LA Rams Joe DeCamillis: “We’ll get better as we go”

You may not have heard much from LA Rams Special Teams Coordinator Joe DeCamillis, but as he stated when he stepped up to the podium this week: “Usually when something rough happens, I’m asked over here”.  So we heard from him today after an eye-roll performance against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2.

What was it about the special team unit that was worth an eye roll? Well for starters, the LA Rams opened another game with the kickoff to ensure they got the football in the second half. But the kickoff return resulted in the Indianapolis Colts taking over first and ten from their own 41-yard line. Yikes.  The Rams later tried to punt the football with 9:21 remaining in the third quarter from their own 41-yard line.  It traveled just 33 yards before going out of bounds at the Colts’ 26-yard line.

Finally, the Rams attempt to punt the football with a fourth down and six yards to go from their own 11-yard line. The snap caromed wildly to the right of Hekker, who did not fall on the ball. The Colts rushed in to recover it as a touchdown, and take the lead in the game by the score of 21-17.

DeCamillis joins the press conference at or about the 11:50 time mark.

In the press conference, Joe DeCamillis is not a bull-shitter. I.e. he doesn’t toss a lot of coach-speak out there that has elements of interpretation.  But he was taken to task a bit over his units’ performance. And he did speak to the challenges of bringing along so many younger players.

He’s as much in a mentor and player development role right now as one of the Special Teams Coordinator for the LA Rams. He wasn’t handed the keys to a well-constructed piece of furniture. Rather, he inherited an IKEA build-it-yourself special teams kit, and he is in the process of determining which part fits where, and whether he even has all of the necessary pieces.

Where do the Rams’ special teams need to improve?

Surprisingly, the LA Rams coverage units are episodically bad. That is, they have a lapse of bad play, followed by good performance. That pattern is a characteristic of younger players who are in the process of learning their roles, trying (and failing) to make a highlight reel sort of play, and not trusting the scheme to be effective just by filling the role and responsibility.

Per Lineups.com, The LA Rams are among the bottom five NFL performers in kickoff coverage (allowed 147 yards in kick returns), punt returns (only have one yard in punt return yardage), punts (only averaging 39.8 yards per punt).

Of course, we can do a deeper dive into each statistic and alleviate some of the concerns. The most obvious of the matter is the kick return coverage allowed. But most of that occurred in the opening kickoff in the Chicago Bears game (50 yards) and the opening return in the Colts game (41 yards). Removing those 91 yards reduces the Rams allowed kick return yardage to a mere 56 years, a  sum that is much improved in terms of its NFL rankings.

The LA Rams have few punt return yardage simply because they have not forced many punts from their opponents.  The Rams have forced just three punts, and two of those punts have been in a place on the field where they resulted in fair catches.

Finally, the LA Rams punting average of 39.8 has been a struggle, because punter Johnny Hekker has punted the ball 50 yards against the Chicago Bears, and had one rocket 46 yards against the Indianapolis Colts.  His second punt against the Colts was just 33 yards.  His third and final punt of the game was a 30-yard punt from the Colts 40 yard line to the 10 (and a fair catch). Over time, that will likely improve, while other teams decline a bit.

Where have the Rams’ special teams improved?

To measure this one, we have to revisit the chaos that was the 2020 NFL season. A year ago, the LA Rams’ place kicking was a bit of a mess. The Rams cycled through Sam Sloman, Austin MacGinnis, Liram Hajrullahu, Kai Forbath, and finally Matt Gay.

The LA Rams have since settled on Matt Gay, and he has been one of the bright spots for the Rams’ special teams’ play.  In truth, it was his two field goals and three extra points that eventually became the margin of victory in Week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts.

The LA Rams had the opportunity to decide between Johnny Hekker and Corey Bojorquez, both of who had a solid training camp. The Rams stayed with Hekker and traded Bojorquez to the Green Bay Packers. So far this year in two games, it appears as though the Rams may not have made the right choice, as Bojorquez’s average punt is 45.1 yards to Hekker’s 39.8 yards.

As stated earlier in this article, the LA Rams have infused a lot of young athletic players into the roster, with the specific intention of improving their lackluster special team performance from 2020. So far, the improvements had flashed at times, but do not stick over the course of an entire game.

The Rams have won two NFL games by scores of 34-14 and 27-24. But seven of those points were surrendered by the special teams. Without that error, the Rams would have surrendered just 31 points in two games, for an average of 15.5 points. A year ago, the LA Rams boasted the top-ranked defense in the NFL, but they allowed 18.5 points per game in the first two games of the season, and 23.2 points per game over the first three games. The Rams may not have the best defense in the NFL, but this game can be the start of rejuvenating the Rams’ special teams’ play.

How can the LA Rams leverage special teams in Week 4 vs. the Buccaneers?

It may be challenging to foresee how the LA Rams can turn their 31st ranked special teams’ performance into some element of advantage to help defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but that’s why we play the game after all, isn’t it? The Buccaneers are the 22nd ranked special teams unit in the NFL, so it’s not as though they are a powerhouse in that department.

The Buccaneers have allowed some return yardage in their punt coverage. Their defense may stop their opponents, but they have allowed six field goals attempts. Finally, they have allowed a bit of kickoff return yardage when they have kicked the football.

So how can the LA Rams use all of this against them?

Well, we know that the LA Rams trust their placekicker Matt Gay to score points from within 60 yards of the goal post. In a game that is expected to be an offensive shootout, a kicker can ultimately be the margin of victory for the Rams.

While the Rams punting is hovering near the bottom of the NFL, the Rams had used fake punt trickery in the past to move the chains and extend offensive drives. This year, it makes perfect sense to attempt that type of chicanery to retain the football and perhaps keep Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady off the football field.

The Buccaneers have allowed their opposition to pile up some healthy kick return yards. This is the game where running back Jake Funk can make his mark. It’s inevitable that the Bucs will score points. So it makes logical sense that Funk will have plenty of kickoffs to return. Much like what the LA Rams have experienced, he needs to return just one kickoff to near midfield to give the LA Rams offense a1 decent field position to work with.

The LA Rams need contributions from all three phases of their game to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Just as LA Rams ST Coordinator Joe DeCamillis stated as he stepped up to the podium:

"“Usually when something rough happens, I’m asked over here.“-LA Rams ST Coordinator Joe DeCamillis"

But you could tell from his words and his body language, he doesn’t expect to be asked back anytime soon. For what it’s worth, we don’t expect him to be back either.