Apparently we just hired this guy as our ST coordinator.
Not exactly thrilled but maybe I’m missing some details here.
Not exactly thrilled but maybe I’m missing some details here.
Rams Hire Ray "Bubba" Ventrone as ST Coordinator
- Thread starter KombuchaTea
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I thought it was going to be some guy named Bubba form the Browns. Hmmm.....
Ugh. Looks like the rams staff is reading too much PFF. He ranks top 10 in PFF but ranks in the teens to 20s on DVOA. Not good. Maybe im missing something but whatever. Apparently mcvay is just throwing darts blind
Does that sound like McVay to you?
Alaskan Ram
Last Frontier Member
Throwing darts blindfolded with both hands tied behind his back.
You are definitely missing something.
Whomever is leading the unit my hope is that the team won't bring in another non starter that cannot have a significant impact on special teams.
No Tutus. No non-physical defensive backs. etc...
No Tutus. No non-physical defensive backs. etc...
Browns’ Bubba Ventrone finally departs the team
Story by
Chris Pokorny
Thu, January 29, 2026 at 12:05 PM EST·
2 min read
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When the Cleveland Browns hired Bubba Ventrone as their new special teams coach in 2023, it was a bit of a fun feeling. As a player, he was a special teams ace for Cleveland from 2009 to 2012, and you just blindly hoped that would translate well to his coaching career here too. Instead, it was quite the opposite — to the point where fans were practically begging for him to be fired numerous times this past season.
When the Browns fired head coach Kevin Stefanski, everyone knew that the odds of Ventrone sticking around were unlikely. And although Stefanski brought his offensive coordinator to Cleveland, he did not do the same with Ventrone. Still, I guess experience of any kind matters to desperate teams, as Aaron Wilson reported this morning that the Los Angeles Rams are hiring Ventrone to be their new special teams coordinator:
Even though the Rams made the NFC Championship, they faced a ton of issues on special teams this season too, and actually fired their special teams coordinator toward the end of the season. Against the Seahawks this past week, a fumble on a punt return contributed to their loss in a tightly contested game, possibly costing them a shot at the Super Bowl.
To be fair to Ventrone, with the way Cleveland’s roster was constructed, he wasn’t exactly given the best group of players with special teams experience. I hope he can turn things around in Los Angeles, but I’m not at all sorry to see him depart. If there was one bright spot from this past season, it was the fact that kicker Andre Szmyt, after a rough first game, actually had an outstanding season the rest of the way.
It is not yet clear who head coach Todd Monken will bring in as the Browns’ next special teams coordinator.
Cleveland Kick/Punt Coverage the last 3 years:
2023: 0 PR TD; 1 KR TD
2024: 1 PR TD; 1 KR TD
2025: 2 PR TD; 1 KR TD
Color me confused.
He had top special teams in Indianapolis 4 out of 5 years. Including #2 in 201 and #4 in 2020. Plus a good ranking with the Browns in 2023.
The Indianapolis Colts special teams unit was highly ranked from the 2018 to 2022 seasons, peaking at 2nd overall in Rick Gosselin's annual NFL special teams rankings in 2021.
| 2018 | 10th | Rick Gosselin Rankings |
| 2019 | 29th | Rick Gosselin Rankings |
| 2020 | 4th | Rick Gosselin Rankings |
| 2021 | 2nd | Rick Gosselin Rankings |
| 2022 | 12th | StatMuse Rankings |
Can we really fault any Browns coach for a poor performance when the Browns have been hapless in attracting and drafting high end talent for years? I would look more at his Indy resume and hope Snead will finally bring in some good ST players this off season, as reason for hope.
I'm cautiously optimistic that he can at least bring the Rams ST unit to the upper middle of the pack next season. Which if we were this season, we likely would have been playing in the Super Bowl.
I'm cautiously optimistic that he can at least bring the Rams ST unit to the upper middle of the pack next season. Which if we were this season, we likely would have been playing in the Super Bowl.
That's the info on him that I've seen as well.
Gotta have some talent if you want to have a top 10 group on teams. When he did, he appears to have been able to produce that.
Ventrone's performance is often viewed differently depending on his tenure with specific teams.
- Indianapolis Colts (2018-2022): His time with the Colts is widely praised, with his units consistently ranking among the best in the NFL. In four of his five seasons there, the Colts were ranked in the top 10 for special teams by esteemed NFL writer Rick Gosselin, including finishes as high as second in the league in 2018 and 2021. The Colts led the NFL in kickoff return average during his tenure.
- Cleveland Browns (2023-2025): His tenure in Cleveland was less successful. The special teams units struggled with inconsistency, particularly in punt and kick coverage, leading to poor statistical rankings (e.g., 31st in punt return yards allowed). The struggles were significant enough that some observers felt the team was better off after his departure.
- New England Patriots (2015-2017): As an assistant special teams coach, he was part of a Super Bowl-winning staff in 2017 (Super Bowl LI). During this time, players like Matthew Slater and Stephen Gostkowski earned Pro Bowl honors.
Yeah, I was only looking at the Cleveland numbers and they were terrible. Of course it's been suggested they didn't give him the players he needed. Will McVay? Hopefully and hopefully not at the price of weakening the O or D.
Prior to joining the worst team in the NFL bar none he did well. Lets hope McSnead give him players to regain that.
Who the hell knows? Seems similar to the Blackburn profile, but at least Ventrone has overseen some top ten and even top 5 units, Blackburn had never done that.
Also waiting for somebody to confirm this none of the NFL reporter names have even mentioned this.