LA Rams 2020 secondary takes on North America big game personalities

The LA Rams’ secondary stars resemble the big game rams of North America. Let’s discuss each as we enter the 2020 NFL new season.

The LA Rams‘ namesakes, Rams, are sturdy survivors who flourish in the harshest of conditions. While there are many species of Rams worldwide, North America has only four native species: Rocky Mountain Bighorn, Desert Bighorn, Stone, and Dahl (from dalu, which means gifted). Of course, the team’s mascot is Rampage, adopted by the team in 2010, while hosted in the city of Saint Louis, Missouri.

The team was formed as the Cleveland Rams in 1936, where the team operated until 1945. In 1946, the team moved to the west coast city of Los Angeles, where the team became the Los Angeles Rams.  Meanwhile, the Saint Louis Cardinals, a team formed in 1960, moved to Tempe, Arizona in 1988. The Rams decided to relocate to Saint Louis in  1995, where they played as the Saint Louis Rams for 30 years, from 1995 – 2015. In 2016, the Rams decided to return to the city of Los Angeles California, where they play today.

The Cleveland Rams borrowed the name in 1936 from then recognizable Fordham Rams, a famous sports college from the Bronx, New York City, New York. The Fordham Rams got their name from an 1890’s collegiate cheer: “One dam, Two-dam, Three-dam, Fordham!” Of course, the college Jesuits did not approve, so the cheer changed to “One ram, two-ram, three-ram, Fordham!” And so, the Fordham Rams were born.

Rams have been the symbol of power and virility since the beginning of recorded history. Ancient gods like Zeus, Apollo, and Baal were represented by Rams. With so much focus upon the LA Rams’ bad logo recently, we felt it was important to refocus the logo upon the players behind the symbol. We chose the four starting defensive backs as the first to wear the Rams symbolic mantle for the 2020 season.

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Ram

If there is any player in the NFL who deserves to be associated with the Bighorn, it’s veteran cornerback Jalen Ramsey. He is truly the biggest of the big game in the NFL, a player who turns up the heat on himself just to get comfortable. A player who seems to play better as the situation becomes ever more desperate.

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The Rocky Mountain Bighorn is coveted as the most significant sheep of North America. It’s Ram horns are the largest of the bunch, and are often compared to a majestic crown worn by medieval kings. As such, the beast is the most recognized by all and has become the symbol for many sports teams with the pronounced curved horns.

Jalen Ramsey is also atop the NFL at cornerback and has become the poster-child for shutdown cornerbacks. He dominated in 2018 as an active member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, allowing just 54 percent of the passes thrown his way to find the receiver’s hands. Turmoil in 2019 allowed quarterbacks to complete 66 percent of the passes going his way.  In 2020, both Ramsey and the Rams look for that number to drop significantly.

The Rams have searched for a top cornerback to flourish on their defense, and many expect Jalen Ramsey to be the end of that search. Not only does Ramsey taunt other teams on and off the field, but his confidence is infectious, and rubs off quickly on his teammates. And while the LA Rams quarterback pressure will help Ramsey’s efforts to defend the pass, Ramsey’s efforts will help the Rams’ pass rush. Jalen Ramsey has earned the right to take on the mantle of the Bighorn Ram. In 2020, he’ll prove he remains the king of the mountain.

Stone Ram

The Stone Ram is one of the most graceful animals in the Pacific Northwest. It is a rare and incredible find and is not easily distinguished from its surroundings. And that is the impression many untrained eyes experience as they look upon the LA Rams cornerback Troy Hill.

Hill is one of the most underpraised defensive backs in the NFL today. While his three teammates are frequently mentioned in articles about the best NFL pass defenders, he simply blends into the background, somewhat as though he is the “other guy” on the team.  He was promoted to starter after cornerback Aqib Talib was injured.

What did he do with that opportunity? Well for starters, the 5-foot-11 183-pound cornerback held quarterbacks who targetted him to a 45.6 percent completion rate and intercepted two passes. That is a huge year for a player who has only been a part-time starter for the team until now.

The Rams had just extended Hill for two seasons a year ago, another quiet move that we applauded, but which never seemed to make headlines for the solid move it was and is. Heading into 2020, Hill is the presumed starter pairing up with Jalen Ramsey. But much like the Stone Ram, Hill continues to be difficult for fans to see as the incredibly valuable player he truly is.

Dall Ram

The word “Dall” means gifted or famous. And that’s a pretty fair place to start when considering the LA Rams third defensive back, safety Taylor Rapp. Rapp earned ten starts in 2019, despite that being his rookie season. It was, however, the expected result when the LA Rams used their first pick of the 2019 NFL Draft to select him from the University of Washington.

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Rapp is just the latest defensive back prospect to study under the collegiate mastery of the position, Washington head coach Jimmy Lake.  Of course, the Washington Huskies made headlines when CB Sidney Jones, CB Kevin King, and S Budda Baker were all selected in round two of the 2017 NFL Draft.  Taylor Rapp is one more apprentice of Lake who has excelled in the NFL.

Rapp possesses some of both qualities. Gifted in that he has stepped up and made a huge positive impact for the Rams in his rookie season, and famous in that he is already one of the most recognizable names on that Rams defense. But he’ll need to do more in 2020. Without the venerable Eric Weddle, Rapp will need to decypher offenses more quickly this season and anticipate runs from passes, deep routes from crossing routes, and blockers from route runners.

Rapp is similar to Dall sheep in that he flourishes, and can stand out easily in a game, but can also seem to disappear. Sometimes it’s just a result of the offensive plays called that do not challenge him directly. But part of that comes from his novelty to the NFL and his need for more experience to become a standout defender.

Desert Ram

The Desert Ram flourishes in high heat. The hotter it gets, the more the Desert Ram enjoys it. So too does safety John Johnson enjoy the heat of the moment. In three seasons, he’s played in a total of 38 games, and started in 32.  Of those games, he’s already chalked up seven interceptions and added 245 tackles. He can be found in the vicinity of the football on virtually every play.

Desert Rams are nearly as difficult to distinguish as the Stone Ram. So too does Johnson’s play seem part of the flow of the game, never jumping off the page, until the final tally begins and fans are mildly surprised to witness his performance as leading the team in tackles in the contest.

Johnson suffered a shoulder injury in 2019 and missed ten games last season. That injury required surgery, which was a resounding success.

Johnson should be on track to join the team for the 2020 NFL Season. His return completes the LA Rams starters for the secondary and completes the set of North American big game Rams.

With all the attention on the failed attempts by the team to design an acceptable Ram logo and color scheme, it seemed to be the right time to visit what the Rams logo truly means, and how that symbol of power and vitality fits the team of today.