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Rams befuddled by threat of Arizona blitz
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/14623/rams-befuddled-by-threat-of-arizona-blitz
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Two of the three most blitz-happy teams in the league converged at the Edward Jones Dome on Thursday night. And St. Louis Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles did not disappoint.
In what turned into a defensive slugfest, both teams turned up the heat as much as you wouldd expect, but though the Rams were able to generate only mild pressure, the Cardinals gave the Rams fits with their exotic blitz schemes. And it wasn't just the blitzes that Bowles dialed up so much as the threat of more that had the Rams' offensive line on its heels all night.
It was Bowles' continued ability to create different looks that gave the Rams the most problems.
"They do something different every week," quarterback Shaun Hill said. "That’s how they are on defense. They’re a game-plan defense, and they’re going to bring something that you haven’t seen. That’s just the way they are. You have to be able to adjust on the fly in order to execute against them, and just follow your rules -- the things you’ve just been taught to do. We didn’t do that well enough."
The Cardinals blitzed on 21 of Hill's 43 drop backs, but it was where those blitzes were coming from that gave Hill and the Rams their biggest problems. Of those 21 blitzes, Bowles sent a defensive back after Hill on 14 occasions. That was the most blitzing from Arizona cornerbacks and safeties this season.
Many times those blitzes were delayed or coming from a place that Hill and the Rams blockers hadn't seen it coming. Hill was 4-of-14 for 14 yards on those blitzes from secondary personnel.
Arizona got to Hill for just two sacks, but they spent most of the night in his face, generating pressure on 27.9 percent of his drop backs. Even when the Cardinals couldn't get to Hill, they were able to bat down three passes and break up four more.
Mason
"They had a really good scheme on defense," running back Tre Mason said. "They blitzed us a lot, did a lot of things, things we haven’t seen. They always have a little thing we haven’t seen, and they did that today and they came out victorious."
The fallout of those blitzes also hampered the Rams' offensive efforts in the sense that it gave them more to worry about. So when Arizona would send a normal rush, it was clear that the Rams were still worried about the possibility of an extra rusher.
Against Arizona's standard pass rush -- four rushers or fewer -- Hill was eight-of-18 for 123 yards with two sacks and an interception. According to ESPN Stats and Information, the Cardinals now have 12 interceptions when using a standard pass rush, fifth most in the NFL.
It's nothing new to see the Rams struggle against a good defense. They offered little in the way of answers, and didn't generate much of anything until the fourth quarter. The blame for that falls on everybody from offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer for offering little in the way of adjustments, to an offensive line that repeatedly was manhandled up front, to Hill struggling to get the ball out quickly and accurately, to the running backs and tight ends who struggled to pick up the blitzes.
"You have to be more slow in your pass protection," Mason said. "At the end of the day, make sure everything is all blocked before getting out. I know when a team that likes to do exotic blitzes and things like that, stay in a little bit longer because the guy may come from 10-15 yards deep and you may not know, so be a little slow to go."
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/14623/rams-befuddled-by-threat-of-arizona-blitz
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Two of the three most blitz-happy teams in the league converged at the Edward Jones Dome on Thursday night. And St. Louis Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles did not disappoint.
In what turned into a defensive slugfest, both teams turned up the heat as much as you wouldd expect, but though the Rams were able to generate only mild pressure, the Cardinals gave the Rams fits with their exotic blitz schemes. And it wasn't just the blitzes that Bowles dialed up so much as the threat of more that had the Rams' offensive line on its heels all night.
It was Bowles' continued ability to create different looks that gave the Rams the most problems.
"They do something different every week," quarterback Shaun Hill said. "That’s how they are on defense. They’re a game-plan defense, and they’re going to bring something that you haven’t seen. That’s just the way they are. You have to be able to adjust on the fly in order to execute against them, and just follow your rules -- the things you’ve just been taught to do. We didn’t do that well enough."
The Cardinals blitzed on 21 of Hill's 43 drop backs, but it was where those blitzes were coming from that gave Hill and the Rams their biggest problems. Of those 21 blitzes, Bowles sent a defensive back after Hill on 14 occasions. That was the most blitzing from Arizona cornerbacks and safeties this season.
Many times those blitzes were delayed or coming from a place that Hill and the Rams blockers hadn't seen it coming. Hill was 4-of-14 for 14 yards on those blitzes from secondary personnel.
Arizona got to Hill for just two sacks, but they spent most of the night in his face, generating pressure on 27.9 percent of his drop backs. Even when the Cardinals couldn't get to Hill, they were able to bat down three passes and break up four more.
Mason
"They had a really good scheme on defense," running back Tre Mason said. "They blitzed us a lot, did a lot of things, things we haven’t seen. They always have a little thing we haven’t seen, and they did that today and they came out victorious."
The fallout of those blitzes also hampered the Rams' offensive efforts in the sense that it gave them more to worry about. So when Arizona would send a normal rush, it was clear that the Rams were still worried about the possibility of an extra rusher.
Against Arizona's standard pass rush -- four rushers or fewer -- Hill was eight-of-18 for 123 yards with two sacks and an interception. According to ESPN Stats and Information, the Cardinals now have 12 interceptions when using a standard pass rush, fifth most in the NFL.
It's nothing new to see the Rams struggle against a good defense. They offered little in the way of answers, and didn't generate much of anything until the fourth quarter. The blame for that falls on everybody from offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer for offering little in the way of adjustments, to an offensive line that repeatedly was manhandled up front, to Hill struggling to get the ball out quickly and accurately, to the running backs and tight ends who struggled to pick up the blitzes.
"You have to be more slow in your pass protection," Mason said. "At the end of the day, make sure everything is all blocked before getting out. I know when a team that likes to do exotic blitzes and things like that, stay in a little bit longer because the guy may come from 10-15 yards deep and you may not know, so be a little slow to go."
