LA Rams ST Coordinator John Bonamego starts off on right foot

The LA Rams special teams need help. The latest free agency signings show ST Coordinator John Bonamego starting off on the right foot, literally.

The LA Rams had more problems than the offensive line in 2019. Almost ignored was the LA Rams plummet on special teams over 2018 and 2019. Once a stronghold of perfection, the Rams held the second-ranked special teams in the NFL per Football Outsiders.com in 2017.  That ranking dropped to 17th in the NFL in 2018.  Finally, last year in 2019, the Rams fell to the bottom third of the NFL, landing on 23rd. While ST Coordinator John Fassel had some incredible years for the Rams, he seemed unable to stop, or even slow the plummet.

Conversely, the Detroit Lions were ranked 19th in the NFL in 2018.  But upon adding Special Teams coordinator John Bonamego, their performance jumped to tenth in the league.  Can  Bonamego show similar results with the LA Rams?

The LA Rams were 9-7 in 2019, just missing the postseason play.  That occurred while the Rams had one of the worst special team groups in the NFL. So far, virtually all conversations about the Rams has been a focus upon that offensive line. While that is important, it won’t be enough to help the Rams reclaim the top spot of the NFC West.

The Rams need to raise the bar for all aspects of their team.  And while Greg Zuerlein had been tremendously productive for the Ram, his accuracy from 40-49 yards, just 5 of 11, crippled the Rams chances of winning multiple games. That is not to say he was responsible for the losses, but on six occasions, the Rams had the opportunity to add three points and walked away with nothing.

After ST Coordinator John Fassel hired on with the Dallas Cowboys, Zuerlein followed him to Dallas.  That left the LA Rams in need of a kicker in 2020. At least until yesterday.  On April 13, 2020, the LA Rams announced the signing of two kickers, XFL kicker Austin MacGinnis and CFL kicker Lirim Hajrullahu.

The newly signed kickers are two of the best non-NFL kickers available in free agency, and both are very accurate from beyond 40 yards distance. They are the first players added under Bonamego’s watch, and both have high ceilings for their NFL potential. Since both players kick with their right foot, you could say that ST John Bonamego is starting off on the right foot with the LA Rams.