Rams should take advantage of Jalen Ramsey's ability in man coverage

[ROD-BOT]

Rams should take advantage of Jalen Ramsey's ability in man coverage

Jalen Ramsey was 10th in the NFL in man coverage grade last year.

theramswire.usatoday.com

Rams should take advantage of Jalen Ramsey's ability in man coverage

Brandon Staley will deploy a new-look defense in his first year as the Rams’ defensive coordinator, and there’s one aspect of his scheme that should be close to a no-brainer. He and the Rams would be wise to utilize man coverage often this season, given the strengths of their cornerbacks.

Jalen Ramsey, in particular, is excellent in man coverage – and has been since he came into the NFL. Last season, he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ 10th-best cornerback in man coverage with a mark of 68.7.

He was the only Rams corner to make PFF’s list, though Troy Hill also seemed to thrive when the Rams went to their man-heavy defense toward the second half of the season. Here’s what PFF wrote about Ramsey and his man-coverage abilities.

An interesting component of this with Ramsey is that the Rams bumped their man usage significantly once he joined the team. From Weeks 1 through 6, the Rams utilized man coverage on 19% of their coverage snaps (30th in NFL). That number rose to 34% over the remainder of the season (18th). His PFF grading may fall under the good-not-great category bar an outstanding showing in 2017, but that doesn’t mean you should mistake Ramsey for merely being good. He remains one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL.

Wade Phillips used zone coverage a lot early in the season with Marcus Peters, but after Peters was dealt to the Ravens, things changed. Ramsey’s arrival and Hill’s emergence caused the Rams to use more man coverage, which worked well.

Staley would be smart to continue this trend with a similar group of cornerbacks led by Ramsey and Hill. In college, David Long was one of the best corners in man coverage, and even Darious Williams showed flashes of potential when given chances at the end of last season.

Sean McVay wants the defense to be more “multiple” and able to adapt by week, so the scheme will likely depend on the opponent, too. If there’s a clear No. 1 cornerback, expect the Rams to stick Ramsey on him in man coverage. If a quarterback succeeds more against man than zone, then Staley could opt for more zone calls.

But the Rams should certainly be in man coverage more than they were in the beginning of last season.

 

[Mister Sin]

Im excited about this secondary. Rookies included

 

[Rams4life]

I'll be glad when they get him signed long term

 

[SeminoleRam]

I'll be glad when they get him signed long term

Me, Too! Just read somewhere (Can’t remember where!) that whoever wrote that article stated that Ramsey has all the leverage in the extension negotiations?! I will be really disappointed if Ramsey and the Rams can’t come to terms!!!

 

[So Ram]

RAMsey being signed or not will play a big part of The Rams future.I’m just glad Les Snead has stuck to keeping solid young depth. Just look at how fast times fly & change over.

 

[So Ram]

Me, Too! Just read somewhere (Can’t remember where!) that whoever wrote that article stated that Ramsey has all the leverage in the extension negotiations?! I will be really disappointed if Ramsey and the Rams can’t come to terms!!!

-Times have changed. I don’t know what is best right now except for coaching these players up.

Johnson,Hill, & Williams are only signed through 2020 as well. Like I was saying end of 2019 that this was going to be a core group.

Adding Rapp,Long,Burgess, and Fuller are nice young additions if you include just RAMsey though.

Future is bright with the solid Coaching if the DB staff.

 

[Ram65]

Jalen Ramsey, in particular, is excellent in man coverage – and has been since he came into the NFL. Last season, he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ 10th-best cornerback in man coverage with a mark of 68.7.

You would think with the talk of a $20 Million per year contract or something close to that Ramsey would have a much higher grade in man coverage. His only really high PFF overall grade came in 2017 when the Jags defense was the best. They had a great pass rush with a great defense. He does have a good/low pass catch percentage but overall grades in the low 70's except a 90.6 in 2017. Last year he had his worst catch percentage rate. Just thought it was strange for someone that is supposed to be an elite CB.

 

[Loyal]

In other breaking news, water is still wet....

 

[Merlin]

Gonna be interesting to see how much zone we play (I expect Staley will feature it a lot more than Wade did). So we might see a bit of a settle-in period while these guys get the finer points down. Just knowing the reads and getting the reps and experience zoning teams more.

A lot of our issues in zone were at safety btw. But still. Rapp is a year wiser, two young rooks who fit really nice on the depth chart, and plenty of competition at corner. We do look pretty good on paper but this is a strange year so we'll see.

 

[Merlin]

Oh and btw one thing to note about being a defense that can only play man... It sure sucks to do that vs a running QB or even a pocket QB who can threaten the edge. Means you're going to give up a ton of first downs to his legs when your CBs are turning their backs to him.

 

[Rams77]

This is Stunning News!!!

 

[Faceplant]

Ramsey needs to have himself a good year or Les and company are gonna be in a tough spot. He really has not been a consistent top 5 corner in this league. He just acts like he is.