How would you defend the Rams Offense?

[12intheBox]

Suppose you are a Defensive Coordinator. This week, you face the Rams.

Whats the plan?

Sell out to stop Gurley? Stack the box and make Goff beat you?

At this point, I think this has to be the answer for most teams. You can't let Gurley get going running the football. I know, every defensive plan starts with stop the run - but I mean more than just maintaining your assignments. I would make sure that TG is hit on every play. If they hand it to him, tackle him. If they fake it to him, tackle him. Don't get beat by 30. That is step 1.

So how do we get to Goff?

Clearly we need to get pressure on this kid. In order to do that, we should attack the right side of the OL as often as we can. It can't be predictable - and it certainly can't be telegraphed - McV will sniff that out. We want to try to create match ups with our best pass rushers against Brown/Blythe or / Havenstein whenever we can. When we send extra rushers, they always need to account for 30 - he needs to be taken out or otherwise accounted for. Anytime the Rams are relying on Tight ends to help pass block is a win for us - the Rams TEs are weapons in the pass game but aren't NFL blockers at this point.

Our secondary needs to knock the Rams receivers off of their routes early and often. This is a timing offense, and we need to be up in their grills disrupting that timing. Be mindful of their stacked formations - fight through them to blow up the play before it starts.

Protect the short and middle field and dare Goff to beat us deep. Be willing to get beaten for a big play here and there in order to control the LOS and get off the field.

Basically, break but don't bend.

 

[Loyal]

lol ~ McGenius

 

[bubbaramfan]

First, get a reading from your personel astrologer, then find the nearest palm reader.
Next, brew some tea and read the leaves.

They're all going to say the same thing.

You're screwed.

 

[RamBall]

Join the CFL.

 

[jjab360]

We have an intelligent, deceptive, fast paced offense that can stretch defenses both vertically and horizontally and attack the holes in between at will. We can also switch it up completely and smash you right up the mouth with the best RB in the NFL if you start playing too soft.

There's not much you can do except play solid, textbook defense and hope your star players can make a young QB uncomfortable like the Vikings and Falcons did last year. Problem is if your star players can't consistently get past one of the best OLs in the league, they're going to be eaten alive by play action and misdirection.

Man coverage seems to work the best against us for the record but you have to have really good DBs. Also, Cooks isn't Watkins.

 

[badnews]

As I have recently been instructed, you can't defend against the Rams offense. It will be the best in the league this year and so it is written.

Opponents are practicing their BOHICA defensive schemes and their postgame media cliches about the positives to take away from a loss. Coming "down to Earth" and having "a lot of good film" to study so it "doesn't happen again"...

 

[WestCoastRam]

Normally I'd say sell out to stop Gurley and make Goff beat you but I don't think McVay has shown the ability to kill a team by leaning heavily on the run game.

There were many problems with the Atlanta game but one could say that a big issue is that we went away from the run way too much in that game. Not running enough was an issue with him at Washington and I was impressed with the improvement he made in that category having a guy like Gurley to lean on but I still worry that this is McVay's achilles heel as a play-caller.

 

[FaulkSF]

Zone LB pressure off the edges. Beat Whit and Have with speed and make Goff beat you with the TE.

Mix zone and man, but mostly stick with zone LB blitzes.

 

[badnews]

Chucky is taking notes lol

 

[Ram65]

Whatever Atlanta did. The Vikings too.

The Vikings moved Harrison Smith the safety up after Goff made his line call. Show pass defensive set and move to run late or vice a versa. Disrupting the Rams timing in passing game. Falcons seemed to cover Gurley tight in the passing game. They were also physical on the WRs while having a solid pass rush.

 

[Legatron4]

Whatever Atlanta did. The Vikings too.

The Vikings moved Harrison the safety up after Goff made his line call. Show pass defensive set and move to run late or vice a versa. Disrupting the Rams timing in passing game. Falcons seemed to cover Gurley tight in the passing game. They were also physical on the WRs while having a solid pass rush.

Atlanta and Minnesota limited us. But we made a lot of our own mistakes. If Kupp doesn’t fumble, we score 20 points at least. The Atlanta game was just a matter of a young team shooting themselves in the foot.

If I’m a DC, I’m stacking the box and playing man with 2 high safeties. In order to physically shut an offense down, man up.

 

[fearsomefour]

I am attacking the right side of the line, Brown and Havenstein with stunts all game, different looks and mixing rushers....they will struggle if they get a dose of this.
I would constantly hold Gurley coming out of the back field and then hope for the best.
I would also make sure to run the ball when my team had the ball, make the Rams prove the run D is fixed.....the best way to stop an opponent with an explosive O is to run the ball well yourself.

 

[FaulkSF]

If I’m a DC, I’m stacking the box and playing man with 2 high safeties. In order to physically shut an offense down, man up.

Gurley and a WR going to eat then. Rams line up in 31 formation against two high safeties. You have one mismatch against one of our receivers (a team's top 3 corners cannot match our top 3 WRs) and you can only put six in the box. I believe Minnesota went one high against us with mistake free tackling.

 

[A.J. Hicks]

There is one guy






one guy that I would look to in order to stop our offense





Other teams may slow us down






But one guy I just really believe can consistently get after Mcvay and this offense






And he has the personnel to do it





Unfortunately.





This guy is. . .







WADE PHILLIPS

 

[Legatron4]

Gurley and a WR going to eat then. Rams line up in 31 formation against two high safeties. You have one mismatch against one of our receivers (a team's top 3 corners cannot match our top 3 WRs) and you can only put six in the box. I believe Minnesota went one high against us with mistake free tackling.

Seattle did it to us week 5 and it worked for the most part. If you play mistake free defense you can win. Just very hard to do.

 

[Ram65]

Atlanta and Minnesota limited us. But we made a lot of our own mistakes. If Kupp doesn’t fumble, we score 20 points at least. The Atlanta game was just a matter of a young team shooting themselves in the foot.

If I’m a DC, I’m stacking the box and playing man with 2 high safeties. In order to physically shut an offense down, man up.

In Minnesota the Rams marched down the field on the first possession for a quick 7 points. The Kupp fumble really hurt the Rams. McVay tried to go deep into coverage and the Rams failed three times. Those didn't help. Rams didn't run much and were moderately successful. I just looked at the game again. Rams moved the ball some. The Viking got pressure on Goff. That might have been the difference. The Falcons were physical against the Rams WR. They matched up well in man coverage. They also got early pressure on Goff.

 

[Memento]

Forfeit. That's all you can do against this juggernaut of a team. And if you foolishly think that you can stop us...well, good luck.

 

[Ellard80]

Take Gurley out of the passing game.

 

[RamWoodie]

When I see the Ram offense...then I may have a real answer...BUT whatever your primary defensive set...you start with that and make adjustments. That's the only real approach because wisely, McVay hasn't revealed much offensively.

All teams really have is last years film and stats. In fact...that's all we have...

 

[badnews]

Hey @VegasRam

You gave sarcasm a different opinion. I am confused lol. Which do you not agree with? What I wrote or the sarcasm?