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- Don
With the addition of safeties Cam Curl and Camren Kitchens, I've been thinking about how their skill sets might influence our defensive alignments this season. Since we brought in Brandon Staley in 2020, we've relied heavily on a two-high safety look inspired by Vic Fangio's defense where we don't really distinguish between strong and free safety. But the strengths and versatility of Curl and Kitchens could make single-high safety schemes an actually viable option going forward.
Cam Curl brings a unique skillset to the table. Last season with the Commodes, he racked up a career-high 115 tackles and demonstrated impressive instincts in the open field. His man coverage skills have significantly improved since his rookie year, and he finished this past season with the second-highest man coverage grade among safeties. He can line up anywhere on the field and has great understanding of leverage. His ability to play in man coverage and to play near the line of scrimmage could allow for more single-high safety looks, with Kitchens patrolling deep. This setup could be particularly effective against offenses that heavily utilize tight ends and slot receivers, allowing Curl to match up in man coverage while Kitchens provides over-the-top support.
Camren Kitchens, our third-round draft pick, seems to project as a pure free safety with incredible range and ball skills. Over the last two seasons in college, he recorded 11 interceptions, showing potentially elite playmaking skills. Kitchens is known for his sideline-to-sideline range and speed, making him an ideal candidate for deep zone coverage. While open-field tackling has been the biggest weakness in his game, his potential as a game-changer is undeniable.
The flexibility that Curl and Kitchens bring might enable us to disguise our coverages more effectively. By showing a two-high shell pre-snap and rotating into a single-high look post-snap, we can create confusion for opposing quarterbacks and make our defense more unpredictable. While it’s probably unlikely that we’ll abandon our two-high safety foundation entirely, the addition of Curl and Kitchens could potentially lead to more single-high safety looks this season. What do you guys think?
indeed. Very Sweet avatar @RamInferno
Thanks for the compliments on my avatar! I actually used a combination of ChatGPT and DALL·E 3 to create it. I provided a description of what I wanted (an intense, fiery ram to match my handle) and it generated this image for me. It's amazing what technology can do these days!indeed. Very Sweet avatar @RamInferno
It is hard to tell on the TV broadcast, because you don't get to see the deep coverage until after the ball is thrown usually. I relied mostly on reports I read about the players to come up with my thoughts. But others here watch the all-22 film etc. so they can give more informed opinions.I'll go with mixing things up. Let's see how much pressure they can get on the QB. The pressure allows flexibility in coverage. Hard to tell what they do in the defensive backfield or a least I'm not focusing enough on it.
They might mix in more single-high looks pre-snap situationaly.
They pretty much already do this. Rotating to single-high is based on the playcall. Basic Cover-1 and Cover-3 are you traditional single-high looks. Rams were above average in Cover-3 and slightly below in Cover-1 last year. The amount of Cover-1 might increase, they have more flexibility and better coverage skills on the backend.
Interesting, but what makes you think that? I saw the new safeties and thought the opposite.In 2023, the Los Angeles Rams played Cover 3 42.0%, which was the second highest percentage of any NFL team last year
We were a Cover-3 team, I expect us to play a good deal less this year and a return to more 2 high (with rotating coverages still).
I'd have to look it up but sounded like Shula implied that they wanted to be more varied in their looks ala the Staley years. Look at it as them having a lot more flexibility to play many more coverages (Cover-1 as some say, but Cover -6, Cover-2, Cover-4).Interesting, but what makes you think that? I saw the new safeties and thought the opposite.
This is a chart from Cody Alexander, who gets his data from PFF. Not as high in percentage and not nearly as high in ranking for Cover-3. Rams were above average in Cover-4 and Cover-6. Thier numbers are pretty similar to the others using the same system, Dolphins, Panthers, Chargers.In 2023, the Los Angeles Rams played Cover 3 42.0%, which was the second highest percentage of any NFL team last year
We were a Cover-3 team, I expect us to play a good deal less this year and a return to more 2 high (with rotating coverages still).
I wish I knew what any of those columns were supposed to represent after the first one lol.Disguise rates for '23. Rams led the league, followed by Panthers and Dolphins.
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I want to see some hits that are borderline penalties.....not penalties, just borderline. I want to see the football on the ground after some of those hits. I want to see interceptions.I just wanna see better tackling and more turnovers.
Yeah, fair point.I wish I knew what any of those columns were supposed to represent after the first one lol.