Category: Latest Rams news

How Rams’ usage of 11 personnel changed from 2018 to 2019

The Rams utilized 11 personnel far less this past season than in 2018.

The frequency with which Sean McVay utilized 11 personnel in 2018 was a complete outlier compared to the rest of the NFL. The Rams had three wide receivers, one tight end and one running back on the field 89% of the time that year, with the next-closest team using 11 personnel on 77% of their snaps (Packers).

This season, the Rams came back down to earth with their usage of 11 personnel, mixing things up far more than they did in 2018. According to Sharp Football Stats, the Rams used 11 personnel on only 73% of their snaps, tied for third-most in the NFL.

The grouping they used second-most was 12 personnel, which features one running back, two tight ends and two wide receivers. They utilized 12 personnel 21 percent of the time, or on 219 total plays.

Here’s a comparison of how often the Rams used 11 personnel in the last two years.

2018

Total: 89%
Pass: 94%
Run: 81%

2019

Total: 73%
Pass: 79%
Run: 58%

So why the huge shift in the usage of 11 personnel from 2018 to this past season? Part of it has to do with defenses starting to counter McVay’s offense toward the end of the 2018 season. The Bears and Patriots both figured out ways to counter the Rams’ wide-zone rushing attack and play-action passing game, stacking the box and using 6-1 fronts.

McVay adapted by using more formations with two tight ends on the field, getting more blockers along the line of scrimmage rather than spreading three receivers out wide. McVay also attributed it to preventing his wideouts from wearing down, considering they played nearly every snap in 2018 when healthy and available.

With how much the Rams’ receivers are asked to block, it can take a toll on their bodies over the course of a long season. Thus, a higher tight end usage with Tyler Higbee, Johnny Mundt and Gerald Everett.

It’s a good sign that McVay found a way to adapt to what defenses were showing him this season, but it wasn’t until late in the year that he began to utilize two tight ends more often. We’ll see if things change next season with Kevin O’Connell coming aboard as the offensive coordinator and Higbee emerging as a legitimate No. 1 tight end in December.

Sean McVay shows he’s taking more control with hiring of Brandon Staley

Sean McVay is taking a risk by replacing Wade Phillips with Brandon Staley.

When Sean McVay first became the Rams head coach in 2017, he made the wise decision to hire a proven defensive mind with Wade Phillips. Their 39-year age gap was the biggest in the NFL, but it showed McVay’s awareness and maturity.

Having been on the job for three years now, McVay is displaying another level of maturity with his latest hire. He’s replacing Phillips at defensive coordinator with 37-year-old Brandon Staley, an unexpected move, but one that does come with some risk.

Going from the safety of having a legend like Phillips to an unproven coach like Staley is a decision that shows McVay is taking more control of his staff, and ultimately, the team. Phillips had a firm grip of the defense and while he didn’t have the freedom to do whatever he chose on that side of the ball, McVay essentially handed him the keys and let him run the defense he always has.

Now with Staley taking over, McVay can put his fingers on the defense more than he could with Phillips. Staley has never been a defensive coordinator. He’s only been an NFL coach since 2017, only working as an outside linebackers coach.

Yes, he’s learned under Vic Fangio for the last three years, but Staley’s resume isn’t one that screams “defensive coordinator.” What this hire likely suggests is McVay having a bigger say in what defensive scheme the Rams run, how aggressive they are and how their approach will change from week to week.

That wasn’t the case with Phillips. The last three years, the Rams rarely varied their coverage or strategy from the norm on a weekly basis. They played a lot of zone coverage with Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters at cornerback, but when Jalen Ramsey and Troy Hill took over, it became a more man-heavy scheme.

Opposing coaches know Phillips’ scheme, considering he’s been running essentially the same 3-4, one-gap front for most of his career. But with Staley driving the bus on defense and McVay riding shotgun instead of sitting in the fourth row, the hope is that there will be an added level of unpredictability.

McVay is taking a chance with this move after letting Phillips control the defense for the last three years, but it shows he’s going to have more say on that side of the ball.

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7 Rams who must play better in 2020

The Rams need better performances out of these seven players next season.

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

The 2019 season was one filled with disappointment and underperforming for the Los Angeles Rams. Not only did they come up short of where they wanted to finish the year, but several players put together seasons that didn’t meet expectations.

Some were worse than others, of course, but these seven players must play better in 2020 in order for the Rams to get back to the postseason. Not surprisingly, it all starts with the quarterback.

QB Jared Goff

(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Goff plays the most important position in sports, so when he underperformed in 2019, he rightfully came under a lot of criticism. His struggles can’t continue into next season, otherwise the Rams will once again be watching the playoffs from home instead of hosting one at SoFi Stadium.

Goff’s yardage numbers were impressive (4,638), but that also came on the most attempts of any quarterback with a passer rating of only 86.5. His 22 touchdown passes ranked 16th, he was 14th in yards per attempt and threw the fourth-most interceptions.

He must play better overall by cutting down on the turnovers and improving on deep passes, which was an area of major concern in 2019.

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Brandon Staley’s history points to Rams keeping 3-4 defense

Staley’s history indicates the Rams will remain a 3-4 defense under his watch as new DC.

The Rams are hiring Brandon Staley as their new defensive coordinator, which is good news for fans of a 3-4 defense. He’s the former outside linebackers coach for the Bears and Broncos, and if his track record is any indication of what scheme the Rams will run in 2020, it’s likely to remain the way it was under Wade Phillips.

Staley worked under Vic Fangio in Chicago and Denver, and each year, the Bears and Broncos ran a 3-4 defense. Staley has primarily worked with edge rushers at the outside linebacker position, including Khalil Mack, Bradley Chubb and Von Miller.

Having always run a 3-4 scheme under Fangio, that’s probably not going to change with the Rams. Los Angeles doesn’t exactly have the personnel to switch to a 4-3 front, lacking depth and pass rushers that fit at defensive end.

What that means for Cory Littleton, Dante Fowler Jr. and Michael Brockers, who will all hit free agency in March, remains to be seen. But with seemingly no change to the defensive front coming, they won’t have to worry much about how they would fit in a 3-4.

4 things to know about new Rams OC Kevin O’Connell

Kevin O’Connell is joining the Rams as their new offensive coordinator.

For the first time since 2017, Sean McVay will have an offensive coordinator. The Rams are hiring Kevin O’Connell to take over that role next season, effectively replacing co-coordinators Shane Waldron and Aaron Kromer.

This is a major change for McVay and the staff, though it’s likely one that doesn’t come with the head coach giving up playcalling duties.

O’Connell, 34, was most recently the Redskins’ offensive coordinator, and has been a coach in the NFL since 2015. Here are four things to know about him as he joins the Rams.

He joined Redskins when McVay left

O’Connell was hired by Jay Gruden and the Redskins in 2017 to take over as their quarterbacks coach. That same offseason, McVay left to become head coach of the Rams, so they never worked on the same staff.

O’Connell worked his way up the ranks fairly quickly, though. He became the pass game coordinator in 2018 and was promoted to offensive coordinator this past season. During his time in Washington, he worked with quarterbacks such as Kirk Cousins, Alex Smith, Colt McCoy, Case Keenum and Dwayne Haskins.

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4 things to know about new Rams DC Brandon Staley

The Rams have found their replacement for Wade Phillips.

The Los Angeles Rams have found their replacement for Wade Phillips at defensive coordinator. They’re hiring 37-year-old Brandon Staley to take over the role, which is quite the change in age.

This will be Staley’s first stint as a defensive coordinator in the NFL, but he doesn’t lack coaching experience.

Here are four things to know about the Rams’ new DC.

He’s an understudy of Vic Fangio

Staley has worked under one of the better defensive minds in the league for the last three years. He began his career with the Bears as their outside linebackers coach, working alongside Fangio, who was Chicago’s defensive coordinator when Staley got his start in 2017. He remained on the staff in 2018 when Matt Nagy took over for John Fox, keeping the same position.

In 2019, when Fangio was hired as the Broncos’ head coach, he followed him to Denver and became their outside linebackers coach there, too. In Denver, Staley worked with Von Miller and Bradley Chubb before the rookie got injured.

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Rams finalizing hires of new offensive and defensive coordinators

The Rams are hiring two new coordinators to Sean McVay’s staff.

The Los Angeles Rams have found a replacement for Wade Phillips as their defensive coordinator, and they’ve also added an offensive coordinator, too. According to Adam Schefter, the Rams are finalizing a deal to hire former Redskins offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell to the same position.

They’re also hiring Brandon Staley, former Broncos outside linebackers coach, as their new defensive coordinator to replace Phillips, according to Ian Rapoport. Both additions are somewhat surprising, but fit the mold of how Sean McVay wants to shape his coaching staff.

O’Connell, 34, replaced McVay as the Redskins’ offensive coordinator in 2017 when McVay was hired by the Rams. He didn’t call plays until this season when Jay Gruden was fired by Washington

Staley, 37, has been an outside linebackers coach in the NFL for three seasons. He started under Vic Fangio in 2017 with the Bears before following him to Denver. He began his coaching career in 2011 at Hutchinson Community College.

Taylor Rapp has a lot to build on from impressive rookie season

Taylor Rapp finished among the NFL’s best safeties in several categories.

Disaster seemed to hit the Rams when John Johnson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 6 against the 49ers. They still had Eric Weddle, but replacing a Pro Bowl-caliber safety like Johnson was not going to be easy.

Fortunately, they got a steal in the draft with Taylor Rapp, who fell to the second round. He stepped in and while there were some rough patches, especially early on, he finished the year as one of the bright spots for Los Angeles.

He ranked third on the team in tackles (108), tied for the lead in interceptions (2) and second in passes defensed (8). Here’s where he finished among all qualified safeties in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus, which puts his rookie year in perspective.

Rapp’s biggest mistake was the blown coverage against the 49ers in Week 16, allowing a conversion on third-and-16. But there weren’t many other gaffes in Rapp’s game this season. He consistently found himself around the ball, lining up all over the field.

He played deep safety, strong safety and even lined up as a hybrid linebacker in the box at times, showing off his instincts and shiftiness in traffic. Assuming he continues this trajectory, he and Johnson are going to be a formidable duo for a long time – if the Rams choose to keep them together.

Report: Kevin O’Connell is ‘a strong candidate’ for Rams OC job

It seems Sean McVay is looking to hire an offensive coordinator.

Sean McVay doesn’t currently have an offensive coordinator by title, but that could change in the near future. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, former Redskins offensive coordinator is a “strong candidate” for the Rams in the same position.

O’Connell was let go by the Redskins after the team hired Scott Turner as Ron Rivera’s coordinator, putting a good offensive mind on the market. And as Fowler noted, he’s a candidate for the Eagles and Browns vacancies, too.

Though both hailed from the Redskins, McVay and O’Connell never worked together in Washington. O’Connell took over as the team’s quarterbacks coach in 2017, which was McVay’s first season with the Rams.

Currently, the Rams have co-offensive coordinators on the staff. Shane Waldron is in charge of the passing game (and quarterbacks), while Aaron Kromer coordinates the running game. McVay used to have an offensive coordinator in Matt LaFleur before he left for Tennessee in 2018, so perhaps he’s looking at going that route again.

O’Connell, 34, has been an NFL coach since 2015 when he came in as a quarterbacks coach with the Browns. Before joining the Redskins in 2017, he was an offensive assistant in San Francisco in 2016.

5 pending free agents the Rams should let walk this offseason

The Rams should pass on re-signing these five players this offseason.

(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

The Los Angeles Rams mostly kept their core together last season after reaching Super Bowl LIII. Yes, players came and went, but wholesale changes weren’t made – with the exception of two new starters on the offensive line and a few others on defense.

This offseason could bring about significant changes. It’s not going to be a rebuild, by any means, but the Rams have numerous key players hitting free agency and not a ton of money to spend.

In order to save money and use it elsewhere, the Rams should let these five pending free agents walk in March.

DE Michael Brockers

Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Brockers had one of his best seasons in a long time, recording a career-high 63 tackles and posting 3.5 sacks to go along with them. He’s a stout run defender – among the best in the NFL, according to Aaron Donald – and is a key member of the defense. However, he’s also 29 years old and just cost the Rams $10.75 million in 2019.

If he’s hoping to maintain a salary north of $10-11 million, the Rams should move on. For the position he plays, the Rams can find someone nearly as productive for far less money. Given his history with the team and leadership in the locker room, it’ll be tough for the Rams to move on. But if he doesn’t give a hometown discount, Los Angeles should look elsewhere.

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