"Swarming to the Ball"

A term I am sure most of us have heard before describes many players "swarming" to the ball carrier to make the tackle. Something I see from some other teams but not so much from us and it has bothered me for a while now.

Is there a reason for that?
Is it the "Charmin Shell" effect that keeps players further away from the contact?
Are they being coached to not leave their "zone"?
Are the players being "lazy"?

I remember in that second whiner game someone made a hit on a whiner WR and the ball popped out into the air and there wasn't another Ram player close enough to get to it before a whiner did. I started watching for it more closely after that but it's something we rarely do.

The more guys you have around the ball helps good things happen whether it's to help make the tackle, recover a fumble, pick off a pass or just to show some "intimidation" or toughness.

Watch the better Defenses like the whiners and you will see 4-5 guys on the tackle almost every play. With us it's usually just one guy trying to tackle, maybe 2 if you count the other guy standing there watching the first guy make the tackle.

Our defense is very good statistically but also very soft and passive too. Would you call it a "finesse" defense? You sure can't call it aggressive, can you?

Let's be honest, this D doesn't scare anyone. Yes they are great in the RZ. The Charmin Shell seems to work better in the RZ because of the shorter area they have to cover. Not as much when they have to defend the whole field. There's too much room for the offensive players to run between the 20's.

Plays/Yards are there for the taking without fear of being "smacked" after catching the ball or running it into the line.

Is there a "legit" tough guy on our D other than maybe AD? Maybe Scott?

I miss the days of big nasty aggressive defenses that hit hard and swarm to the ball every play!

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#HelmetHornsMatter

“Well, the color is good, I like the metallic blue,” Youngblood recently said while laughing, via NFL Journal. “The horn is terrible. It looks like a ‘C.’ When I first saw it on the logo I honestly thought it was a Charger logo.

“Now when I see it on the helmet, it just isn’t a ram horn. There is no distinct curl like a mature ram horn. I don’t know how the Rams could get that wrong. That is your symbol and it has been for what? Seventy years or more? Longer than I have been alive? It’s just not us, it’s not the Rams.”---Mr. Ram Jack Youngblood





Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/29/2022 03:46AM by Ramsdude.