocky defensive start under before rallying in the second half of the season. The improvement came after Walton moved from the field to the coaching box and Fisher assumed an even bigger role with the defensive side of the team.
(Did Fisher actually take over the defensive play-calling? The Rams downplayed that media report, but clearly Fisher became more assertive with the unit.)
Naturally fans demanded Walton’s firing in our live chats on STLToday.com. From the moderator’s chair, I always noted that the Rams ran the Jeff Fisher Defense with players Fisher selected for the roster.
Fisher oversaw the defensive game-planning, too, as well as the in-game adjustments with the Jeff Fisher Defense.
So how much of last year’s slippage could you really put on Walton? And how many coordinators would Fisher go through before making the Jeff Fisher Defense work to full capacity?
Walton’s primary problems came in the secondary, which had been his area of expertise. His zone defenses featured soft cushions, allowing the Carson Palmers of the world to play pitch-and-catch for hours at a time against the Rams.
But personnel issues handcuffed Walton. Cornerback Cortland Finnegan might be Fisher’s favorite player in the whole world, but the man lost a couple of steps last season.
Finnegan couldn’t keep within arm's reach of his guy in man-to-man coverage. Before shutting down for the season with an eye injury, he spent most of his time playing futile games of tag.
Second-year cornerback Janoris Jenkins struggled mightily. He kept gambling and losing in man-to-man coverage, biting on pump fake after pump fake.
He quit making big plays, so his risk-reward ratio went haywire. Jenkins proved much better at talking trash and earning penalties than actually covering people.
Cornerback Trumaine Johnson showed promise but he, too, was penalty prone. Poor Brandon McGee tried to learn his craft while playing through injuries, with generally dismal results.
Rookie T.J. McDonald suffered a broken leg, making a suspect safety corps even worse. Rodney McLeod could have been a fine handyman for the secondary, but he wasn’t a great starting free safety.
Given all of that, could you really blame Walton for playing it safe with his coverage? Here is what Post-Dispatch Rams reporter Jim Thomas wrote back in December:
You can debate whether the Rams have the right players on the back end — and it’s clear it’s the weakest position overall on the roster. But it’s also a case of the Rams being simply too young in the secondary to compete effectively on a week in, week out basis.
A suspect secondary has a domino effect on the rest of the defense. It lessens a unit’s ability to blitz and change up looks.
Now Gregg Williams is back at Rams Park as the new/old defensive coordinator, fully rehabilitated from his year-long "Bountygate" suspension and a season on the Tennessee Titans staff.
The coaching staff got a lot better with his return. Now the front office has to get to work on the roster.
The Rams better give Williams an upgraded secondary and the opportunity to unleash his front seven. Why bring him back if he can't do his thing?
After 7-8-1 and 7-9 seasons, the Rams musts reap the benefits of an extending rebuilding process. One more NFL Draft bonanza should give them the personnel needed to take that step.
It's time to win some games. The Rams are running out of excuses and scapegoats.
Tim Walton is a classic sports scapegoat.
He became the Rams' defensive coordinator last year only after Jeff Fisher’s preferred hiring candidate, Rob Ryan, skipped town after attending a few staff meetings.
Ryan believes in the 3-4 defensive scheme. Fisher is a 4-3 guy. And make no mistake, the Rams run the Jeff Fisher Defense.
So Ryan bolted to New Orleans to run his own program for the Saints. His exit left Fisher scrambling for a replacement. The pool of candidates was not deep.
This gave Walton an opportunity to step up from his previous role as Detroit Lions secondary coach.
He came highly recommended by Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz, who served under Fisher with the Tennessee Titans. But Walton faced a steep learning curve.
The Rams suffered a rocky defensive start under before rallying in the second half of the season. The improvement came after Walton moved from the field to the coaching box and Fisher assumed an even bigger role with the defensive side of the team.
(Did Fisher actually take over the defensive play-calling? The Rams downplayed that media report, but clearly Fisher became more assertive with the unit.)
Naturally fans demanded Walton’s firing in our live chats on STLToday.com. From the moderator’s chair, I always noted that the Rams ran the Jeff Fisher Defense with players Fisher selected for the roster.
Fisher oversaw the defensive game-planning, too, as well as the in-game adjustments with the Jeff Fisher Defense.
So how much of last year’s slippage could you really put on Walton? And how many coordinators would Fisher go through before making the Jeff Fisher Defense work to full capacity?
Walton’s primary problems came in the secondary, which had been his area of expertise. His zone defenses featured soft cushions, allowing the Carson Palmers of the world to play pitch-and-catch for hours at a time against the Rams.
But personnel issues handcuffed Walton. Cornerback Cortland Finnegan might be Fisher’s favorite player in the whole world, but the man lost a couple of steps last season.
Finnegan couldn’t keep within arm's reach of his guy in man-to-man coverage. Before shutting down for the season with an eye injury, he spent most of his time playing futile games of tag.
Second-year cornerback Janoris Jenkins struggled mightily. He kept gambling and losing in man-to-man coverage, biting on pump fake after pump fake.
He quit making big plays, so his risk-reward ratio went haywire. Jenkins proved much better at talking trash and earning penalties than actually covering people.
Cornerback Trumaine Johnson showed promise but he, too, was penalty prone. Poor Brandon McGee tried to learn his craft while playing through injuries, with generally dismal results.
Rookie T.J. McDonald suffered a broken leg, making a suspect safety corps even worse. Rodney McLeod could have been a fine handyman for the secondary, but he wasn’t a great starting free safety.
Given all of that, could you really blame Walton for playing it safe with his coverage? Here is what Post-Dispatch Rams reporter Jim Thomas wrote back in December:
You can debate whether the Rams have the right players on the back end — and it’s clear it’s the weakest position overall on the roster. But it’s also a case of the Rams being simply too young in the secondary to compete effectively on a week in, week out basis.
A suspect secondary has a domino effect on the rest of the defense. It lessens a unit’s ability to blitz and change up looks.
Now Gregg Williams is back at Rams Park as the new/old defensive coordinator, fully rehabilitated from his year-long "Bountygate" suspension and a season on the Tennessee Titans staff.
The coaching staff got a lot better with his return. Now the front office has to get to work on the roster.
The Rams better give Williams an upgraded secondary and the opportunity to unleash his front seven. Why bring him back if he can't do his thing?
After 7-8-1 and 7-9 seasons, the Rams musts reap the benefits of an extending rebuilding process. One more NFL Draft bonanza should give them the personnel needed to take that step.
It's time to win some games. The Rams are running out of excuses and scapegoats.
