LA Rams fans find lots to love about free agents Floyd and Robinson

LA Rams’ new additions of OLB Floyd and DL Robinson may be unfamiliar faces, but both bring a lot to love about their fit on 2020 defense.

The LA Rams will run the same 3-4 defensive scheme they’ve run for some time. But if you haven’t noticed by now, there will be many new faces.  Of course, All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald will still anchor the front seven. And the 2020 defensive backs will be one of the best pass defense foursomes in the NFL.  But the LA Rams have parted ways with all four starting linebackers from 2019 so far.

So why the wholesale changes?  In a word, the Rams face NFC West opponents who emphasize a running offense. In fact, all three NFC West opponents ranked in the top 10 rushing offenses in the NFL. And if you toss in the opponents who truly had their way with the LA Rams defense in 2019, the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys, you soon see where the Rams Achilles Heel was in last year.  The Rams could not stop the run.  New defensive coordinator Brandon Staley will try to change that.

The resounding theme in just two additions for the LA Rams defense is to get younger and to bolster the run defense. Plain and simple. And it’s the right goal for this team.

The Vic Fangio defense is designed to confuse offenses by “showing” one defense, but “playing” another defense. That defense needs three components: incredibly strong defensive linemen who can handle double teams at the line of scrimmage, defensive backs who can cover in both man and zone, and swarming linebackers who can get to the ball carrier and deliver a “boom” when they do. So how do we fit the Rams players into this new scheme?

DL A’Shawn Robinson

The Rams lost an outstanding run defender when DL Michael Brockers signed with the Baltimore Ravens. Brockers is a 29-year-old 6-foot-5 305-pound defensive lineman who can hold his ground and defend the run very well.  In his place, the LA Rams signed former Detroit Lions defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson.  Robinson is a 25-year-old 6-foot-4 330-pound defensive lineman who can hold his ground and defend the run very well.

In short, the Rams got bigger, stronger, younger, and cheaper at the defensive line. Placing Robinson among the DL rotations with Donald, Sebastian Joseph-Day, and Greg Gaines, the Rams now have a younger defensive front.

The direct comparisons over Brockers’ last four years and Robinson’s first four years reveal some interesting facts: (all stats from Pro-Football-Reference.com)

Def Snaps
2016:  B – 419  R- 408
2017:  B – 728  R – 735
2018:  B – 680  R – 415
2019:  B – 766  R – 527
Tackles
2016:  B –  19   R-  30
2017:  B –  55  R –   53
2018:  B –   54  R –  49
2019:  B –   63  R –   40
TFL                                          Sacks                                      QB Hits
2016:  B –   1  R-  6            2016:  B –  0.0   R-  2.0       2016:  B –  5   R-  2
2017:  B –   8  R –  4           2017:  B –  4.5  R –  0.5       2017:  B –  8  R –   6
2018:  B –   4  R –  3           2018:  B –  1.0  R –  1.0       2018:  B –   4  R –  4
2019:  B –   3  R –  3           2019:  B –  3.0  R –  1.5       2019:  B –   9  R –   2

The initial comparison is to conclude that Brockers was more productive. But Brockers played 2,700 defensive snaps, to just 2,100 for Robinson.

Double up defenders on double teams

The most exciting aspect of this signing is the fact that A’Shawn Robinson is a very powerful man.  He is 330 pounds, but that is more muscle than fat. That power allows him to defeat double teams and defend the run. That proficiency against double teams gives the Rams a huge plus, as the team tries to force offenses to use just one blocker against Aaron Donald.

So far, Robinson has not had much of an impact as a pass rusher. But he has not had that responsibility. He has been a lane-clogger, block-gobbler defensive lineman whose role was primarily to keep the linebackers clean and able to make plays.  That is exactly what the Fangio/Staley defense will ask of him as well.

But he will be more than a fireplug in the Rams’ 2020 defense. He will be tasked with creating a secondary target for offensive lines on the defensive front.  A second Hercules strongman on that defensive front which will force the offense to choose either Donald or Robinson. Choose the wrong one, and the other guy will make them pay by tackling the ball carrier behind the line of scrimmage.

OLB Leonard Floyd

The LA Rams needed a pass-rushing outside linebacker and “settled” for Leonard Floyd. But did they really settle? Not according to Chicago Bears’ outside linebackers coach Ted Monachino who believed a season ago that Floyd can be something really special. The trouble with playing behind a Khalil Mack is that your turn to fill that special role must wait.  Still, Floyd has the right instincts to devastate quarterbacks in the right system.

Of course, that is all “potential”. So far, in four seasons, Floyd has amassed just 18.5 sacks. But isn’t that a similar situation as that of OLB Dante Fowler Jr. when the Rams obtained him? The Rams are committing to a one-year “prove it” deal as a precaution.

But there is no need to insure against Floyd’s run defense. He plays the run very well. in fact, his run defense surprises coaches, who note his weight doesn’t indicate a player who can hold his own against larger blockers.

It all adds up to the most critical element of the Rams’ new defensive initiative. Versatility. Floyd has it, lots of it. That ability to play the run, rush the passer, or defend the pass gives the defense something it has not had before. The element of surprise.

I’m certain that Staley would have been excited to have a chance to coach Dante Fowler Jr. But Floyd will quickly help Rams fans forget their losses, as he truly can be a keystone to the Rams 2020 defense.  So far, the Rams two new additions bring a lot to love. Now, it’s up to the Rams to finish the job of retooling.