Gotta love how LA Rams Greg Gaines loves to kick ass…

Gotta love how LA Rams Greg Gaines loves to kick ass

by Bret Stuter of RamblinFan

In almost each NFL season, there is one defensive lineman for the LA Rams who seems to step out from backstage directly onto the NFL stage and put on one helluva performance. Last year, you could flip a coin over either defensive end Morgan Fox or nose tackle Sebastian Joseph Day.

This year, the coin could be flipped once more, but between NT Sebastian Joseph Day (SJD), or nose tackle Greg Gaines. It’s that constant flow of NFL worth talent from the rank and file that keeps Coach Eric Henderson among the best in the business. You see, it is all part of Coach Henny’s #Dawgwork mindset that delivers some of the best defensive linemen from prospect to professional each season.

Right now, it’s Gaines’s turn to showcase his talent to the NFL. He has all of the tools to do exactly that. But it’s that zest for chaos and carnage that has NFL analysts buzzing about Greg Gaines, who has inherited a starting role from his injured teammate SJD and is making the most of it.

Their loss, Rams Gaines

By making the most of it, we mean making tackles and bringing down quarterbacks.



Even as the rest of the team was struggling, Gaines has been heating up on the defensive front. In the month of November alone, he piled up 15 tackles and 1.5 quarterback sacks in just three games.

Based on ESPN’s win-rate rankings, Gaines is one of the most dominant defensive linemen in the NFL right now. He is among the Top-10 DT Pass Rush Win Rate, ranking fifth with a win rate of 15 percent. But it doesn’t stop there. Oh no, you see, he doesn’t sacrifice anything in terms of run stuffing. He is also among the Top-10 DT Run Stop Win Rate, ranking third with a win rate of 45 percent.

How can you get better than a pass rusher who also stuffs the run? That’s pretty impressive for such a young man who will improve with each game.

Gaines gets going

While he hasn’t recorded a sack yet in December 2021, he did run down Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence from behind. That’s pretty impressive for a 6-foot-1 312-pound powerhouse who plays in the middle of the defense. Even more impressive is the fact that he has been effective on the line, and has even dabbled in pass coverage, allowing just two of three targets to find their mark for a total of eight yards.

Gaines may not be getting officially recognized yet for his efforts, but he is starting to raise eyebrows. His 2021 grade from Pro Football Focus is a very impressive 79.6. That is a huge improvement over his 2020 score of 65.0.

Gaines showed up well in the 2020 playoffs when he exhibited surprising power against some of the best offensive linemen in the NFL. That seems to have carried over to 2021, where he has been more agile and quicker in getting to the ball carrier. If you like to see the LA Rams play a more physical style of football, then you just gotta love how LA Rams Greg Gaines loves to kick ass.

And he does it with a smile on his face the entire time. After all, he’s just having fun out there, even if his opponent isn’t.