Here’s oldnotdead…
Troy Hill's and John Johnson's limitations have been exposed in Cleveland, proving why they were allowed to walk. That is to say, no big loss for either as they would not have fared any better in Morris' defense. Morgan Fox was a back up his whole career. He had a breakout year last year, after 3 years of mediocre production. But he was still a backup and still would be in LA. Michael Brockers is struggling without AD to take up the slack.
What I'm saying is that of these so called losses in player personnel would not have changed a thing in LA. They looked better than they were because of how Staley used them. Regarding Pleasant, I suggest you look at Detroit's secondary. They are playing so badly that their play are directly accountable for 2 last-minute losses by the Lions. Again, perhaps it was Staley's scheme that made him look better than he is. Detroit's secondary is a mess. IMO they have better talent than their play reflects. Scheme and coaching are a problem there.
That is what everyone kept saying about the OL. The OL went from struggling to elite with the same players, but a new coach. That proves the difference a coach makes. The Rams went from #1 to #15 on defense. So losing Brockers, Hill and Johnson are the reason for the drastic decline? I seriously doubt it. The Rams D went from 5th in 2019 to 1st in 2020 with the change from Phillips to Staley. Both played a zone heavy scheme. Phillips a drop, read, react (conventional) to Staley's drop, read, anticipate style. With basically the same talent as Phillips but a change in how the scheme was played they improved. The reverse is true going from Staley to Morris. At the very least this should be a top 5 unit. Phillips did it with lesser talent than Morris.
