Fans fervor to fire Rams DC Raheem Morris is misplaced

Here we go again. The shrieks to “Fire Raheem Morris!” are becoming more numerous and getting louder with each passing week.  We’ve been here before, as this pattern was the rule in 2021. Of course, that was a Super Bowl-winning season, and this clearly is not. But it is no more justified this season than it was a year ago.

The anger and frustration of LA Rams fans are justified. The focus of that anger and frustration upon the LA Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris is not. How can I say that? Aren’t the LA Rams 3-6 and losing any chance at competing in the NFL Playoffs this season? Isn’t the LA Rams defense the unit that allows opposing offenses to score, sending the already stressed-out offense into that pass-only panic mode?

Well, perhaps the answer is more simple than many think. In short, we only hold what we see accountable for the results. In short, it’s tough to associate the LA Rams offense with the current struggles of the team, simply because the offense has really not shown much of a fight this season.  The Rams average 282.7 yards per game (31st), 68.1 yards per game running the football (32nd), and despite attempting 324 passes this season (16th), only have 214.6 passing yards per game (21st).

It’s easy to hold offensive linemen injuries, bad luck, and a host of other mystical cosmic forces accountable, and give the play-calling, the lack of commitment to run the football, and the willingness to pass the football 35+ times a game no matter who lines up under center a waiver.

But worst of all, the Rams offense has coughed up the football 15 times (28th), a key element to the Rams holding a net turnover of (-7), which comes in at 30th out of 32 NFL teams.

How soon do we forget that lesson from 2019

Hey, some things are within the team’s control, and some things simply are not. So what is in the realm of control for the Rams’ offense? Well, in 2019, the LA Rams’ offensive line was decimated by injuries. As a result, the rushing attack was inept, and that bled over to the passing game as well. So how did the Rams handle it? The team installed a 12-personnel package that gave the offense an extra blocker in TE Johnny Mundt and repurposed the passing game through TE Tyler Higbee.

The result was astounding. An offense that had managed only 35 points in the previous three games roared back to life, averaging 29 points per game over the final five contests that year. Higbee would put up 522 yards and two touchdowns over a five-game stretch. Even the Rams’ rushing attack, now bolstered with reinforced blocking and a resurging passing attack, got back on track. So why not even try that solution this year? So far, the Rams’ offensive minds seem to be simply spinning their wheels.