Re: One MAJOR thing you are missing

Quote
dzrams

Quote
no name
That's not accurate. If there is one thing know it is DB's. Alexander is the gel in the back seven. The LB's are the joke. TJ McDonald is is disaster if the ball goes more than 8 yards. Alexander has one of the best efficiency ratings of any safety in football. Higher than McC. He gives up less yards per man than anyone not named Earl Thomas. Those are KC Joyner defensive grade stats.

With the LB corps lost more often than not and TJ essentially being a fourth LB the Rams simply can't do some things due to the lack of diagnosis by our MLB. Alexander has become the diagnoser. He and Joyner have literally become the vocal men and the setup guys on that defense.

First, let me say that Alexander is doing very well with the role he’s been assigned. And that’s pretty much all he can do. But GW hasn’t entrusted him with the same amount of responsibility that he did with McLeod.

Govane pointed this out above. The Rams are playing more Cover 2 than last year because Alexander is back there and not Mcleod.

There was an article about it a month or so ago that detailed the number of snaps GW is employing 2 deep safeties versus last year (I think it’s inappropriately labeled Cover 2 but the point still stands). It’s a dramatic increase.

If both McLeod and Alexander have high efficiency ratings but Alexander is only entrusted with half of what McLeod was, then he is not on the same level. And the consequence for having to have 2 deep safeties back is getting gashed in the run game more often.

Strong rebuttal and normally I'd get on board. The issue I take is that I put blame on the LB's. It's not a new stance. I said before preseason that unless AO learns how to read defenses than the defense will change. More specifically I said that they will be forced into coverage changes due to processing and personelle. AO has been worse than I could have dreamed of.

This is not a product of protecting a Safety. There really isn't any way to do that. This is a product of protecting our LB's. Let's not forget that the Rams D is down one elite CB from last year (JJ) and our other elite safety for half this year (Tru). Now lets also take into consideration that the Rams give terrible push on the defensive front. This gives the QB more time to process. The Rams blitz less because contain is a flaw and all of our LB's are over committers. Draw plays eat this team alive. QB outside of the pocket is a disaster. This defense is not built well. There is not one man in the front seven that sets up or diagnoses. As an ex high level LB and safety this type of thing drives me nuts.