LA Rams roster holds small ball options for Matthew Stafford this year

Small ball option III: Deep threat

The LA Rams still have the playbook pages dedicated to blowing the back door off the opposing defense. And if they go about getting crossing route plays out of mothballs, they will eventually have to face the same defensive strategy that shut them down in Super Bowl LIII, a split safety coverage that works by bookending the Rams crossing route receivers.

So, by focusing safeties into the middle of the football field, the Rams could and should be looking deep downfield to test the one-on-one coverages by cornerbacks on the Rams receivers speeding down the field:

Now we have covered an entire array of options to attack the defense with small ball packages. Of course, this is by no means intended to be more than a condiment-like option for the overall offense. A sprig of parsley to a dinner plate, or a bit of mustard on a hot dog, or even a bit of horseradish to a healthy portion of roast beef. Not too much so as to be the dominant flavor of the offense. Just enough to augment the flavor and effectiveness of the offensive playbook, and give the defense pause as the players struggle to understand what the Rams offense is doing.

Small ball in the NFL? While it may sound a bit ‘out there,’ don’t ignore the simple fact that the LA Rams do many aspects a bit differently than other NFL teams. A small ball sub-package could be the next Rams’ subtle innovation to NFL offenses. After all, the LA Rams are NFL leaders. Otherwise, the view never changes.