Comparing this years vs last years defense, i think we upgraded !

[Adi]

I thought the defense played really well last year, the stats can say differently since the team ranked 13th in points against and 23rd in yards against. This has a lot to do with the offensive struggles and the defense being forced to play most of the game. However there still were some WTF moments, like the redskins running all over us and the bears putting up 37 points. The team has lost a lot of defensive starter in Chris long, James Laurinaitis , Janoris Jenkins, Nick Fairley and Rodney Mcleod. Long and Laurinaitis were great leaders, Mcleod and Fairley were productive and had good years, I'm honestly fine with letting Jenkins go because he does not deserve 60 million and he took way to many chances that ended up in the offense making big plays. Even with these losses I think this years defense will be better and faster. Starting up front the line should be better, I think Easly and Brockers will make up for Fairley's productivity, Hayes is a better player than Long at this stage of their career, Quinn should be healthy and of course 99 is a top 3 defensive player in this league. Also resigning Sims and adding Coples will add depth, the line backing core is very fast with Tree taking over and providing a big speed upgrade at MLB, Baron played great last year and should again this year, and I think Akeem Ayers steps up in his second year in the system and shows off his playmaking ability . The secondary is still iffy, I see it as TRU at #1, Gaines at 2 , joyner in the nickel, Mcdonald at SS and the mystery man at FS. This defense is fast on paper and I hope they finally show it on the field and rank in the top 5 like they should. For all the Fisher, Snead haters, it was very impressive what they did this year and I'm Pumped for week 1!!! what you guys think ??

 

[lockdnram21]

I disagree about Jenkins. He may have took a lot of gambles in previous seasons but not this last one. Besides all the picks Tru was OK. He covered a couple #1 receivers. Had a good game vs a hobbled Megatron. Also would have been a bad day if not for Stafford. Gaines is a mystery man, he played well his rookie year but that was a devastating injury. We hope he comes back and plays like he did but who knows. Don't know anything about Cotty S but haven't heard a lot of good. Joyner to me was not good at s cb and should be moved to Fs. I have hope that Tru steps up . But like with everything else with this team "Hope"

 

[tempests]

I think the D needs to prove themselves over again. Still young and talented, but that's a lot of playing experience that they lost.

 

[Warner4Prez]

I'm trying to be positive and yet keep it real at the same time, it's a fine line.

I think the secondary will be alright. A lot balances on Gaines' health, but I haven't seen anything that would make me worry he isn't good to go yet. I'm of the belief that McLeod wasn't anything special. His play recognition I thought was lacking, and he didn't have a knack for making plays.

Hayes is as old as Long, maybe older and hasn't been a full time starter for a while. I felt last year his play slipped a bit because he wasn't quite ready for the extra reps. I'm sure he can crank it up for this year knowing what's expected.

Coples hasn't done much to show what he's capable of. Banking on him becoming Hayes lite is a lot of wishful thinking, but I'm hoping he can be coached up.

Easley is reportedly a locker room cancer and coming off two seasons where he was placed on IR. His college tape and scouting reports show a lot to be excited about, but he's got a lot to prove, imo.

Ogletree has never played the middle. It's going to be a much bigger mental component than what he had in his previous role.

I'm excited for camp and how things shake out, but I think they've got their work cut out for them in the early stages.

 

[DaveFan'51]

the mystery man at FS.

This will be very interesting to see how it plays out in OTA's and pre-season! We have a good group of Safeties to watch this year!!

 

[DaveFan'51]

I disagree about Jenkins. He may have took a lot of gambles in previous seasons but not this last one. Besides all the picks Tru was OK. He covered a couple #1 receivers. Had a good game vs a hobbled Megatron. Also would have been a bad day if not for Stafford. Gaines is a mystery man, he played well his rookie year but that was a devastating injury. We hope he comes back and plays like he did but who knows. Don't know anything about Cotty S but haven't heard a lot of good. Joyner to me was not good at s cb and should be moved to Fs. I have hope that Tru steps up . But like with everything else with this team "Hope"

I have Cody Davis, Roberson, and Joyner penciled in as my top FS candidates! JMHO

 

[LACHAMP46]

I'm honestly fine with letting Jenkins go because he does not deserve 60 million and he took way to many chances that ended up in the offense making big plays.

Jenkins is the only player that was lost that has all-pro potential....He's the only real loss.....

Mcdonald at SS and the mystery man at FS.

If we go with this....then Bryant, Mo Alexander, or Brian Randolph are my top picks to play FS.
If I go with my gut, Mo Alexander will move to SS, with TJ McDonald as the new FS.....

 

[Shawnbb158]

I think the biggest upgrade that our defense for this year was...... Jared Goff. He Will help our offense convert more on third down and just sustain more drives giving our defense a rest. Going 3 and out over and over wears a defense down and make a them worse as a unit. So that alone will improve our D

 

[rdlkgliders]

Tru on #1's is going to be a whole new ballgame. I think our secondary is a question mark albeit there is a lot of talent and options but it is unfair to think we have upgraded or even stayed the course there. We will need players to step up to levels they have yet to play at. With the loss of a cerebral JL in the middle and the move of AO to that spot we are athletic but again the back 7 are going to need to gel and find their continuity.

 

[RamzFanz]

Gaines is a mystery man, he played well his rookie year but that was a devastating injury.

I wouldn't call it devastating at all. It's a 100% repairable fluke. There's no reason he can't be back to rookie form.

Besides all the picks Tru was OK.

OK? You don't franchise tag OK.

Seven interceptions, tied for second in the NFL, and Pro Football Focus ranked Johnson as the 16th best cornerback in the NFL in 2015 with a grade of 83.7. Also according to Pro Football Focus, Johnson allowed the lowest Quarterback rating out of every corner back in the league with an opposing rating of 49.7. That's not OK by any measure, that's conservatively very good, if not great.

If the league redrafted all active CBs today, Tru is top 15, IMHO.

 

[snackdaddy]

I can agree that the defense might be better. I believe we upgraded by cutting Long and JL. JL always had more name than game. There were better MLB's in the league. He was middle of the pack, IMO. Ogletree has more talent and athleticism. Long was nothing more than rotational depth at this point in his career. Plus, its not likely he'll play 16 games. He's at the age where injuries are happening more frequently.

Jenkins was no doubt a loss. He's a talented cover corner. But he's not elite and he wanted elite money. They were right not to overpay. It was clear he was in it for the money. The highest bidder wins even if it was only a buck. Simple as that. I think we'll be OK there. We have more options than the Giants. They were desperate and we weren't.

I never really thought McLeod was anything more than a journeyman safety. Replacing him shouldn't be as difficult. I have a feeling we'll sign Whitner after June 1 so we don't lose the 3rd round comp pick. He'll be a capable replacement even though he's more of a SS than FS.

Overall, the defense should be faster. I think we'll see better pursuit. Fisher and Williams have a knack for getting the most out of talented players who have question marks. If Coples and Easley can be those players the line might even be better than before. And it was pretty good to begin with.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

If Fisher and Snead and the rest of the staff felt that letting Laurinitis and Long go was going to make the defense worse......then they wouldn't have done so.

So they could must have felt that the team was better without them. I agree, and we will see if they are right.

 

[AllGasNoBrakes]

Fish and Snead did a good job not overpaying. It would've been much worse had we given those kinds of contracts to Jenkins or McLeod.

With that being said though...
Ogletree at MLB is a ?
Barron at OLB for 16 games is a ?
Tru as a #1 CB is a ?
Gaines coming off injury is a ?
Quinn coming off injury is a ?
Hayes as a starter is a ?
The whole FS position is a ?

Really the only position that we can expect the same kind of play is DT.

Those who are expecting the same defense as last year might be in for a rude awakening.
It'll take time for the new group to find its groove.

 

[Corbin]

I have Cody Davis, Roberson, and Joyner penciled in as my top FS candidates! JMHO

Do not sleep on Bryant just yet for FS. I'm telling you dudes going to come out gunning this year!

 

[Amitar]

Until Quinn comes back healthy the defense is not better. Need Gaines too. I am getting worried abut the defense without these two healthy now.

 

[DickersonGurley]

First, the best way to make a CB better is to draft Aaron Donald....our DB's enjoy an aggressive pass rushing defense, so let's not make JJ an HOF inductee just yet, let him play for another team and see how he fares. Opposite goes for Sensabaugh...on our team, with this scheme, he may end up doing great. Fisher thinks he can help so he must have seen something.

Quinn is by all rights back, so our pass rush should be improved. I also believe we will get more production from Longs old position. The wild cards here are Easley and Coples. If they both play up to their abilities, then no doubt our defense improved considerably. Both of these guys should be very productive, health willing. Coples as playing out of position and was beat down by the scheme. I believe this is his first chance to be a 4/3 DE and just pin his ears back, the position he was projected at. He had no success as a 3/4 DE which is drastically different. Coples would probably suck as a 3/4 DE. Easley is a beast, a quirky beast. If his knees stay ok, used as a pass rusher next to and in relief of Donald, well I look forward to watching that almost as much as Goff and Gurley.

I'm of the mind McLeod will be missed the most, although being the HOMER that I am, I also think someone could step in and surprise . Alexander and , my favorite, UDFA Randolph are physical, fast, big, Monster safeties who are capable of playing FS. Davis is a wild card. His numbers are stupid. He's Adam Archuletta like. So one of those 3 could very well have us saying Rodney who?

Here is my dream...Randolph and Alexander at Safeties. No SS or FS, both capable of both jobs. Two guys who run 4.4, are big And strong, that just lay people out.

Ogletree at MLB is going to be. Difficult transition, just because of the cerebral part. MLB calls out a lot of assignments, if he can do it, then our linebackers are better by quite a bit. I even hope the Draft Pick beats out Ayers.

Like I said, I'm a HOMER and proud of it, so take my opinions with a grain of salt. I'm excited for the season to start.

 

[Rams43]

My slightly more optimistic view of the '16 D vs the '15 version...

I think (hope) that Quinn is back to 100%. If so, clear advantage '16 version.

Hayes/Coples>Long/Hayes

Easley>Fairley in terms of DL impact.

Donald? Same, maybe even slightly better due to other improvements on DL.

Brockers? Same

Ogletree>J Lau at MLB for the 35% of snaps in the 4/3 D.

Barron? Same

TruJo? Same

Gaines>Jenkins in overall effectiveness. There, I said it.

Joyner? Might be slightly better in his 3rd season.

McDonald? Probably the same.

That leaves McLeod's old position as the only possible regression. And I'm hardly willing to concede that, frankly. I really like the possibilities with Alexander, Bryant, Davis, and Randolph back there. Plus Whitner signing after June 1 might happen, if you're all hung up on experience.

Bottom line? If Quinn comes back healthy, we are an IMPROVED overall D vs '15.

 

[Riverumbbq]

My slightly more optimistic view of the '16 D vs the '15 version...

I think (hope) that Quinn is back to 100%. If so, clear advantage '16 version.

Hayes/Coples>Long/Hayes

Easley>Fairley in terms of DL impact.

Donald? Same, maybe even slightly better due to other improvements on DL.

Brockers? Same

Ogletree>J Lau at MLB for the 35% of snaps in the 4/3 D.

Barron? Same

TruJo? Same

Gaines>Jenkins in overall effectiveness. There, I said it.

Joyner? Might be slightly better in his 3rd season.

McDonald? Probably the same.

That leaves McLeod's old position as the only possible regression. And I'm hardly willing to concede that, frankly. I really like the possibilities with Alexander, Bryant, Davis, and Randolph back there. Plus Whitner signing after June 1 might happen, if you're all hung up on experience.

Bottom line? If Quinn comes back healthy, we are an IMPROVED overall D vs '15.

I think some may be underestimating the potential Easley impact, and so long as his knees/quad hold up, we've made a huge F/A acquisition here for very little cost. Agree with most all you say, although i'll withhold on the Gaines > Jenkins comment until I see a bit more. Really like what i've read about UDFA FS Randolph as well. Our already excellent pass rush should become elite with Hayes, Donald, Easley & Quinn operating at the same time.

Here's a little something from PFF on the Easley pick-up :

"The Rams’ interior pass rush gets even better with Dominique Easley signing: It came as something of a surprise when the New England Patriots released Easley, their first-round draft pick from 2014. The move was reportedly more due to off-field reasons than his play on the field, which makes sense given that, when healthy, Easley was a pretty good defensive lineman for New England. He had the 12th-highest grade among defensive tackles in 2015, playing just 275 snaps.

While he graded positively against the run, it was as a pass-rusher where he really made his mark. Rushing the passer on 210 of his 275 snaps, Easley had the highest pass-rushing productivity of any defensive tackle in the NFL at 12.9. With three sacks, eight hits and 24 hurries, not even new teammate Aaron Donald was as productive on a per-snap basis. That’s not to say he’s better than Donald, who was the best player in football last year, and dominated across a much higher sample size, but it’s an indication of how good Easley was in limited action.

The knock on Easley is that, at 6-foot-2 and 290 pounds, he’s considered undersized for his position. That was the same knock on Donald coming into the league, and was the same knock on Nick Fairley, who played in St. Louis with the Rams last year, and recently signed with the New Orleans Saints. Fairley played 427 snaps for the Rams last year, and that’s the kind of role that we can expect to see from Easley, with Donald and Michael Brockers seeing the bulk of the snaps in the interior of the Rams defensive line.

That’s the beauty of this signing for the Rams. They don’t need Easley to come in and be a superstar, they just need him to be productive as part of a defensive line rotation, and replace Fairley’s production".

PFF's 2015 Run-stop grades :

Easley - 15'th
Fairley - 32'nd

PFF's 2015 Pass Rush production grades :

Easley - 1'st
Fairley - 18'th

 

[bomebadeeda]

Every body is talking pass defense. I'm scared that whee the defense will regress is in stopping the run. Outside of Brockers everyone on the defense is built for speed. (a case could be made for Ayers too....but he's not an every down LB anyway.....). But if we can't hold up against the run. We'll get grinded on and take our running game away. And our offense isn't up to task yet for winning games totaly through the air.

Ogletree is the key. If he can hold up against the run (make plays in the hole instead of 7 or 8 yds down the field....ala JL last year.....) we'll be alright....but that is a very big question.