The meteoric rise of LA Rams DL Sebastian Joseph Day

The LA Rams have enjoyed the quiet eruption of defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph Day on the defensive line of scrimmage. But it’s been a subtle eruption, almost like a flower blossoming in early spring. A slowly developing emergence, steadfast in its daily reach towards the light each day. Constant swelling of ability and potential, so determined that it achieves new growth each day.  And there it is, in plain sight.

Sometimes, we become so trained to see stark changes and sharp turns in the road that a steady rate of linear growth is almost invisible to the eye.  Even I am guilty of missing the obvious because it’s right there developing in front of me in full display. I don’t think I’m the only one guilty of that either.

Looking for talented players to erupt is akin to training the eye to catch a distant sudden flash of brilliance on the team. A sudden burst of production from a young player is like a burst of light from a fourth of July fireworks display. And yet, SJD is right there, on the starting line, and seizing the opportunity to play in an ever dominating fashion to little to no fanfare.

I won’t be lulled into tranquility.  SJD is a huge force on this LA Rams defense, and it’s time we acknowledged that. After all, he has settled in at the nose tackle position for the team, arguably one of the most difficult and physically demanding positions on defense.

In a 3-4, the nose tackle is the epicenter of the defense. Everything that the offense does is within the radius of the nose tackle. So it takes a particular dedicated, strong, and sharp player to excel in the role. And wouldn’t you know it,  the 195th player chosen in the 2018 NFL Draft from the University of Rutgers exhibits all of that and more.