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IowaRam
Word around the League and ex Rams players for years now always sounded like the Rams just weren't committed to winning
I'm sure Wade Phillips had other options , but choosing the Rams , might send a message that that's about to change
even though I'm not a Demoff fan , I will give him credit for this one
Well I'm on record as being a Demoff fan and even though McVay wasn't my top 2 choices he was in my top 4 with reservations about his age and not being sure how or if he could get the most out of JG compared to KS & JM.
I do see some Jon Gruden quirks in his personality and I'm glad to see Wade quickly came on board with the youngster.
I'm not sure how the current Defensive personnel will fit the puzzle but Wade seems like he will adapt to players until they get more guys to fit as needed....“We try to fit what the players can do in the defense rather than saying, ‘OK, we’re a 4-3 or we’re a two-gap 3-4,’ ” Phillips said. “We’re a team where if a guy can stunt and rush the passer, we let him do that. If a guy is a power guy, we try to let him be that. It’s all what individual players can do.”
It begins with the line, where in the base defense three linemen play a one-gap scheme, unlike the two-gap scheme in many other 3-4 alignments. This means the nose tackle and two defensive ends are responsible for the offensive lineman in front of them and one gap — not both — to the side of that lineman, allowing them to move up the field and attack the passer instead of waiting for the play to unfold and reacting.This defense puts a greater onus on the two inside linebackers to step up and take on a guard, and also stuff the run and fall back in coverage when needed. Phillips has said his inside linebacker corps this year is among the deepest he has had, but the return to full health of starters Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan from injuries a season ago is crucial.
“Danny and I, we’re naturals together,” Marshall said. “Whenever we’re at practice, we’re able to feed off each other. He knows the checks, I know the checks.”
The variations, of which Phillips has plenty and is known to utilize depending on his personnel, are seen most with the outside linebackers. This year he has two elite ones (Von Miller and Ware) and possibly a third (rookie Shane Ray).
Phillips has been toying with three-outside linebacker sets. He has been moving Ware and Miller up to the line occasionally. And he’s letting them do what they do best.
“We rush them a lot,” Phillips said, grinning slyly. “If they can rush the passer, we let them rush.”
Allow Ware to expound. “In the 3-4, you have five linemen on the front end and only two linebackers,” he said. “It’s a one-gap scheme. My job is now I can be a lot more aggressive on the outside, set the edge on the outside and make sure everything is funneled to the guys in the middle. It’s like
(having) one responsibility.”
The aggressiveness extends to the secondary, where Phillips has three Pro Bowlers in safety T.J. Ward and cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Chris Harris. The trio didn’t make the NFL’s top 100 for 2015, a ranking selected by their peers. But the added chip was welcome.
Talib believes the Broncos’ secondary a year ago was among the best in the NFL. Ward, now in a defense that allows him to blitz more, wants their status, and his, to be indisputable in 2015.
read the full article here[
www.denverpost.com]
