Les Snead says Rams want to use 2 TEs more but it's difficult to do
Cameron DaSilva36 minutes ago
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theramswire.usatoday.com]
No team in the NFL had three wide receivers, one running back and one tight end on the field at the same time more than the Los Angeles Rams last season. That specific grouping is called 11 personnel, which the Rams utilized on 77 percent of their offensive snaps in 2018.
That number was significantly higher before Todd Gurley got hurt and the Rams went with more heavy packages with two-tight end sets, touching 99 percent from Week 1-15. It’s part of what makes Sean McVay’s offense so dangerous, making it difficult for defenses to pick up tendencies because the same 11 players are almost always on the field.
The Rams have two talented tight ends in Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett, but they weren’t exactly big parts of the offense. They caught 57 passes for 612 yards and five touchdowns combined, on only 84 targets. McVay wants to use 12 personnel more, according to Les Snead, but that’s difficult to do.
Snead told Matthew Berry of ESPN at the combine that because the Rams’ three starting receivers – Cooper Kupp, Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods – are all so talented and very capable blockers, it’s difficult to pull any of them off the field for an extra tight end.
“Sean will tell you that they both have different genres. Gerald can be an element of a matchup issue and Sean used him different than Higbee because of those reasons. So I think going forward in the future, he would like to utilize a little more 12 (personnel) than he has in the past. The problem is when Cooper Kupp’s been on the field and we’re in 11 personnel, we’ve been very successful. And one of the unsung reasons we’ve been successful in that package is all three of those guys – Cooks, Kupp and Woods – are really, really tenacious blockers. So we’ve proven to be able to run the ball out of 11 (personnel). I’m sure your analytics would say, ‘Oh, we’re in 11 a lot.’ But that’s a little bit of the reason because we can run the ball out of it and pass the ball out of it.”
The Rams were dominant out of 11 personnel in 2018, both running the ball and throwing it with Jared Goff. It spreads defenses out, forces them to put more defensive backs on the field, which opens up running lanes for Todd Gurley.
After scoring about 33 points per game and ranking second in total yards, fifth in yards passing and third in rushing, why change? It’s possible the Rams won’t, opting to stick with 11 personnel. But like Snead said, McVay would like to get two tight ends on the field more often, but only “a bit.”
