Is LA Rams DC Brandon Staley petrified over no preseason games?

With the latest news over no preseason games, LA Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley will not have a chance to practice calling defensive plays

The LA Rams are perhaps one of the teams most impacted by the cancellation of preseason games this year. You might recall that due to the lack of organized team activities (OTAs) and face to face direct contact, we learned that Rams’ new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley had never called defensive plays before. In fact, the Rams were specifically depending upon preseason to afford Staley an opportunity to get into the correct rhythm of calling plays and setting up the defense to succeed.

Now? Those plans are dashed. With it, the pressure will mount upon Staley to be settled and confident. After all, this is not just a debut of his new defense, but a new defensive philosophy.  But before we shriek about the sky is falling like so many others have raced to do about the LA Rams 2020 season, this is not a matter of Staley being unprepared. In fact, the opposite is more likely.  Much like head coach Sean McVay’s overthinking the offensive plays in Super Bowl LIII, now Staley runs the risk of over-preparation.

Simulation software, do your stuff

Calling defensive plays for a veteran defensive fielding All-Pros Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey seems easy enough. But his defense will be operating at a very fast speed, which means plays will need to be called at a rapid pace. Speed can lead to mistakes, and mistakes can cause confusion. Oftentimes, that will be offset by a veteran interior linebacker who can push back and even make calls autonomously. Unfortunately, the Rams will not field a 16 game starter in the linebacker ranks this year. Either the player started for other teams, were role players, or are rookies.

Of course, there are plenty of simulation options available.  Even a game like EA Madden 21, given the right background and setup, could be used to prepare Staley to call plays quickly in time for the regular-season opener. And the team has other coaches on staff who can act as a proxy if Staley is petrified at calling plays for the first time in the season home opener.  It seems like the pressure is mounting on the Rams organization this year. But pressure turns lumps of coal into diamonds. Let’s see how Staley handles it.