LA Rams teammates love DL Greg Gaines performance, here’s why…

Gaines is truly a 2021 defensive star

Okay, so Gaines had a good game in the playoffs. Perhaps it was an anomaly? Perhaps it was a game where he happened to eat his Wheaties and had a dietary edge on his opponent? Or it may simply have been that the LA Rams needed Gaines to step up, and he answered the call for help?

Let’s revisit Vita Vea’s production for 2021, shall we? Vea has played 538 defensive snaps, and he’s made 30 tackles, 4.0 quarterback sacks, and 11 quarterback hits. So far this season, Greg Gaines has played 642 defensive snaps, and he’s made 48 tackles, 4.5 quarterback sacks, and 13 quarterback hits. Whether or not you argue about the per-defensive-snap performance, it’s plain as day to come to the conclusion that Gaines is having a season that is every bit as impressive as that of the first-round selection, Vita Vea.

Still, let’s be perfectly clear. The Rams front office found him a year later, in round four. The Rams are paying Gaines a fraction of what the Buccaneers are paying Vea. Perhaps just as impressive, the Rams will have Gaines on a rookie contract one year longer than Vea. Go figure.

Here’s something you can’t do

Okay, so we’ve sung a pretty long chorus about the sudden spike of production from Gaines this season. But so far, all we have cited are the same statistics and production that any defensive lineman puts up in the box stats after any given NFL game. But Greg Gaines is a bit more special than that. In fact, he can do things that no other defensive lineman can do.

Forgive me, that that reminds me of a scene from Firefly, and you have to see it to truly appreciate the next point we want to illustrate here:

So now that you are back from that momentary cinematic tangent, we were bringing up the fact that nose tackle Greg Gaines can do things that no other defensive lineman can do. Like what? Like chasing down one of the fastest mobile quarterbacks in the NFL He can run like a gazelle and literally can chase down incredibly quarterbacks who are running to daylight, like this moment where he chases down Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.

As more and more NFL teams turn to mobile quarterbacks to run their offense, the value of a defensive lineman like Greg Gaines will increase exponentially.  No, he doesn’t seek the spotlight. But in 2021, his performance has directed the spotlight to him. How will he hold up? My money is on Greg Gaines.