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Rams looking to rev up pass rush any way possible
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...-looking-to-rev-up-pass-rush-any-way-possible
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams have just one sack in the first three weeks, and there's nobody more surprised about that than the Rams themselves.
The Rams had more sacks than any team in the NFL in the past two seasons, and the lack of sacks is a growing point of contention for those expecting that to be one area the Rams had squared away entering the season.
During this bye week, the Rams have been open to any and all ways to get the pass rush going, up to and including a little bit of lady luck. Or ladybug luck, as the case may be.
Allow rookie defensive tackle Aaron Donald to explain.
"Once you get a couple, they are going to keep coming -- that’s the thing," Donald said. "And we have got the ladybug. The sack curse is gone. The ladybug is supposed to be good luck for a D-line. We don’t have the sack curse no more, so these sacks are supposed to start coming around."
Hanging in Donald's locker is a picture of a ladybug with words about the luck of a ladybug breaking the team's "sack curse." According to Donald, a ladybug landed on defensive end Robert Quinn earlier this week. The next day, another landed on defensive tackle Kendall Langford. Donald picked one up on Wednesday.
While insects aren't going to make much of a difference, it's clear the Rams are unhappy with their production to this point and it's a legitimate concern as they enter the final 13 games.
Entymology aside, the only real way for the Rams to get their pass rush to generate more sacks is to do it themselves. The first and most important step is stopping the run. Through three games, the Rams are 29th in the league in run defense, allowing 155 yards per game on the ground.
The result of that rushing success has been, well, a lot of rushing attempts. The 91 rushing attempts against the Rams is tied for sixth-most in the league, and the average of 5.11 yards per attempt puts the Rams at 29th in that category.
In other words, as long as teams are having success on the ground, they have little reason to throw it. Heading into this week's play, opponents have attempted the fewest number of passes in the league against the Rams (69). Oakland is next on that list with 85.
Combine the rushing success with the knowledge of what the Rams can do rushing the passer, and that's a recipe for pass avoidance.
“Well, it’s a combination of things," coach Jeff Fisher said. "It’s been our, I don’t want to say inability, but at times difficulty that we’ve had stopping the run. We’re creating an opportunity for teams to pick up significant gains on the ground. And if anybody had their preference, they do it that way.”
Teams are also continuing the trend set by Minnesota in the first week of getting rid of the ball as quickly as possible. Minnesota quarterback Matt Cassel averaged 2.24 seconds to throw it in the opener, fourth-fastest in the league that week. In Week 2, Tampa Bay's Josh McCown got rid of the ball in 2.22 seconds, which was eighth-fastest that week.
"It’s very frustrating," end Eugene Sims said. "That’s part of offense, scheming against a defense. Our defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams’ background, everybody knows his mindset of defensive plays. So they try to get the ball out of their hands as quick as they can to slow us down."
The lack of pass rush can't all be pinned on quarterbacks getting the ball out quickly or the struggles against the run, though. The Rams had more opportunities last week against Dallas' Tony Romo and were unable to take advantage when facing one of the league's better offensive lines. Romo took 2.61 seconds before release on his 23 attempts.
Some of the problem was the Cowboys' offensive line doing its job and some of it was a scheme in which the Rams rushed only three down linemen on some third-and-long opportunities. With a big lead, the Rams should have been positioned to rush the passer, but they generated little pressure and no sacks.
"For some reason, it’s just not clicking on game day," Quinn said. "I don’t think it’s anything with guys’ effort or technique, it’s just, for whatever reason, not happening our way. But we have got to keep pushing, but once we finally get that break, I’m sure the sacks will come by the handful."
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...-looking-to-rev-up-pass-rush-any-way-possible
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams have just one sack in the first three weeks, and there's nobody more surprised about that than the Rams themselves.
The Rams had more sacks than any team in the NFL in the past two seasons, and the lack of sacks is a growing point of contention for those expecting that to be one area the Rams had squared away entering the season.
During this bye week, the Rams have been open to any and all ways to get the pass rush going, up to and including a little bit of lady luck. Or ladybug luck, as the case may be.
Allow rookie defensive tackle Aaron Donald to explain.
"Once you get a couple, they are going to keep coming -- that’s the thing," Donald said. "And we have got the ladybug. The sack curse is gone. The ladybug is supposed to be good luck for a D-line. We don’t have the sack curse no more, so these sacks are supposed to start coming around."
Hanging in Donald's locker is a picture of a ladybug with words about the luck of a ladybug breaking the team's "sack curse." According to Donald, a ladybug landed on defensive end Robert Quinn earlier this week. The next day, another landed on defensive tackle Kendall Langford. Donald picked one up on Wednesday.
While insects aren't going to make much of a difference, it's clear the Rams are unhappy with their production to this point and it's a legitimate concern as they enter the final 13 games.
Entymology aside, the only real way for the Rams to get their pass rush to generate more sacks is to do it themselves. The first and most important step is stopping the run. Through three games, the Rams are 29th in the league in run defense, allowing 155 yards per game on the ground.
The result of that rushing success has been, well, a lot of rushing attempts. The 91 rushing attempts against the Rams is tied for sixth-most in the league, and the average of 5.11 yards per attempt puts the Rams at 29th in that category.
In other words, as long as teams are having success on the ground, they have little reason to throw it. Heading into this week's play, opponents have attempted the fewest number of passes in the league against the Rams (69). Oakland is next on that list with 85.
Combine the rushing success with the knowledge of what the Rams can do rushing the passer, and that's a recipe for pass avoidance.
“Well, it’s a combination of things," coach Jeff Fisher said. "It’s been our, I don’t want to say inability, but at times difficulty that we’ve had stopping the run. We’re creating an opportunity for teams to pick up significant gains on the ground. And if anybody had their preference, they do it that way.”
Teams are also continuing the trend set by Minnesota in the first week of getting rid of the ball as quickly as possible. Minnesota quarterback Matt Cassel averaged 2.24 seconds to throw it in the opener, fourth-fastest in the league that week. In Week 2, Tampa Bay's Josh McCown got rid of the ball in 2.22 seconds, which was eighth-fastest that week.
"It’s very frustrating," end Eugene Sims said. "That’s part of offense, scheming against a defense. Our defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams’ background, everybody knows his mindset of defensive plays. So they try to get the ball out of their hands as quick as they can to slow us down."
The lack of pass rush can't all be pinned on quarterbacks getting the ball out quickly or the struggles against the run, though. The Rams had more opportunities last week against Dallas' Tony Romo and were unable to take advantage when facing one of the league's better offensive lines. Romo took 2.61 seconds before release on his 23 attempts.
Some of the problem was the Cowboys' offensive line doing its job and some of it was a scheme in which the Rams rushed only three down linemen on some third-and-long opportunities. With a big lead, the Rams should have been positioned to rush the passer, but they generated little pressure and no sacks.
"For some reason, it’s just not clicking on game day," Quinn said. "I don’t think it’s anything with guys’ effort or technique, it’s just, for whatever reason, not happening our way. But we have got to keep pushing, but once we finally get that break, I’m sure the sacks will come by the handful."
