The heart of the LA Rams defense now beating very strong

Before the last day of March 2022, the LA Rams defense appeared to have a donut in the middle. While there was the very strong return of rookie inside linebacker Ernest Jones, the Rams really had no teammate to pair with him to ensure that the middle would be staunchly defended.  While that was not of major concern for the defenses under former defensive coordinators Wade Phillips and Brandon Staley, that was not the case for new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris.

But after the last day of March, the LA Rams have All-Pro inside linebacker Bobby Wagner to cheer for as well. And to be honest? He fits the defense that defensive coordinator Raheem Morris loves to run down to a tee.

Morris loved sticking to a base 3-4, which meant that he preferred to use his three down-lineman plus one outside linebacker to pressure the quarterback via the pass rush. He wanted the option to use any one of his coverage options, but that meant that he needed to have a defense whose inside linebackers are, at a minimum, able to cover curls, hooks, and underneath routes.

Rams coverage schemes

The Ringer’s Kaelen Jones cited an intriguing comparison in a February article entitled: How Raheem Morris Has Kept the Rams Defense on Track. In the article, the author compares Morris’s defensive coverage schemes from the 2020 Atlanta Falcons versus the 2021 LA Rams. Here are the results (cited from Sports Info Solutions)

• Team                  1-High    2-High    Man    Zone
• 2020 Falcons       65%          30%      36%     50%
• 2021 Rams          24%          71%       14%     68%

So what does that tell us? Well, in a Cover-2 scheme, the two inside linebackers have different but critical, pass coverage responsibilities.  The inside linebacker playing to the side of the pass-rushing outside linebacker must move laterally to cover the seam or hook pass routes, also known as the ‘flat’. The other inside linebacker is responsible for dropping back and covering the vertical seam, or the underneath routes that cross over the middle.

The LA Rams have not had the quality of linebackers who were effective to work in tandem at pass coverage. That necessitated the Rams to flip to playing one of their safeties in a traditional inside linebacker spot, to make the necessary pass coverage reads and defend those routes. Of course, flipping to a smaller and lighted defensive back opens the door to the offense throwing a wrench into the works by running against the smaller defenders.

Mentor, manager, madman

The LA Rams will be lining up 6-foot-2, 230-pound Ernest Jones alongside 6-foot-0, 242-pound Los Angeles native Bobby Wagner for much of the 2022 NFL season. While they have much to work out in terms of coordinating play in the same defense alongside one another, the potential for how this will help the entire defense is tough to ignore.

For starters, Wagner himself brings an average of over 138 tackles per year to the ILB position. That is more than former inside linebacker Cory Littleton’s career-high performance. Wagner also brings almost an iron-man durability to the position, having missed just nine games in the past 10 seasons for the Seattle Seahawks.

But let’s be clear here. Whatever you think you know about veteran Bobby Wagner, prepare to be impressed. Some have already commented in forums that this is not a version of Bobby Wagner from his prime playing days.  I’m not so sure. We witnessed a sunsetting career of veteran outside linebacker Von Miller suddenly be jolted back to his prime playing days in just one half-season in the LA Rams defense.

Five years of Bobby Wagner folks. That means that the LA Rams, and no other team, will benefit from any and all restoration of his playing form by lining up on the same defense as Aaron Donald. Never in Wagner’s playing days will he have the benefit of playing behind someone who draws double and triple teams so routinely.  If you cannot see the potential for a career year for him in 2022, just wait. I think you’ll love what you hear out of training camp.

The LA Rams’ middle of the defense was the soft spot for nearly two years.  Suddenly, it appears that the heart of this defense is a strong suit, and the heart of the LA Rams defense is beating strong once more.