Defensive line thread

[Kupped]

Getting some impressive performances from Turner and Williams, for sure.

But... man.. how good would this D look with just one more legitimate pass rusher on the edge?

 

[shovelpass]

 

[CGI_Ram]

View: https://youtu.be/C8IvY1rTmgQ?si=ai22wk4CsLy60Onk

 

[PARAM]

Getting some impressive performances from Turner and Williams, for sure.

But... man.. how good would this D look with just one more legitimate pass rusher on the edge?

Give Mathis a couple more games. He played 13% of the snaps his first week back, 24% last week. With Young playing close to 90% every week, if Mathis earns more time, this might be a good tandem. Hoecht's snaps have decreased the last 3 weeks since Mathis arrived...91%, 82%, 71%. Hopefully, that continues and/or he's moved inside.

 

[Londoner]

A long way off, obviously, but there are bound to be some very good edge prospects still on the board when we pick next April, assuming we don't trade out of the first round.

 

[Merlin]

Can't say enough about what our DL Coach Henderson has done with these boys. It is impressive shit. He's gonna be a DC with this kind of product on his resume because if he can get this level of focus and performance out of a defense watch out.

Rams are going to need to decide between him and Pleasant when Morris gets his gig. It's a tough one, but of course a good problem to have.

 

[Tano]

How does that not get counted as a sack?

 

[Tano]

Give Mathis a couple more games. He played 13% of the snaps his first week back, 24% last week. With Young playing close to 90% every week, if Mathis earns more time, this might be a good tandem. Hoecht's snaps have decreased the last 3 weeks since Mathis arrived...91%, 82%, 71%. Hopefully, that continues and/or he's moved inside.

I hope Hoecht gets moved inside - I think he would be a good back-up/slash part-time starter

 

[shovelpass]

How does that not get counted as a sack?

Because it's a running play. QB power is a run. Watch the broadcast version, 3 of the 4 receiving options are blocking.

 

[Kupped]

Give Mathis a couple more games. He played 13% of the snaps his first week back, 24% last week. With Young playing close to 90% every week, if Mathis earns more time, this might be a good tandem. Hoecht's snaps have decreased the last 3 weeks since Mathis arrived...91%, 82%, 71%. Hopefully, that continues and/or he's moved inside.

I think he'll help.. but I'd still add one, if possible.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Hard to say how Mathis turns out at this juncture, but he does need to see an expanded playing time. The rookie OLB saw little of camp and had no pre-season, so I would expect his development to come slower than most would like being he plays a position in crisis.

 

[PARAM]

I think he'll help.. but I'd still add one, if possible.

Some interesting defensive numbers after 6 weeks:

Rams rankings:

#13 in yards (330.3/g)
#13 in pass yds (208.2/g)
#22 in rush yds (122.2/g)
#9-t in Off TDs allowed (10)
#28 in FG allowed (15)
#12 in PPG (19.1)

Here's the interesting stats
#28 in blitz% (20.4%)
#29 in sacks (10)
#24 in pressure% (19.6%)
#20 in hurry% (7.1%)
#16 in QB KD% (8.8%)
#19 in PD (22)

but.....

#7 in QB rating (76.7)
#3 in comp% (56.9%)
#2 in Rec TD (4)
#3 in Pass TD% (2.0%)


So without a devastating pass rush, they're putting up good numbers vs the pass. What happens as they get better? Young is improving every week. Mathis has only played a few weeks. They've played Geno Smith, Purdy the Magnificent, Burrow, Richardson, Hurts and Dobbs. Not all top 10 QBs but not bad either.

 

[oldnotdead]

Before they moved him to DE Hoecht was Donald's rotation. IMO Turner is the heir apparent as Donald's successor when he retires. Now Turner fills that role. Hoecht should return to the IDL and play NT. His length would close passing lanes over the middle for shorter QBs. He would overpower most centers. I think they should move Jonah Williams to LB to replace Rozeboom. He's got 4.6 speed so he's not slow. He could bring size and speed to play WIL. The main thing is he could provide contain on the weakside. This would allow them to turn Mathis loose without worrying about setting the edge.

Mathis doesn't bring speed but he does bring power to the DE position.

 

[Kupped]

Some interesting defensive numbers after 6 weeks:

Rams rankings:

#13 in yards (330.3/g)
#13 in pass yds (208.2/g)
#22 in rush yds (122.2/g)
#9-t in Off TDs allowed (10)
#28 in FG allowed (15)
#12 in PPG (19.1)

Here's the interesting stats
#28 in blitz% (20.4%)
#29 in sacks (10)
#24 in pressure% (19.6%)
#20 in hurry% (7.1%)
#16 in QB KD% (8.8%)
#19 in PD (22)

but.....

#7 in QB rating (76.7)
#3 in comp% (56.9%)
#2 in Rec TD (4)
#3 in Pass TD% (2.0%)


So without a devastating pass rush, they're putting up good numbers vs the pass. What happens as they get better? Young is improving every week. Mathis has only played a few weeks. They've played Geno Smith, Purdy the Magnificent, Burrow, Richardson, Hurts and Dobbs. Not all top 10 QBs but not bad either.

Sorry, but the lack of pass rush is going to catch up eventually, imo.

 

[rdlkgliders]

Some interesting defensive numbers after 6 weeks:

Rams rankings:

#13 in yards (330.3/g)
#13 in pass yds (208.2/g)
#22 in rush yds (122.2/g)
#9-t in Off TDs allowed (10)
#28 in FG allowed (15)
#12 in PPG (19.1)

Here's the interesting stats
#28 in blitz% (20.4%)
#29 in sacks (10)
#24 in pressure% (19.6%)
#20 in hurry% (7.1%)
#16 in QB KD% (8.8%)
#19 in PD (22)

but.....

#7 in QB rating (76.7)
#3 in comp% (56.9%)
#2 in Rec TD (4)
#3 in Pass TD% (2.0%)


So without a devastating pass rush, they're putting up good numbers vs the pass. What happens as they get better? Young is improving every week. Mathis has only played a few weeks. They've played Geno Smith, Purdy the Magnificent, Burrow, Richardson, Hurts and Dobbs. Not all top 10 QBs but not bad either.

And somehow this will have nothing to do with Raheem and he will get blasted as incompetent

 

[PARAM]

Sorry, but the lack of pass rush is going to catch up eventually, imo.

Or....the pass rush will improve as the youngsters get more snaps and catches up to the numbers!

And don't be sorry. We're all rooting for the same thing

 

[badnews]

Has to be a sack! Am I losing my mind or are the games rules no longer making sense?

If you tackle the QB behind the LOS, it should be a SACK. the QBs intentions shouldn't be involved. Until he crosses the LOS, he's still a potential passer.

Sure, it's a power run, until one of his 4 run blocking WRs gets off his block and breaks up field and the QB can pass it to him....

 

[simonblaze]

Or....the pass rush will improve as the youngsters get more snaps and catches up to the numbers!

And don't be sorry. We're all rooting for the same thing

We've already seen a season in which Aaron Donald is our lone pass rush threat under McVay and GB sent us packing home in the playoffs...

They went after Von for a reason...

 

[Merlin]

Has to be a sack! Am I losing my mind or are the games rules no longer making sense?

If you tackle the QB behind the LOS, it should be a SACK. the QBs intentions shouldn't be involved. Until he crosses the LOS, he's still a potential passer.

Sure, it's a power run, until one of his 4 run blocking WRs gets off his block and breaks up field and the QB can pass it to him....

I view any tackle for loss to be the same thing. Now granted sacks generally seem to be deeper than stuffs, but putting a team behind the chains is of equal value whether it is a QB or runner.

 

[oldnotdead]

And somehow this will have nothing to do with Raheem and he will get blasted as incompetent

He's got one gap attacking personnel and plays them 2 gap and one and a half gap read/react which slows down the penetration. He's more concerned about defending the LOS than penetrating and disrupting the play in the backfield. Go ahead and look at the play of the DL. When he turns them loose to penetrate and attack they get home, including Hoecht. But Morris plays that style intermittently not all the time. So who should get the blame, the players?

Not knowing the strengths of your players and not playing them to their strengths is the very definition of incompetence. Just like he had the best shutdown CB in Ramsey and basically squandered him to the point Ramsey wanted out. Gaines left because of his two gap nonsense (he was offered as much as Tampa Bay). When Morris plays aggressively good things happen. When he plays soft he concedes FGs. Don't believe me? Look at the stats on defenses giving up FGs, and the Rams are among the tops in that category. But yeah that's on the players. Now with a bunch of rookies and mid-level CB FAs in comes Pleasant and you have seen the difference this year compared to the past 2 years. One assistant coach changed the complexion of the entire defense in less than a season. Oh yeah sure it's all Raheem who is willing to take credit for it. If so then why did it take him 2 years to figure it out?

PFF hacks don't know what they are looking at. They don't know the difference between a penetration attacking style and a read/react style of play. So they downgrade the play of the players. Look at Donald's stats. They have dropped under Morris. Hell, he actually really thought about retiring after the SB because he knew what playing for Morris would do to his rep. Now people are calling him getting old. What a bunch of BS for a player of his stature to put up with. All because of how Morris plays his front 7.