Which player is our "weakest link" on D?

[Memphis Ram]

Or that the defense is good enough that it still might be tough to find a decent replacement for the weak link - at least without using a fairly high pick that they wanted to use on offense, or by paying somebody even more than the tender.

That's possible, too, even though the defense has yet to live up to it's press clippings and has still been the worst in the division.


Agreed. Very unlikely. Neither Dahl or Pettis were signed to restricted free agent tenders when that happened. Have there even been any instances where the team offered a high tender to a player only to ask him to take a pay cut a few months later? Typically, the pay cut recipients don't even get offered a tender and then are signed for less like Tim Barnes.

 

[Memphis Ram]

McLeod. I would love to have a true sideline to sideline FS. I think he's a great hitter, but I think people overrate him because he hits. A faster rangy FS who plays the ball well would enable us to finally play press coverage without worrying about being burned over the top. I think it's the only thing missing from this defense.

IMO, have good press CBs would enable the team to finally play press coverage without worrying about being burned deep.

 

[blue4]

IMO, have good press CBs would enable the team to finally play press coverage without worrying about being burned deep.

I think they are capable of playing more aggressively. I think the coaches don't have confidence in McLeod to play in that type of coverage.

 

[rams56]

This is a tough choice for me because i beleive that there is alot of talent on this defense and "weakest link" on this team mighnt be better than most.....that said Imo.... I think it is who ever wins the job as the 3rd lb.....who ever wins between Dunbar and Ayers....but from the limited choices given....I would select McLeod. .....but I do think he improves every year so far and he is better than a lot of starting Free Safteys in this league. ....

Go Rams........

 

[Zaphod]

McLeod lead the team in broken tackles which X highlighted earlier, and that's a play that really irks me, so chose him. I like the big hits too, and I really do understand wanting to make the wide receivers nervous, but not at the expense of wrapping them up when you need to.

Jenkins was second on that list for us, but for whatever reason the Ogletree misses seemed to hurt us the most. It's things like that and what looks like miscommunication between McLeod and Jenkins that keep our defense from being super bowl worthy.

 

[Robocop]

I answered the poll with McCleod, but think the answer is JJ. Janoris is covering his man in space and when he makes a mistake it ends in a TD. When McLeod makes a mistake and misses a tackle it is usually because other players made bad plays in front of him.

not making excuses for JJ but thats the point of the safety especially a more designated free safety . if someone fucks up or gets beat then its the safeties job to keep everything underneath. McLeod doesn't understand that concept yet it seems

 

[Ram65]

I don't believe a team can decide not to pay the full amount of the tender. That's the whole point of having to make a tender offer. The teams are bound by the tendered amount. I'm not sure teams can even cut a restricted free agent once they make the offer and is then signed to the team for one year.

On any given Rams game day any of the starters could be the weak link with the exception of Aaron Donald.

 

[RamFan503]

I would say McCleod and Jenkins as a duo. How many times were were burned last year by a miscommunication between those two?

This really brings up an interesting question as well. I believe in the SF game, JJ was supposed to have help over the top. I think there was also another one like that. So was it miscommunication, JJ trying to anticipate the route on a play he should have known he had no help, McLeod not knowing the play, or McLeod being out of position?

I don't know but I don't think JJ gets most of the tougher assignments because he is viewed as a weak link.

 

[RamFan503]

McLeod lead the team in broken tackles which X highlighted earlier, and that's a play that really irks me, so chose him. I like the big hits too, and I really do understand wanting to make the wide receivers nervous, but not at the expense of wrapping them up when you need to.

Jenkins was second on that list for us, but for whatever reason the Ogletree misses seemed to hurt us the most. It's things like that and what looks like miscommunication between McLeod and Jenkins that keep our defense from being super bowl worthy.

My problem comes in with Safeties being a position that is supposed to tackle and strip - CBs are supposed to cover and prevent the catch. I don't even look at broken tackles when it comes to CBs. They really shouldn't be covering RBs and TEs anyway and that is where a lot of those broken tackles occur at the CB position.

 

[Rams43]

This has been a very fun thread to read.

A few points of interest and/or clarification...

The poll was supposed to be strictly for starters on D only. (I no longer consider Dunbar a starter).

The thread title was "weakest link", not "weak link". It's possible to have a weakest link on a D that has no weak link, whatsoever. I think that's more or less our D situation.

I posted this exact same poll on another board and Jenkins was considered the "weakest" link over McLeod by a significant margin over there, FWIW.

Any team's D that has either Jenkins or McLeod as it's weakest link is in pretty damned good shape, if you ask me.

If either CB or FS is BPA at our pick next year in the 1st, I think that would be a no brainer.

 

[ram007]

We have an overrated secondary IMO. They just are not talented or utterly UN-disciplined at the most critical juncture of games. If it is a discipline issue, it just has to stop and no excuses.

 

[RamFan503]

We have an overrated secondary IMO. They just are not talented or utterly UN-disciplined at the most critical juncture of games. If it is a discipline issue, it just has to stop and no excuses.

Eh - I think a lot of that has to do with youth and inexperience. They have had to be the guys on the field with little to no mentoring from a veteran presence. While I'm not giving the coaching staff a pass here, I think we are going to see just another year of them figuring out how to play together. It seems to me that we have several good individual players. They should definitely be developing into a unit though and I don't see how you can make any excuses if they fail to do so this season. I think the farther away from the line you get, it becomes more difficult to do just that. All that being said - yeah - no excuses. It needs to happen and now.

 

[Memphis Ram]

not making excuses for JJ but thats the point of the safety especially a more designated free safety . if someone fucks up or gets beat then its the safeties job to keep everything underneath. McLeod doesn't understand that concept yet it seems

That depends upon the coverage called. I can recall instances where there were big plays made and McLeod got blamed only to hear later from the coaching staff that Jenkins was the culprit. Hopefully when they simplify things, stuff like that goes away.

 

[RamFan503]

That depends upon the coverage called. I can recall instances where there were big plays made and McLeod got blamed only to hear later from the coaching staff that Jenkins was the culprit. Hopefully when they simplify things, stuff like that goes away.

On the reverse side of that - didn't Fish say that JJ was supposed to have help over the top on the SF play for which everyone wants to burn JJ at the stake?

I realize I am sounding like a JJ defender but I see his big play potential (and results) and also his having some pretty tough assignments and can't really see where he is a liability. The kid can flat out play.

 

[Big Willie]

not making excuses for JJ but thats the point of the safety especially a more designated free safety . if someone fucks up or gets beat then its the safeties job to keep everything underneath. McLeod doesn't understand that concept yet it seems

Agreed.

 

[MTRamsFan]

IMO, Jenkins. He takes too many chances with greater risk and little reward. IMO playing corner has the chance of being exposed more often than the safety position.

 

[Ram65]

Live and learn.

Doesn't make sense that it would not be guaranteed or at least have the tendered amount count against the cap if cut.

I guess McLeod could be cut if he is a really a bad weak link.

 

[OC--LeftCoast]

I'm pretty sure if GW assigned TruJo or EJ to shadow the opposing teams number 1 game in and game out some here would be in for an unpleasant surprise...considering his job responsibility - to me it's mind boggling 29 out of 105 votes have him casted as the "weakest link"