LA Rams secondary must play press man after adding Von Miller
by Bret Stuter of RamblinFan
Nobody can accuse the LA Rams of pressing too hard on defense, even after the addition of veteran outside linebacker Von Miller. But perhaps the team would be better served by doing exactly that. You see, defensive coordinators have long been faced with the cat-and-mouse game of how to configure their secondary to thwart offenses. Right now, the Rams could use a bit of a history lesson.
There are three fundamentally different forms of pass coverage that defensive backs can apply against receivers. There is a zone defense, which assigns a specific area of the field to a defensive back, no matter who enters the area. There is man coverage, which assigns a specific receiver to a defensive back, no matter where he goes.
Finally, the defense can go with press coverage, which is typically man coverage, but where defensive backs play very close to the line of scrimmage and jam or otherwise try to throw off the receiver’s timing. For the past three games, opposing offenses have emerged from their wins, and all have used the same uptempo highly timed set of running plays and timed quick-strike pass plays, and the defense has failed to detect the pattern.
Rams roster dictates playing style
One of the biggest hurdles to the LA Rams delivery on the football field is the lack of synergy created from one aspect of the team to the other. The LA Rams offense has committed to being a more explosive offense, and consistently loses the Time of Possession battle in games. Even knowing that running more often, and going with two tight ends to add blockers to the offense, the Rams continue to strongly feature their passing game. Few defenses can excel consistently when playing twice as much game time as the offense.
For another example, the LA Rams added veteran outside linebacker Von Miller to help the Rams pass rush, so offenses simply sped up their tempo and got rid of the football faster. It’s happened three times so far, and yet the Rams are content to play their secondary well off the football in the effort to keep everything in front of them.
It’s time to play closer to the line of scrimmage, jam some receivers, and disrupt their timing. If not when the game starts, certainly a necessary adjustment for the second half. The coaching staff has been remarkably rigid this year, in spite of the rapidly changing roster. It would be a great time to adapt what happens on the football field to the players who step foot on it.
