I don't want to have doubts.... I'd rather not even be thinking about the ILB that lines up opposite EJ. But here we are.....again. It's just very frustrating to know that the season where the Rams kept 2 ILBs on the field longer than we do now, we had the #1 defense in the NFL. What makes it even more frustrating is that during that season where we ended with the #1 Defense in the NFL, our starting ILBs were Kenny Young, and Micah Kiser..... then an undrafted Troy Reeder when Kiser got hurt. Not exactly 3 great ILBs...but solid players in a solid scheme. Look.... I understand the diminished value of ILBs...but I just believe we've gone too far. I'd feel better about Rozenboom if I could actually point to some on-the-field, non-special teams play that actually earned him his spot. But we shouldn't forget when we initially cut Rozenboom, he was only a special teams guy.....we brought him back from the Kansas City Chiefs PRACTICE SQUAD to add depth due to injuries. Again, brought back from a PRACTICE SQUAD to add depth due to injuries. We didn't bring him back because of anything he had done in a real football game. We drafted EJ....we traded Kenny Young...Kiser never really came back from his injury.... We won a Super Bowl with Reeder and EJ... We let Reeder walk...and who do we bring in to fill his spot....NOBODY. We elevate Rozenboom to a starting spot...based on NOTHING that happened in a game that counts with him playing ILB.
I'm not making up out of thin air a scenario I'd like the Rams to follow.... I just wish we stuck with the same plan that has worked previously.... Corey Littleton was on the practice squad, made plays on special teams, got a chance and showed he was a worthy starter leading us to an NFC title.... Kiser was developed, got his chance, and made plays in games starting at ILB....I believe he got defensive player of the week the first game he started in the NFL. Troy Reeder was undrafted, made plays....made plays in games as a rookie, earned his spot, and won a super bowl with us. Travin Howard...drafted, developed...made plays on the field, earned a starting spot but never got to take advantage of it because he got hurt in training camp before the season started. But again, Travin made plays in NFL games even before his INT in the NFC title game.
We've had a formula that's worked...that's what I would prefer we would have stuck with. Last years group of UDFAs ...in my opinion had the potential to develop the same way Kiser, Littleton, and Reeder did. Ryan Smenda, DeAndre Square, Kelechi Anyalebechi, Jaiden Woodbey.... there was some talent in that group that to me would have been worth stashing on the practice squad. But not only did Rozenboom get to sit out the preseason....again, after being given a starting job without doing ANYTHING in a real game as an ILB.... we didn't keep any of those young ILBs on the practice squad.
I just don't see what Rozenboom brought to the table where we should have avoided the strategy that worked for us in the past.
bottom line is even if Rozenboom improved during the season, he was our worst defensive starter according to PFF grades. That shouldn't surprise anyone who watched the games last year. If EJ goes down...we are screwed. Not only do we need a solid player to play next to him, we'd need a decent replacement if he got hurt, and currently we don't have that. Hummel has flashed a bit, Reeder is back again....but my real hope is that Olakunle Fatukasi, Omar Speights, or Elias Neal show enough to at least stick around on the practice squad to get the type of development Littleton, Kiser and Reeder got.
