I don't think Morris will play Staley's scheme

[oldnotdead]

I think Morris will play a more standard 3-4 hybrid scheme. In reality, if played the way that scheme is originally designed it many times will only play one ILB. Both edge rushers would be OLB (JACK) with a MIKE and a SAM (OLB) that is what Phillips played here. He didn't have the players to do it correctly, but Morris does. If Morris plays a more conventional hybrid scheme he will need a SAM OLB which is the position Ebukam played under Phillips and plays in the Niner 4-3. I think Jonah Williams might be someone they look at and a reason Ebukam might have become expendable. Although I also expect them to address this positional loss in the draft, which is why I think there first pick will be an OLB/edge (in this defense they want more than just a pass rusher which is why I think Okoronkwo isn't a starter here).

Ebukam is a perfect fit for the Niners and is an underrated signing by them. The problem with Staley's scheme is that it was pretty complicated which led to breakdowns in the secondary on occasions particularly when the play went off schedule. His scheme was a hybrid zone/man coverage. It will be interesting to see how Morris plays his secondary. The advantage he has vs Phillips is that the Ram front 4 now is much better and can get pressure without blitzes.

Morris played both a 4-3 and 3-4 hybrid schemes while at Atlanta. They originally ran a 4-3 under scheme fairly similar to what the Sea Hawks run. But in 2019 they switched to a 3-4 hybrid attacking scheme and had much more success. The advantage of the 4-3 under scheme is that it is a gap control scheme that allows the d-line to play faster as it eliminates some of the reads. The 3-4 hybrid is played much the same way by the defensive front. The difference is the hybrid gives the DC more options on how to play that front as most of it is made up of LBs which can confuse the o-line blocking scheme.

What I liked about Morris is Atlanta is he was able to get the most out of the players he had. He's never had a roster stacked with this much talent before which is why I'm anxious to see how he intends to use that talent. I would expect this defense barring roster losses to injury or COVID to stay ranked in the top 5 in the NFL. That would be good enough for this team to be a legit SB contender as I feel this offense can also be a top 5 unit.

Too many times this team lost games last year because the offense stalled. As long as Stafford stays healthy I don't see that happening again. There is a new sheriff in LA and he's a gunslinger.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

I think Morris will play a more standard 3-4 hybrid scheme. In reality, if played the way that scheme is originally designed it many times will only play one ILB. Both edge rushers would be OLB (JACK) with a MIKE and a SAM (OLB) that is what Phillips played here. He didn't have the players to do it correctly, but Morris does. If Morris plays a more conventional hybrid scheme he will need a SAM OLB which is the position Ebukam played under Phillips and plays in the Niner 4-3. I think Jonah Williams might be someone they look at and a reason Ebukam might have become expendable. Although I also expect them to address this positional loss in the draft, which is why I think there first pick will be an OLB/edge (in this defense they want more than just a pass rusher which is why I think Okoronkwo isn't a starter here).

Ebukam is a perfect fit for the Niners and is an underrated signing by them. The problem with Staley's scheme is that it was pretty complicated which led to breakdowns in the secondary on occasions particularly when the play went off schedule. His scheme was a hybrid zone/man coverage. It will be interesting to see how Morris plays his secondary. The advantage he has vs Phillips is that the Ram front 4 now is much better and can get pressure without blitzes.

Morris played both a 4-3 and 3-4 hybrid schemes while at Atlanta. They originally ran a 4-3 under scheme fairly similar to what the Sea Hawks run. But in 2019 they switched to a 3-4 hybrid attacking scheme and had much more success. The advantage of the 4-3 under scheme is that it is a gap control scheme that allows the d-line to play faster as it eliminates some of the reads. The 3-4 hybrid is played much the same way by the defensive front. The difference is the hybrid gives the DC more options on how to play that front as most of it is made up of LBs which can confuse the o-line blocking scheme.

What I liked about Morris is Atlanta is he was able to get the most out of the players he had. He's never had a roster stacked with this much talent before which is why I'm anxious to see how he intends to use that talent. I would expect this defense barring roster losses to injury or COVID to stay ranked in the top 5 in the NFL. That would be good enough for this team to be a legit SB contender as I feel this offense can also be a top 5 unit.

Too many times this team lost games last year because the offense stalled. As long as Stafford stays healthy I don't see that happening again. There is a new sheriff in LA and he's a gunslinger.

You think? Everything that's been reported is that he will stick to Stanley's defense and just give it his own tweaks. Why wouldn't that seem like the likely course after the Rams defense was number 1 in the league?

 

[RhodyRams]

/thread

 

[FrantikRam]

Will never forget the needless and senseless bashing of Staley and the Rams d early last year.

 

[Billy Baroo]

There was a “problem” with Staley’s scheme?? Hope to have that problem every year. Ebukam just never improved. Glad Niners spent unwisely on him.

 

[Oregonram]

Will never forget the needless and senseless bashing of Staley and the Rams d early last year.

Well the Buffalo game looked pretty pathetic in the first half. We came to expect second half adjustments with Staley. It was just growing pains.

 

[Merlin]

The defense will probably have the same calls built into it but he will use them differently than Staley did because he's a different coach. Mentioned this before, the question of "who is teaching him Staley's scheme and approach?" None of these positional coaches have more than one year in the Fangio system. So it has to be McVay who teaches him Staley's checks and reads and decision making approach.

Or he just does it his way. Those are the two options as I see them. I suspect it'll be a mix of the two but I mean who knows. Only McVay and Morris know the answer to that one right now.

I will point out again that if he wants to play more classic cover 2 it will need big front 7 improvements because a cover 2 shell gives up a light box. The way the scheme plays best is when there are great players who move well and make up for that weakness and then you have something. Or there are wrinkles and "inverted" versions of cover 2 trending in college where they use a safety coming downhill for either run game or shallow crossers.

But either way the bottom line for me is Morris is an experienced defensive mind. He's not a first time guy or some hot runner. I doubt he runs this defense as well as Staley did, as Staley IMO has some rare instincts. But that doesn't mean we can't have a high ranked defense with a different approach. And the split safety defenses offer so many benefits in shutting down the shit offenses are doing nowadays with the deep crossers and are harder to beat deep than cover 3. IMO cover 3's reign of dominance is coming to an end and the Rams are part of that trend. Rams ran it last year quite a bit of course but this is a passing league and the trend is clear, to me at least.

 

[Merlin]

There was a “problem” with Staley’s scheme?? Hope to have that problem every year. Ebukam just never improved. Glad Niners spent unwisely on him.

Yeah Ebu is a solid player. He can get pressures by sheer effort and I love his motor snap to snap but it's unlikely he develops some amazing pass rush moves at this point in his career. And his contain is shit. Any player can get better of course and it's what makes following the NFL so crazy. But he's the least of our worries looking at that SF defense.

 

[payote75]

Yea Morris is in a tight spot. In the way that there is really no where for him to go unless he puts together the old ravens defense or the 85 bears he can only go down.
Then of course even if he produces a top defense you will have annoying media say he just followed the plan Staley layed out not a huge feet. It's kind of a crappy position but hopefully he doesn't overthink it and just releases the kracken or Krackens!!!! Also hope they add an additional toy or two. At this point a Melvin Ingram or someone that has done it before but will be that much better with an AD. Surprisingly there are some very good pass rusher a left. Someone on the defensive line that can rush other than Donald like an Atkins would be nice. I have to check list but if they could add one of these and a Brian Poole the draft will be that much more fun as we have less holes and can draft for next man up and continue being good for a while.

 

[fearsomefour]

Phillips D was much simpler than Staley’s and Phillips D had constant breakdowns.
Staley’s (by all accounts I’ve heard) was a fantastic teacher.
Week to week getting his plan from the board to the field and getting his players to understand and grasp it.....week to week, opponent to opponent.
I don’t think it is mostly about having a great plan, most of these coordinators do. It is about getting the nuance and understanding coached up week to week and fitting the scheme to the players you have.
Based on what we saw of Morris in Atlanta, I have zero idea if he is capable of this or not.

 

[oldnotdead]

Phillips lacked the players to play an aggressive 3-4 hybrid scheme the way it should be. He was also victimized by Peter's penchant to go rogue and drop his assignment. Then you had guys like Roby-Coleman who followed that lead and would go rogue. Don't overlook the fact that the SB winner Buccaneers defense was ranked #6. The difference is that they had a balance between offense and defense whereas the Rams had a great defense but a mediocre offense. IMO McVay's penchant to micromanage each offensive play was a handicap that hobbled Goff's growth and the flow of the game. McVay can't and IMO won't do that with Stafford. No more time outs called because McVay held Goff in the huddle too long. Stafford is more than capable of doing his own reads. Accordingly, the offense will change as McVay will build in more options for Stafford.

One thing is clear. McVay isn't a great teaching coach in terms of developing young talent. That is where his assistants must shine. McVay's strength is his culture building and innovation. Also, he correctly leans on his assistants to be the real teachers for the young guys.

Don't discount how good defense can be using the hybrid 3-4 which is why so many teams are now employing it. Chuck Pagano brought it to the Ravens and their defense has been generally good to very good ever since. They were the #2 defense last year. In 2019 Morris began playing this scheme and it was an immediate improvement over their previous 4-3 scheme. Which is why I think McVay will allow Morris the freedom to play his own style and I think it will be his version of the 3-4 hybrid.

 

[Florida_Ram]

I think Morris will play a more standard 3-4 hybrid scheme. In reality, if played the way that scheme is originally designed it many times will only play one ILB. Both edge rushers would be OLB (JACK) with a MIKE and a SAM (OLB) that is what Phillips played here. He didn't have the players to do it correctly, but Morris does. If Morris plays a more conventional hybrid scheme he will need a SAM OLB which is the position Ebukam played under Phillips and plays in the Niner 4-3. I think Jonah Williams might be someone they look at and a reason Ebukam might have become expendable. Although I also expect them to address this positional loss in the draft, which is why I think there first pick will be an OLB/edge (in this defense they want more than just a pass rusher which is why I think Okoronkwo isn't a starter here).

Ebukam is a perfect fit for the Niners and is an underrated signing by them. The problem with Staley's scheme is that it was pretty complicated which led to breakdowns in the secondary on occasions particularly when the play went off schedule. His scheme was a hybrid zone/man coverage. It will be interesting to see how Morris plays his secondary. The advantage he has vs Phillips is that the Ram front 4 now is much better and can get pressure without blitzes.

Morris played both a 4-3 and 3-4 hybrid schemes while at Atlanta. They originally ran a 4-3 under scheme fairly similar to what the Sea Hawks run. But in 2019 they switched to a 3-4 hybrid attacking scheme and had much more success. The advantage of the 4-3 under scheme is that it is a gap control scheme that allows the d-line to play faster as it eliminates some of the reads. The 3-4 hybrid is played much the same way by the defensive front. The difference is the hybrid gives the DC more options on how to play that front as most of it is made up of LBs which can confuse the o-line blocking scheme.

What I liked about Morris is Atlanta is he was able to get the most out of the players he had. He's never had a roster stacked with this much talent before which is why I'm anxious to see how he intends to use that talent. I would expect this defense barring roster losses to injury or COVID to stay ranked in the top 5 in the NFL. That would be good enough for this team to be a legit SB contender as I feel this offense can also be a top 5 unit.

Too many times this team lost games last year because the offense stalled. As long as Stafford stays healthy I don't see that happening again. There is a new sheriff in LA and he's a gunslinger.

You make some strong points but you didn't add McVay's possible input on how the 2021 defensive scheme might curve some of Morris' ideas.

What I mean by that is, McVay will likely have a lot of input on how he wants Morris to construct the 2021 Rams defense.

I could be wrong and Maybe McVay leaves it alone and lets Morris construct the defense how he sees fit.

A lot of un-answered things will have an impact on how Morris will scheme up the 2021 Rams defense.

If it ain't broke don't fix it. Tweak it but don't change it to point of learning a whole new scheme and language.

If the defense only needs a few tweaks to fit Morris' system, why change the whole scheme? (square pegs round holes)

The Rams defense was awesome last year.

They don't have a ton of new faces on defense going into the 2021 season so why would a new defensive coordinator totally dismiss what worked so well the previous season?

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[CGI_Ram]

Yea Morris is in a tight spot. In the way that there is really no where for him to go unless he puts together the old ravens defense or the 85 bears he can only go down.
Then of course even if he produces a top defense you will have annoying media say he just followed the plan Staley layed out not a huge feet. It's kind of a crappy position but hopefully he doesn't overthink it and just releases the kracken or Krackens!!!! Also hope they add an additional toy or two. At this point a Melvin Ingram or someone that has done it before but will be that much better with an AD. Surprisingly there are some very good pass rusher a left. Someone on the defensive line that can rush other than Donald like an Atkins would be nice. I have to check list but if they could add one of these and a Brian Poole the draft will be that much more fun as we have less holes and can draft for next man up and continue being good for a while.

Yeah, Morris is in a tough spot.

I guess his advantage is experience... which should keep him from feeling the pressure of trying to match Staley.

Ingram would be nice.

 

[Cjcinec]

A better offense will help the defense. Morris doesn’t need to replicate a number 1 defense but rather make this defense a complimentary defense for the offense. If the offense can put together longer drives that result in touchdowns instead of settling for field goals the defense just needs to be good enough to compliment the offense.

 

[Ramhusker]

Let’s hope Morris plays HIS scheme. That is to say schemes morph from season to season depending on personnel and things learned. I hope he isn’t handcuffed into trying something alien to him.