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Steve
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AlbaNY_Ram
About backup QB "Jared Goff is the right quarterback to lead McVay’s system. He’s a timing and rhythm thrower, which helps in a scheme that emphasizes play-action." This is exactly why I don't think a change-of-pace QB (like RG3) will ever play for the Rams. McVay needs players that fit his scheme. Goff seems like a great fit. For better or worse the Rams backup QB under McVay will display similar attributes. IMO there is no way that McVay would alter his scheme to feature a different type of QB.
About replacing a LB with a 3rd safety "In Denver, Phillips didn’t have great coverage linebackers, so he replaced one with a third safety in obvious passing situations." Mark Barron used to be a safety. The requisite cover skills are present in the Rams base defensne!!
About the porous run defense "Donald surely wasn’t to blame for the run D, but he was still part of it. No doubt that poor run D helped inspire the pursuit of $14 million one-year free agent rental Ndamukong Suh." Last year when AD was double or triple teamed one would expect the LBs to clean up big time. Enter Ogletree. Or rather, exit Ogletree. As one of he worst tackling linebackers in the league I lay much of the blame on the Rams poor run defense at his feet. Signing Suh for $14M was a no brainer regardless of what last year's D could or couldn't do. But moving on from Tree (and Quinn? and Barwin?) seem more like specific moves to bolster the run D to me.
I agree with all of this.
Having Suh and DOnald, 2 DTs on the same team who are all pro because of their pass rushing, is extremely rare. What team ever had 2 all pro passrushing DTs? In 1988 Sometimes Reggie WHite played over the center (1988, specifically, under Wade Philllips), and they had Jerome Brown next to him---so,maybe that is a slight comparison.Wade coaches so many all pros, maybe he forgot about them, lol. That strength, Donald and Suh, is important this year because we dn't have a Quinn-like player this year---the edge this year will have clean up sacks.
Without Suh, I wouldn't have such high hopes for the super bowl.
We are fine at ILB; if LIttleton can't handle 16 games (no chance, I predict), we have Kiser and others. NO worries, there. IF Barron gets hurt, (Tegray Scales or Hager?) can fill in well.
We had mostly clean up sacks last year. With the exception of Quinn's late season 4 game burst where he had like 6 sacks, none of the edge defenders did anything special.
Barwin didn't create pressure on his own, Longacre didn't create pressure on his own, and neither did Quinn for 3/4 of the season. I realize that Quinn of course was probably not fully healthy but what we got from him for the majority of the year was not a real "Quinn-like player."
And yet the D was still fine - ranking 4th - in sacks and sack rate percentage.
You can get away with a clean up crew for edge defenders when you have a Donald flushing the QB into their waiting arms at such a high rate. Add Suh to that and we're gonna be more than fine.
