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DEFENSIVE LINE
The Rams finished the season tied for the league lead in sacks, with 52. Chris Long (11½), Robert Quinn (10½) and William Hayes (7) combined for 29 of those 52. Quinn and even Long still need to do better against the run, particularly misdirection and counter plays. But Long’s effectiveness as a pass rusher cannot be disputed. Besides his sacks, he had 50 QB pressures and 24 QB hits. After a high-ankle sprain to start the season, rookie Michael Brockers came on strong over the second half of the year. Overall, Kendall Langford was maybe a little better than so-so as he made the transition from 3-4 end to 4-3 tackle. As the season progressed, Brockers and Langford got more of an inside push, which helped the pass rush. Langford had a modest two sacks but finished third on the team in QB pressures, with 20. Hayes and Eugene Sims were valuable role players, frequently sliding inside in passing situations. DT Jermelle Cudjo has his moments off the bench.
GRADE: A-
LINEBACKERS
By his standards, James Laurinaitis had a bit of a slow start, missing more open-field tackles than usual and adjusting to his new coverage responsibilities in a scheme that featured lots of Cover 2. But he played well down the stretch and finished with a career-high 174 tackles, plus two interceptions and eight pass breakups. Despite a painful back injury late in the season, he didn’t miss a snap — according to the Draftmetrics website, he was the only LB in the NFL to play every down. Jo-Lonn Dunbar’s aggressiveness occasionally got him in trouble, particularly when it came to play-action. But overall, was there a better free-agent pickup in the NFL this year? He finished second on the team in tackles (157) and added 4½ sacks and two INTs. Beyond that, his aggressive play and big-hit tendencies made him a perfect fit. At strongside LB, the Rams used Rocky McIntosh mainly, plus some Mario Haggan, with decent results but want to upgrade the position.
GRADE: B
SECONDARY
Cornerback play improved dramatically compared to recent seasons, thanks to the addition of Cortland Finnegan via free agency and Janoris Jenkins through the draft. Finnegan set the tone with his leadership, work ethic and feistiness, plus an interception in each of the first three games. Nagging injuries slowed him late in the season. Jenkins gave the Rams much-needed playmaking ability with his four defensive TDs. He overcame a bumpy midseason stretch, in which he got picked on for a few games in coverage and was suspended for the first 49ers game. Whether it was Bradley Fletcher or Trumaine Johnson, the third corner play was so-so. At safety, Quintin Mikell played strong against the run and as a blitzer in the box. His missed tackles were down dramatically. If not Kendricks, Mikell was the team’s most-improved player. Craig Dahl played decently for much of the season, but had some rough moments in coverage and as a tackler.
GRADE: B
SPECIAL TEAMS
Rookies Greg “The Leg” Zuerlein and Johnny Hekker certainly had some spectacular moments. Zuerlein made his first 15 field-goal attempts, and for the season made seven FGs of 50-yards plus. His 60-yarder in a 19-13 victory over Seattle was one of several franchise records set by Zuerlein. But he was inconsistent down the stretch, making only eight of his final 16 tries. Hekker bordered on the spectacular at times with his combination of distance and directional punting. As an added bonus, he went three for three passing on trick plays either as a punter or as Zuerlein’s holder. But he had some shanked punts as the season wound down and must eliminate those to become an elite punter. The coverage units were good for the most part, with the Rams allowing neither a punt return nor kickoff return for a TD for the first time since 2008 despite facing a who’s-who of standout return men. But the return game — again — was among the league’s worst, a longstanding problem.
GRADE: B-
COACHING
Jeff Fisher deserves consideration for coach of the year, considering the team’s 5½-game improvement in the won-loss column. Were it not for Indianapolis’ success under trying circumstances, he’d probably be the favorite. In a year’s time, the Rams have gone from league laughingstock to a physical, competitive squad that remained in the playoff hunt until mid-December. From the outset, Fisher instilled toughness and a sense of confidence in what was the league’s youngest team, playing the league’s third-toughest schedule. With the exception of the New England and Minnesota contests, the Rams were either leading, tied, or within one TD of the opponent in the fourth quarter of every game. That’s a far cry from the 15-65 abyss of the previous five seasons. But uninspired home performances against two beatable teams — the New York Jets and Minnesota — were puzzling. Those games helped keep the Rams out of the playoffs and prevented this from being a true miracle season.
GRADE: A-
DEFENSIVE LINE
The Rams finished the season tied for the league lead in sacks, with 52. Chris Long (11½), Robert Quinn (10½) and William Hayes (7) combined for 29 of those 52. Quinn and even Long still need to do better against the run, particularly misdirection and counter plays. But Long’s effectiveness as a pass rusher cannot be disputed. Besides his sacks, he had 50 QB pressures and 24 QB hits. After a high-ankle sprain to start the season, rookie Michael Brockers came on strong over the second half of the year. Overall, Kendall Langford was maybe a little better than so-so as he made the transition from 3-4 end to 4-3 tackle. As the season progressed, Brockers and Langford got more of an inside push, which helped the pass rush. Langford had a modest two sacks but finished third on the team in QB pressures, with 20. Hayes and Eugene Sims were valuable role players, frequently sliding inside in passing situations. DT Jermelle Cudjo has his moments off the bench.
GRADE: A-
LINEBACKERS
By his standards, James Laurinaitis had a bit of a slow start, missing more open-field tackles than usual and adjusting to his new coverage responsibilities in a scheme that featured lots of Cover 2. But he played well down the stretch and finished with a career-high 174 tackles, plus two interceptions and eight pass breakups. Despite a painful back injury late in the season, he didn’t miss a snap — according to the Draftmetrics website, he was the only LB in the NFL to play every down. Jo-Lonn Dunbar’s aggressiveness occasionally got him in trouble, particularly when it came to play-action. But overall, was there a better free-agent pickup in the NFL this year? He finished second on the team in tackles (157) and added 4½ sacks and two INTs. Beyond that, his aggressive play and big-hit tendencies made him a perfect fit. At strongside LB, the Rams used Rocky McIntosh mainly, plus some Mario Haggan, with decent results but want to upgrade the position.
GRADE: B
SECONDARY
Cornerback play improved dramatically compared to recent seasons, thanks to the addition of Cortland Finnegan via free agency and Janoris Jenkins through the draft. Finnegan set the tone with his leadership, work ethic and feistiness, plus an interception in each of the first three games. Nagging injuries slowed him late in the season. Jenkins gave the Rams much-needed playmaking ability with his four defensive TDs. He overcame a bumpy midseason stretch, in which he got picked on for a few games in coverage and was suspended for the first 49ers game. Whether it was Bradley Fletcher or Trumaine Johnson, the third corner play was so-so. At safety, Quintin Mikell played strong against the run and as a blitzer in the box. His missed tackles were down dramatically. If not Kendricks, Mikell was the team’s most-improved player. Craig Dahl played decently for much of the season, but had some rough moments in coverage and as a tackler.
GRADE: B
SPECIAL TEAMS
Rookies Greg “The Leg” Zuerlein and Johnny Hekker certainly had some spectacular moments. Zuerlein made his first 15 field-goal attempts, and for the season made seven FGs of 50-yards plus. His 60-yarder in a 19-13 victory over Seattle was one of several franchise records set by Zuerlein. But he was inconsistent down the stretch, making only eight of his final 16 tries. Hekker bordered on the spectacular at times with his combination of distance and directional punting. As an added bonus, he went three for three passing on trick plays either as a punter or as Zuerlein’s holder. But he had some shanked punts as the season wound down and must eliminate those to become an elite punter. The coverage units were good for the most part, with the Rams allowing neither a punt return nor kickoff return for a TD for the first time since 2008 despite facing a who’s-who of standout return men. But the return game — again — was among the league’s worst, a longstanding problem.
GRADE: B-
COACHING
Jeff Fisher deserves consideration for coach of the year, considering the team’s 5½-game improvement in the won-loss column. Were it not for Indianapolis’ success under trying circumstances, he’d probably be the favorite. In a year’s time, the Rams have gone from league laughingstock to a physical, competitive squad that remained in the playoff hunt until mid-December. From the outset, Fisher instilled toughness and a sense of confidence in what was the league’s youngest team, playing the league’s third-toughest schedule. With the exception of the New England and Minnesota contests, the Rams were either leading, tied, or within one TD of the opponent in the fourth quarter of every game. That’s a far cry from the 15-65 abyss of the previous five seasons. But uninspired home performances against two beatable teams — the New York Jets and Minnesota — were puzzling. Those games helped keep the Rams out of the playoffs and prevented this from being a true miracle season.
GRADE: A-