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LA Rams News: Staley’s Defense betting on versatility for success
LA Rams News: DC Brandon Staley is betting on versatility, or the ability to effectively fill multiple roles on defense. How can that be valuable?
ramblinfan.com
The LA Rams shopping list for defense has changed in 2020. Now with the team’s defense led by defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, the team’s interest in players has shifted. The team has moved away from “excellent at what he does” type of players to “very good at multiple roles” type of players. Will that prove to be a major mistake, or are the Rams turning the corner on revitalizing their defense for the 2020 season?
The crux of the entire matter is the shift from a WYSIWYG defense to a Prestidigitation defense. In the WYSIWYG or “what you see is what you get” version, the LA Rams lined up on defense and tried to outplay offenses on sheer toughness and athleticism. Throw in an occasional blitz wrinkle, and the flip from a base 3-4 to the nickel package 3-3-5 formation, and that pretty much sums it up.
To a savvy quarterback, the Rams were an easy mark. A quarterback could set a receiver in motion, and easily determine whether the Rams were in zone or man to man pass coverage. Setting a running back into motion dictated how the Rams planned to defend the run, cover the running back on passing routes, and which defenders would likely be rushing the passer.
While the 2019 LA Rams defense had some very talented players, the team surrendered far too many points than the defense’s talent suggested. Opposing offenses scored more easily against the predictable defense.
Hybrid defenders
Now, the Rams have gone away from specialists on defense and will stockpile defenders who can play multiple roles. Now, when offenses set a man in motion, the quarterback will read the wrong defense. That means passing the ball at the Rams best pass defenders, trying to throw into the soft spot of a zone while the Rams are defending with man coverage. It means running the ball into the strength of the defense.
The long version of this discussion could take up 30 or more slides, and be a very technical discussion of how Staley will combine the best of man and zone pass defenses into the match-zone version patented by his mentor, Vic Fangio. In the Fangio style defense, he dares offenses to run by fielding a nickel package in the red-zone. In order for the LA Rams to replicate that, they needed to load up on defensive backs who can play the pass and the run equally effectively.
Before the 2020 NFL Draft, the Rams had already dabbled in adding versatile hybrid players. The team added a 6-foot-3 hybrid defensive back, Adonis Alexander, in November 2019 and re-signed him in 2020. Alexander has a background as both a cornerback and safety, giving the Rams coverage options whenever he is on the field of play.
Draft the NFL version of “Charlie Hustle”
The LA Rams entered the 2020 NFL Draft facing the risk of cornerback Jalen Ramsey and safety John Johnson signing major contracts to play defense with another team in 2021. While the first knee-jerk reaction is to simply aim at the most competent cornerback and safety in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Rams selected a far more strategic approach and opted to draft the best hybrid players available on the draft board.
The first stop is the Rams selection of Baylor linebacker Clay Johnston, a player whose energy level already scored a positive impression with head coach Sean McVay. He was drafted by the Rams in round seven but plays with the intensity seldom seen in a rookie. He fell on many draft boards due to concerns about his season-ending knee injury in 2019.
But before his 2019 playing days ended, he demonstrated complete command of the interior linebacking role. He dropped back quickly into pass coverage but maintained vigilance on the quarterback well enough to stop scramble before or near the line of scrimmage. He diagnosed runs effectively, shedding blockers on his way to tackle the running back. And his speed allowed him to follow the quarterback’s eyes in time to break up the potential pass play. While a linebacker by design, he has enough energy to fit a linebacker/safety role in passing downs.
True hybrids
The next player added was safety/cornerback hybrid, Jordan Fuller. Fuller is a safety/cornerback blend who may find his role on the LA Rams defense somewhat unique. He is a strong but slower-than-expected defensive back whose role while with the Ohio State Buckeyes was that of their defensive leader. While scouts attempt to slot players into generic roles, Fuller’s skillset does not fit-the-box so easily. He projected as a defensive back, but in the Ram’s defense could plugin as a linebacker/defensive back in the nickel formation.
He has an incredible run-support ability. For passing downs, he is slow as a safety but faster than the linebacker equivalent. The true key to filling that hybrid linebacker safety role would be an ability to add about 20 pounds of muscle to improve his durability to shed blockers. As long as bulking up does not limit his playing ability, that is.
The final rookie we’ll discuss is the one rookie that everyone is excited to see play in multiple roles, hybrid Terrell Burgess. Standing 5-foot-11 and weighing at 202 pounds, Burgess brings the type of skillset to the Rams defense that can truly excite defensive coordinator Brandon Staley. He has the cover ability of a cornerback and can play both outside corner or slot corner. He also has the background of safety and can help cover deep routes or slide over to help in double coverage to a high-threat receiver.
Burgess played for the Utah Utes, a football team whose base defense was that of a 4-2-5 formation. His excellence in that unique role at the college level is likely what drew the LA Rams to select him over other players on the draft board at the time. Burgess fills an immediate pair of needs on the team, as he has the right chops to take over for either Eric Weddle’s safety role, or Nickell Robey-Colemans’s slot-cornerback role. His usage will likely depend on the play situation, but he is one of the leading candidates to take the field in place of a linebacker on passing downs.
Flooding the field with defensive backs who can stop the run gives the Rams a host of weapons to disguise and use against opposing offenses. As the defense surprises the offense’s ability to know the defensive scheme, players like Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey can work their magic. The Rams are betting on using versatile players to improve their 2020 defensive ranking. As soon as fans finally have the chance to witness it, they’ll bet on it too.
