LA Rams News: Will Aaron Donald face more right tackles in 2020?

LA Rams News: NFL lining up best pass rushers against lesser skilled right tackles is trending. Will LA Rams Aaron Donald follow suit?

The LA Rams have a blank slate right now as far as “defensive tendencies”. The reason is simply, newly hired defensive coordinator Brandon Staley has never been with the LA Rams before. For that matter, he has never been a defensive coordinator before. So the book on what Brandon Staley is just a compilation of empty pages right now. It will be a fascinating narrative as it is written, as he has one of the most talented defenses to work with anywhere in the NFL.

Starting with defensive lineman Aaron Donald, that is.

Donald is the epitome of plug-and-play on the defensive front. All the while, he is redefining the position entirely. He is a new color on the palette of defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, with a fresh new canvas ripe for a masterpiece defense. Now it’s just a matter of how much to put here, and how much to put there.

Of course, the LA Rams said farewell to 25 quarterback sacks when Cory Littleton (3.5 sacks), Dante Fowler Jr. (11.5 sacks), Clay Matthews (8.0 sacks), and Morgan Fox (2.0 sacks) departed. That means one of the Rams priorities in 2020 is to manufacture quarterback sacks.

Work the horse that works

So a betting man would be wise to wager that Staley will turn towards the NFL’s most dominant pass-rusher and investigate ways of making him more effective in 2020. That would lead him to All-Pro pass rusher and defensive lineman Aaron Donald.

What will Staley find?

That’s a pretty solid starting point for any defensive coordinator.

With that in mind, what options will the LA Rams have? Well thankfully, some of that work has already been completed for Staley when the Rams signed Ndamukong Suh in 2018.  While he only accounted for 4.5 quarterback sacks personally, his presence on the defensive line forced offenses to double team him, which afforded Donald a much easier time of harassing the quarterback. In that season, Donald record 20.5 sacks, a career-best.

How can Staley free up Aaron Donald once more?  Just as Suh shared some of the double-team tactics of the offensive line’s attention, the Rams need to give offenses a new defender to worry about.

Robinson to the rescue

That may very well be the reasoning behind the LA Rams addition of undervalued A’Shawn Robinson. While Robinson did not headline the NFL highlights videos as a Detroit Lion, rest assured that he was very much discussed in offensive planning sessions as teams prepared to face him.

He is a very athletic 6-foot-4, 330-pound hulk of a man, who is athletic enough to play any position on the Rams defensive line. That’s an important attribute, as while he will likely line up in a nose tackle role for the Rams, he will likely stunt to fit a new defensive role to confuse the offense. Even more importantly, new defensive coordinator, Brandon Staley runs in the Vic Fangio defensive philosophy. It’s vital for the defense to have two powerful, jaw-shaking defensive linemen on the field.

Placing Robinson on the Rams’ defensive line will do two things: it will give opposing offenses a difficult choice as to which defender to block. If they continue to aim double and triple teams at Donald, then Robinson will be in a great position to disrupt plays over the center. The A-gaps are the most efficient route to the quarterback, and Robinson will have the front row to that route on virtually every play.

If the offense needs to shore up protection over the center, whether to slow down Robinson’s rush or to attempt a run up the middle, then Donald and teammate Michael Brockers will have an easier time of it. The Rams new 3-4 will play a role in how effective Donald is in 2020.

Staley/Fangio Philosophy- How

While many cite the Rams 3-4 defense as unchanging in the transition from former defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ philosophy to that of Vic-Fangio-schooled new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’s philosophy, there will be some significant differences.

But in a Fangio-like defense, the more traditional two-gap assignments for defensive linemen are emphasized. That means defensive linemen may shade an offensive lineman to one side, but engage that blocker head-on, with the responsibility of shedding that blocker to one side as soon as the ball carrier commits to the hole.

Interior linebackers line up directly behind the uncovered linemen (usually the offensive guard), while the outside linebackers play closer to the line of scrimmage. That forces the outside linebacker to make instantaneous reads

One of the easiest components of disguise out of the 3-4 Fangio/Staley defensive front is the ability to generate a pass rush from virtually any of the linebacker spots.  While the Phillips 3-4 defense emphasized three defensive linemen, plus either Dante Fowler Jr. or Clay Matthews, that will not be the case under Staley.  In the Staley 3-4, the pass rush can take the shape of an interior linebacker going against an offensive tackle. That releases that defensive end to commit to an outside rush, engaging a tight end and routing back to the quarterback.  Not many offenses can stop Aaron Donald in that pass-rush configuration.

Now Where

The Rams, like many defenses, want to create mismatches. Offenses do that all the time by trying to match up receivers against slower-moving linebackers in pass coverage.  So turnabout is only fair play, as defenses try to match-up their best pass-rushers against inferior blockers.

Defenses use the surprise of blitzes or sending players typically responsible for covering receivers to rush the quarterback. That type of blitz relies almost entirely on surprise, as even a running back can block a linebacker or defensive back long enough to get a pass away.

But the NFL adapts, and the latest trend is to send the best pass rusher against the right offensive tackle. In most offenses, the right offensive tackle is simply not as proficient as the left offensive tackle at pass blocking.  Right-handed quarterbacks face to the right in passing downs and are expected to evade defenders charging from that angle. So offensive coaches typically place their best blockers at left tackle, the blind-side, to protect the quarterback from pass rushers coming from a hidden angle.

Does this new NFL trend offer an opportunity for the LA Rams? It makes sense that the Rams hoping to remain a 50 quarterback sack team should consider all the options to doing so. Even if the Rams do not elevate Donald’s pass rush back to 20.5, any increase helps to replace lost pressure upon the opposing quarterback.

New defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’s success with the LA Rams may very likely depend on how well he makes use of All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald.  Expect the unexpected. Donald is one of the best NFL defenders of his time. But you’ll never get him to admit to it.