Tag: Chris Shula

Rams DC Chris Shula is a ‘sneaky name to watch’ as a head coaching candidate

Chris Shula is in his first year as a defensive coordinator but he’s already generating buzz as a potential head coaching candidate

It’s almost that time of year again. You know, the period of the offseason when NFL teams scour the Rams’ coaching staff for potential hires, either as head coaches, coordinators or various assistants.

The Rams lost several coaches last offseason, including Raheem Morris and Zac Robinson, and they’re likely to suffer a few more departures this coming offseason. Chris Shula is only in his first season as a defensive coordinator but he’s someone to watch, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

In his column on Wednesday, Fowler named Shula as a “sneaky name to watch in the carousel.”

One sneaky name to watch in the carousel is Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula. I hadn’t heard his name much earlier, but I did enough over the past week that it’s worth mentioning. I’m not sure what that means in terms of interviews, but people in the league are noticing his work and demeanor. And the Rams’ tree is usually appealing to teams looking to fill coaching vacancies. Green Bay coordinator Jeff Hafley is also a name that comes to mind here as another first-year NFC coordinator on the radar.

Shula’s defense got off to a terrible start early in the year, but the Rams have really turned things around since their Week 6 bye. Since Week 7, the Rams defense ranks 12th in EPA/play with the eighth-best success rate (42.1%) in the NFL.

While Shula doesn’t have much experience leading a defense, he’s been on Sean McVay’s staff since 2017 and has steadily climbed the ranks on his coaching staff. It wouldn’t be the least bit surprising if Shula did generate some buzz in the upcoming hiring cycle, even if he isn’t hired this time around.

Breaking down Chris Shula’s perfect approach to defending the Hail Mary

Chris Shula’s usage of personnel and the blitz sealed victory for the Rams in what was perhaps the perfect way to defend a Hail Mary

At the end of the Rams-49ers game, Los Angeles led 12-6 and San Francisco had the ball at the 50-yard line with 6 seconds remaining in the ballgame. With no timeouts remaining, the 49ers called a classic Hail Mary play.

The standard operating procedure for the defense is to line up three defensive linemen and drop eight defenders in coverage. The theory is that once the ball is in the air, the likelihood of a catch is nonexistent due to the amount of bodies going for the ball once it comes down.

In years past, several teams have attempted to sway from the norm by blitzing the quarterback, hoping to get a rushed throw or a sack. While it has worked in the past, it has also failed as in the case of the Aaron Rodgers Hail Mary against Arizona in the 2015-2016 playoffs.

Shula decided to change up how defenses cover Hail Mary plays by rushing five instead of three. That’s not a revolutionary concept, but the big difference was in the Rams’ personnel. Usually, teams like to blitz with more physical linebackers in this scenario. Shula went with a dime look that replaced Omar Speights with Kam Curl.

Shula had Jared Verse and Byron Young attack from the outside to force Brock Purdy to step up in the pocket. He then used Kobie Turner to draw the double-team. The 49ers called six-man protection so at this point, both tackles for the 49ers, along with their left guard and center, were being occupied by pass rushers. This left the right guard and running back as San Francisco’s only remaining blockers.

The guard took on Christian Rozeboom, leaving the speedy and physical Curl one-on-one with the running back. Rozeboom and Curl would bring Purdy down for the game-ending sack.

It takes receivers at least 4.5 seconds to reach the endzone from the 50-yard line. Purdy was wrapped up in 3 seconds.

By deploying Curl as a linebacker, it forced the 49ers to use their running back to block him as the guard could easily get run past. Rozeboom, on the other hand, is also too quick for the guard to handle so no matter what, the QB doesn’t have enough time to get the ball off.

In terms of numbers and time, it’s better to rush five players instead of three in Hail Mary situations from 50 yards and beyond. A proper pass rush will get the QB on the ground before his receivers even reach the endzone. Expect more teams to deploy “hybrid linebackers” in the future like Curl in order to stop last-minute heaves before they can happen.

Rams DC Chris Shula says Emmanuel Forbes has ‘looked really good’

Rams DC Chris Shula has been impressed by Emmanuel Forbes in practice, seeing a player who keeps improving

Emmanuel Forbes’ tenure with the Washington Commanders ended after just a season and a half, a shockingly short stint with the team that drafted him 16th overall in 2023. Given his draft pedigree, there’s no doubt he has talent. However, it simply didn’t work out for him in Washington.

Perhaps it will with the Los Angeles Rams after being claimed off waivers a week ago. Forbes was inactive in Sunday’s win over the Bills but he has a chance to play against the 49ers on Thursday night, especially if Cobie Durant misses time with a bruised lung.

Defensive coordinator Chris Shula praised Forbes’ ability to pick up the defense quickly and he says the young cornerback has impressed in practice.

“He’s a guy that has really picked it up above the neck,” Shula said Tuesday. “He’s very smart. He looked good and he took a few reps last week. He played some scout team and looked really good physically last week. This week you can tell he’s even grown a little more. We haven’t practiced yet but just throwing them in there in the walkthroughs, you can tell football makes sense to him. We’re going to do whatever suits the game plan best and maybe we’ll see him out there.”

After playing 14 games last season, Forbes has suited up in just six games this year and has played a total of 109 defensive snaps. That’s the equivalent of about two games for a starter, so he hasn’t been on the field much.

Even if he’s active against the 49ers this week, it’ll likely be as a reserve rather than a full-time starter. But it is encouraging to hear that he’s making progress in his brief time in Los Angeles so far.

Rams DC Chris Shula admits ‘it’ll definitely be weird’ seeing Ernest Jones with Seahawks

Chris Shula shared a bit about what it’ll be like to see Ernest Jones in Seattle and his feelings on the former Rams linebacker

It’s been a roller coaster year for Ernest Jones. The Rams traded him to the Titans in August, a shocking move that netted Los Angeles almost nothing in return. Then less than two months later, the Titans traded him to the Seahawks.

He made his debut with Seattle last week, playing every snap and recording a team-high 15 tackles. On Sunday, he’ll face his former team, the Rams, for the first time.

Chris Shula coached Jones during his time in Los Angeles, building a relationship with the standout linebacker. It’ll be odd for Shula to see Jones in a Seahawks uniform this weekend, but he’s been thinking about Ernest as a person during this unpredictable season.

“It’s weird. It’ll definitely be weird,” Jones said. “I thought about it when I saw the trade last week. You love the person. We will be connected and friends for life. He knows I’m here no matter what, forever, as long as he needs me. I just thought about his wife. He just had his baby. I just thought about him as a human, having to move twice in the same year. You feel for him. You hope he’s doing well, and you hope he’s in a great place.”

Jones has landed in a good spot with Mike Macdonald and the Seahawks, a team that will utilize his skill set properly in the middle of the defense. That already showed last week against the Bills when Jones stuffed the stat sheet, and he’ll try to do the same on Sunday against his former team.

“I know they’ve got really great coaches over there,” Shula added. “It hasn’t been necessarily weird yet this week because it’s kind of one of those things – the offense is playing him, so I’m not exactly seeing him on tape or playing against him. When we go out there for pregame warmups or whatever it is and I see him on the field, that’s definitely going to be a little bit weird.”

Jones was an impact player for the Rams since being drafted in the third round in 2021, which is what made their decision to move on from him so surprising. As a pending free agent, he’ll have a chance to pick his next team in 2025, unless the Seahawks like what they see and extend him before he hits the market.

Sean McVay loves the recent changes made by Chris Shula on defense

The Rams have undergone several changes on defense, but Sean McVay loves the adjustments made by Chris Shula

Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula came out of the bye week with a new approach to attacking offenses. Shula has been aggressive, on the money with defensive calls and has shown a hunter-like mentality in the second half, helping the Rams win two football games in five days.

His improvements have not gone unnoticed, especially by Sean McVay.

The Rams head coach spoke highly of Shula in a recent press conference, applauding Shula for adapting to a tough situation with the injuries and changes Los Angeles has dealt with.

“I think they’ve done a good job. Number one, we’ve earned the right to be able to (rush the passer). You get into some of the pass situations, I thought that was reflected really after we got through the first two drives of the game against the Vikings and that was on display really throughout the course of the game against the Raiders. What he and the coaches have done a great job of is saying, ‘OK, here are these guys that we have. Here are the skill sets that they have. Let’s figure out ways to mesh, mold, and to continue to figure out really what the identity of this defense is.’ I think we’re starting to find that but it is a week-to-week thing. I think he’s done a great job of being able to identify – I think it’s really been for the last three weeks – there were some things that we can learn from against the Packers but really, there have been some opportunities for things to be on display and shoot, we’ve scored each of the last three games defensively with two touchdowns, one against the Packers, one against the Raiders, and then getting the safety the other night.”

Shula has had to face an uphill battle since getting promoted to defensive coordinator. Not only has he dealt with the departure of Aaron Donald but the Rams are starting a number of players with fewer than two years of experience.

Despite that, the young defenders have shown up and shown out. Jared Verse continues to impress, Braden Fiske is slowly coming along and undrafted rookie Jaylen McCollough has been a welcomed addition with his three interceptions on the season.

Shula however will face a big test this week with the pass-happy Seattle Seahawks, as their offense is averaging close to 24 points per game.

Chris Shula details improvements he’d like to see from Rams defense

Chris Shula spoke candidly about his defense, citing what he feels need to change in order to have success on Sunday.

Chris Shula’s first four weeks as the Rams’ defensive coordinator have been a welcome-to-the-NFL type of moment for him but with the first quarter of the season finished, Shula took time to evaluate his defense and addressed some of his desires in the media.

Shula discussed areas of improvement for Los Angeles’ defense, citing ways the Rams can get better at all three levels.

“I think there are always things that you’re going to want to improve upon on all three levels. When it comes to the front, it’s just being able to adjust, hit blocks and play consistently. In the second level, fitting the runs, being consistent with their drops, and things like that. I think it’s the same for the third level. We’ve been stressing [that] it’s about communication, playing together and I know we’ve had a few moving parts, but I don’t think it’s an excuse for anything. We have to play, and we expect to go play well.”

Communication seems to be the top priority for Shula and he’ll get some help with the reintroduction of veteran defensive back Darious Williams and possibly Ahkello Witherspoon into the lineup. In the DB room, Williams, Witherspoon, and Tre White combine for almost 20 years of NFL experience.

Chris Shula’s first four weeks as Rams DC have been a nightmare

Rams DC Chris Shula’s first four games have been dreadful. What are the issues plaguing his defense?

There’s nothing more to be said that isn’t already known by Rams fans: The defense, while loaded with young talent and burgeoning superstars, has been nothing short of worrisome through four weeks.

That’s a result of the defensive play calling and scheme implemented by first-year defensive coordinator Chris Shula. In four games, Shula’s defense has given up an average of nearly 29 points per game, or a touchdown every quarter.

Compared to 21.1 PPG a year ago, a near eight-point differential, gives teams essentially an extra possession that the Rams have struggled to make up.

Now, why is this the case? There are many reasons. The Rams have had blown coverages left and right, they fail to not only limit but simply contain WR1s across the league, and their linebacking corps is playing at a troubling level. But the answer is much simpler than that.

The Rams have yet to stop the run. The team is ranked 31st in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game, a fact made evident by D’Andre Swift putting up a season-high 93 yards on Sunday. His previous high was 30. Swift also scored his first touchdown of the year.

This simply can not continue. It’s fair to give Shula grace because he’s only four games on the job but something needs to change and it needs to change soon.

Shula is Sean McVay’s first promotion at the defensive coordinator position. Shula’s predecessors, Raheem Morris, Brandon Staley and Wade Phillips, were hired from other organizations. Shula was an assistant coach under all three but his scheme has not worked thus far.

Rams are spending $31M less on defense than any other team this year

The Rams are only spending $44M on defense this year, $31 million less than any other team and the least in the NFL since 2018

Looking at the Los Angeles Rams’ roster, it’s not hard to see where most of their expensive assets lie. The majority of their high-cost players are on offense, led by Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp.

In fact, the six highest cap hits on the team are all offensive players: Stafford, Kupp, Rob Havenstein, Jonah Jackson, Kevin Dotson and Joe Noteboom. After Noteboom’s cap hit of $11.6 million, there’s a steep drop off to Darious Williams, who owns the seventh-largest cap hit at $4.7 million.

When you compare the team’s spending on offense to defense, the difference is jarring. According to Over The Cap, the Rams are spending $176.4 million on offense, which is the highest of any team – $22.4 million than the next-closest club.

On defense, the Rams are only spending $44.1 million this year, by far the lowest amount in the league. The next-closest team is the Chiefs, who are spending $75.1 million – a whopping $31 million more than the Rams.

The Steelers lead the league in defensive spending with $145.8 million allocated on that side of the ball, three times more than the Rams. Incredibly, Stafford’s cap hit of $46.2 million is larger than the cap hits of every defensive player on the Rams combined.

Going as far back as 2013, there’s never been a gap between 31st and 32nd teams in defensive spending as wide as the one this year between the Rams and Chiefs. The closest example was in 2019 when the Giants spent $8.9 million less than the 31st-ranked team in defensive spending.

Furthermore, the last time a team spent as little as the Rams are on defense was in 2018 when the Colts had just $39.5 million allocated on that side of the ball. Of course, the salary cap was only $177.2 million that year compared to $255.4 million.

The Rams are clearly a very offense-heavy team with a lot of players who are on rookie contracts on defense, which is the reason for the lopsided spending difference. Plus, now that Aaron Donald isn’t on the team anymore, he lessens the cost on that side of the ball significantly; he still has a $23.83 million dead cap charge, which isn’t included in the above numbers.

The Rams have young talent on defense with players such as Kobie Turner, Byron Young, Jared Verse, Quentin Lake and Cobie Durant, all of whom are on rookie contracts, but they’re also not paying veterans very much, either. Chris Shula has his work cut out for him in Year 1 as a defensive coordinator.

Rams DC Chris Shula thinks about an Aaron Donald return ‘every day’

Chris Shula is always thinking about the possibility of Aaron Donald coming out of retirement

Defensive coordinator Chris Shula has a young and hungry defensive unit heading into his debut season as the shot-caller of the Los Angeles Rams defense. The Rams added two rookies from Florida State, Jared Verse and Braden Fiske, with their first two selections in this year’s NFL draft. With additions such as Darious Williams, Tre’Davious White, and Kamren Curl, it became clear the Rams’ No. 1 offseason priority was to upgrade defensively.

Despite those upgrades, the Rams lost one of the greatest defensive players in league history via retirement as Aaron Donald hung up the cleats following his 10th season with the team. Despite Donald stating he lost the passion for the game of football, it has not stopped the Rams defensive coordinator from trying to persuade Donald to hold off on retirement for another season.

Donald was present at the Rams’ joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday, which caught people’s attention and had some wondering if Donald was mulling a return.

Following the joint practice, during media availability, Shula was asked if he has thought of asking Donald if he was “sure” about retirement. Shula responded with:

“Of course. Think about that every day, and he is all over our cut-up, so we see him all the time,” Shula said. “I know he is in a great spot and (had) such a great career. He has earned the right to do whatever he wants right now. So, he’s welcome back anytime. Anytime he wants to come coach and help out, he knows the door’s always open.”

Shula also welcomed the idea of Donald helping out with coaching if he pleases, saying Donald was at practice giving tips to rookie defensive lineman Braden Fiske.

“The cool thing was seeing him give some tips to Fiske and I’m standing there listening,” Shula said. “So, it was really good to see him. Great to have him out here.”

While an Aaron Donald return is unlikely based on the statements he has made during the offseason, it sure does not hurt to try to convince the greatest Ram of all time to return for an 11th season with the team.

Rams rookie Jared Verse is getting better ‘every single day’

Chris Shula spoke about the progress Jared Verse continues to make in Year 1

It’s been a long time since the Los Angeles Rams had the opportunity to draft a player in the first round of the NFL Draft and develop them into a franchise cornerstone for years to come.

The Rams took Jared Verse with pick No. 19 in April’s draft and so far, his development has been nothing but promising as the former Florida State Seminole has impressed defensive coordinator Chris Shula.

“He’s gotten better every single day. You see exactly what you saw on tape at Florida State and you see him making the corrections where he needs to and understanding stuff,” said Shula.

Verse was a highly decorated edge rusher coming out of college with honors such as being a two-time NCAA All-American, ranking third in the ACC for sacks (9).

As he is coming into his first NFL season, Verse will not only be learning how to play in the NFL, but he will also be learning a different scheme as the Rams will be running a 3-4 defense this season.

“A guy coming from Florida State, a little bit of a different scheme whereas now, we go to a 3-4 [defense], [and] ask him to do a few different things. He’s really taken it as a professional. He’s gotten better every single day,” Shula added.

This past offseason, the Rams defense took a major toll as future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald announced his retirement from football at 32 years old. Donald has been one of the best pass rushers in the NFL over the last 10 seasons and will be a player the Rams will miss coming into this season.

As the Rams begin their first season with Verse rushing off the edge, he’s a player the team hopes will blossom into a young star.