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One thing I've been kicking around of late is the performance of the different units in preseason vs the coaching changes that were made this offseason, and the general impact of the staff. Of course this stuff is impossible to truly get a handle on, but since when do we let that stop us. So let's get into this shit...
TOP PRESEASON PERFORMANCE
Greg Williams - Inside Linebackers. I noted the name when he was hired, but didn't really expect all that much out of him in year one. His unit, after all, was full of limited options and UDFAs behind one good starter. Talent-wise I've always liked Hummel but he hasn't translated which is usually a bad sign with a position that tends to show quickly when a player has it. Nothing against Reeder, Rozeboom, and the rest, but I had no reason to expect good things from this group. Well... Turns out they outperformed their perceived talent range as a group. They gave the type of preseason performance I expected from the TE group. This bodes well for Williams in his future in LA, because if this defense performs well he will benefit from the upward coaching movement that is always present on this staff. And I am eagerly awaiting the installation of Speights into that starting Mike role, which should be official I'd think by week 3 when we play SF, who will require our best. But in summary if you had told me before the preseason we'd move Jones and still keep 5 ILBs I would have told you to put the crack pipe down.
Chris Shula - Defensive Coordinator. It is premature to draw any big conclusions with the defense. I realize that. But Chris is here for one reason: the exemplary team tackling that was on display during the entirety of preseason. This defensive unit to a man was snuffing out ball carriers at first contact at the LOS and in space. It was an impressive display. They also did this without anything resembling a starter at any point in any game. There is no telling what we're about to get in production for the season, as the starters finally take the field, but for myself the arrow is indicating a significant upwards direction with what looks to be a very well schooled unit that is ready to snuff out all those irritating short passes that typically lead to long and exhausting drives by opposing offenses.
Ryan Wendell - Offensive Line. It might not be a coincidence that Ryan is a dead ringer for Hagrid of Harry Potter fame, because this year's OL in preseason were playing like some magic was involved. First off I am not accustomed to seeing our depth units play that polished, with protections executed with all five in harmony on so many snaps. And secondly I am not accustomed to seeing our depth options firing off physically and taking the fight to the defense in preseason to make them respect the run game. It was excellent to watch. Looking ahead to the season I have many concerns with just LT, not to mention surviving the first game vs Detroit with two depth OT protecting our QB. We may need to endure a rocky start in game one in fact. But it feels to me like this unit is in great hands right now, in spite of my LT reservations, and I am looking forward to a fine season in part because of that.
HIGH SEASON EXPECTATIONS
Giff Smith - Defensive Line / Run Defense. Giff is a hire I was rather underwhelmed by, particularly when he's following a DL coach who I think routinely got the very best from our DL unit. Looking up his history of assignments vs on field performance in conjunction with that was rather concerning to me. Well it's still early, but judging from the performance of the depth which was all he had to work with, I feel the need to give him some cred and observe that he is off to a very strong start. Our defense was physically stout all preseason, and played well across the board. And when I look at this group I have this crazy feeling they are going to cause problems for our opponents once those starters take the field. I expect Fiske to be a very strong starter as a rook. I expect Turner to pick up right where he left off. Hopefully they will get that third heat from Brown or Davis.
Aubrey Pleasant - Pass Defense / Asst HC. Watching the secondary this preseason was a mixed bag. But one thing that stood out to me was the cohesiveness of the players in their coverage. Players in good positions vs the offensive play, the quick tackles, and an overall ability to keep opponents out of our endzone. Of all the position groups the secondary is the one that is most up in the air for me, even more than the DL, because of the Corner position. It is hard to project them due to health questions or concerns, and who plays where. But looking at preseason it feels like this group is well schooled in the scheme and ready to go, so I am expecting to see a very productive back end this season. The strength of the group I think will be at safety, which should positively affect how well Shula will be able to run pre and post snap fun and games with opposing QBs. Definitely expecting big returns here and hopefully the rush supports them, and if so Aubrey will be a head coaching interview candidate along with Shula in the offseason.
Eric Yarber - Wide Receivers. Yarbs is always easy to overlook because we are so accustomed to this unit producing at the high end. But he has done a great job with that receivers room and we saw the impact of his coaching during preseason with the offense moving the chains with a healthy mix of bottom depth options. Looking ahead to the season I cannot wait to see a healthy Kupp pairing with Nacua. What that's going to look like should be a lot of fun to watch unfold. Is this the year Tutu finally works himself into a consistent usage, or will Robinson lock that third role down. To what extent do they rely on Whittington.
HOPING TO SEE MORE
Chase Blackburn - Special Teams. It is clear that McVay loves Chase and how he goes about his business. For myself though I cannot recall the last time I felt like our special teams unit outsmarted an opponent or gave us a big time edge in the win/loss column. Feels like it's been a vast and dark gulf of special teams performances over the years since Fassell was booted. And while I don't think all of that has been solely due to ST coaches, they are the ones who are going to eat it when everything goes south. Now complicating this is the fact that the NFL has made a significant change in special teams returns. This change is going to have a major effect league-wide on the game, how it is played, and the standings. It's a big deal. And there were some teams who looked like they were ready in preseason to benefit from these changes. Rams were not one of them, but of course that doesn't mean it isn't coming in the regular season. So let's just say I want to see some potency by teams. I want to see them giving us an edge, rather than the other way around where it always seems like the opponent has the advantage in that oft ignored third phase.
TOP PRESEASON PERFORMANCE
Greg Williams - Inside Linebackers. I noted the name when he was hired, but didn't really expect all that much out of him in year one. His unit, after all, was full of limited options and UDFAs behind one good starter. Talent-wise I've always liked Hummel but he hasn't translated which is usually a bad sign with a position that tends to show quickly when a player has it. Nothing against Reeder, Rozeboom, and the rest, but I had no reason to expect good things from this group. Well... Turns out they outperformed their perceived talent range as a group. They gave the type of preseason performance I expected from the TE group. This bodes well for Williams in his future in LA, because if this defense performs well he will benefit from the upward coaching movement that is always present on this staff. And I am eagerly awaiting the installation of Speights into that starting Mike role, which should be official I'd think by week 3 when we play SF, who will require our best. But in summary if you had told me before the preseason we'd move Jones and still keep 5 ILBs I would have told you to put the crack pipe down. Chris Shula - Defensive Coordinator. It is premature to draw any big conclusions with the defense. I realize that. But Chris is here for one reason: the exemplary team tackling that was on display during the entirety of preseason. This defensive unit to a man was snuffing out ball carriers at first contact at the LOS and in space. It was an impressive display. They also did this without anything resembling a starter at any point in any game. There is no telling what we're about to get in production for the season, as the starters finally take the field, but for myself the arrow is indicating a significant upwards direction with what looks to be a very well schooled unit that is ready to snuff out all those irritating short passes that typically lead to long and exhausting drives by opposing offenses. Ryan Wendell - Offensive Line. It might not be a coincidence that Ryan is a dead ringer for Hagrid of Harry Potter fame, because this year's OL in preseason were playing like some magic was involved. First off I am not accustomed to seeing our depth units play that polished, with protections executed with all five in harmony on so many snaps. And secondly I am not accustomed to seeing our depth options firing off physically and taking the fight to the defense in preseason to make them respect the run game. It was excellent to watch. Looking ahead to the season I have many concerns with just LT, not to mention surviving the first game vs Detroit with two depth OT protecting our QB. We may need to endure a rocky start in game one in fact. But it feels to me like this unit is in great hands right now, in spite of my LT reservations, and I am looking forward to a fine season in part because of that.HIGH SEASON EXPECTATIONS
Giff Smith - Defensive Line / Run Defense. Giff is a hire I was rather underwhelmed by, particularly when he's following a DL coach who I think routinely got the very best from our DL unit. Looking up his history of assignments vs on field performance in conjunction with that was rather concerning to me. Well it's still early, but judging from the performance of the depth which was all he had to work with, I feel the need to give him some cred and observe that he is off to a very strong start. Our defense was physically stout all preseason, and played well across the board. And when I look at this group I have this crazy feeling they are going to cause problems for our opponents once those starters take the field. I expect Fiske to be a very strong starter as a rook. I expect Turner to pick up right where he left off. Hopefully they will get that third heat from Brown or Davis. Aubrey Pleasant - Pass Defense / Asst HC. Watching the secondary this preseason was a mixed bag. But one thing that stood out to me was the cohesiveness of the players in their coverage. Players in good positions vs the offensive play, the quick tackles, and an overall ability to keep opponents out of our endzone. Of all the position groups the secondary is the one that is most up in the air for me, even more than the DL, because of the Corner position. It is hard to project them due to health questions or concerns, and who plays where. But looking at preseason it feels like this group is well schooled in the scheme and ready to go, so I am expecting to see a very productive back end this season. The strength of the group I think will be at safety, which should positively affect how well Shula will be able to run pre and post snap fun and games with opposing QBs. Definitely expecting big returns here and hopefully the rush supports them, and if so Aubrey will be a head coaching interview candidate along with Shula in the offseason. Eric Yarber - Wide Receivers. Yarbs is always easy to overlook because we are so accustomed to this unit producing at the high end. But he has done a great job with that receivers room and we saw the impact of his coaching during preseason with the offense moving the chains with a healthy mix of bottom depth options. Looking ahead to the season I cannot wait to see a healthy Kupp pairing with Nacua. What that's going to look like should be a lot of fun to watch unfold. Is this the year Tutu finally works himself into a consistent usage, or will Robinson lock that third role down. To what extent do they rely on Whittington. HOPING TO SEE MORE
Chase Blackburn - Special Teams. It is clear that McVay loves Chase and how he goes about his business. For myself though I cannot recall the last time I felt like our special teams unit outsmarted an opponent or gave us a big time edge in the win/loss column. Feels like it's been a vast and dark gulf of special teams performances over the years since Fassell was booted. And while I don't think all of that has been solely due to ST coaches, they are the ones who are going to eat it when everything goes south. Now complicating this is the fact that the NFL has made a significant change in special teams returns. This change is going to have a major effect league-wide on the game, how it is played, and the standings. It's a big deal. And there were some teams who looked like they were ready in preseason to benefit from these changes. Rams were not one of them, but of course that doesn't mean it isn't coming in the regular season. So let's just say I want to see some potency by teams. I want to see them giving us an edge, rather than the other way around where it always seems like the opponent has the advantage in that oft ignored third phase.