4 reasons why Week 7 is perfect game for Rams to deploy 12-personnel once more

(1) - Rams defense needs help

Let's be honest, this team is not kind to new coordinators. In 2023, the team shed all special team specialists, and invested the bare minimum for ST Coordinator Chase Blackburn. While fans demanded the team fire Blackburn, we did not see that happening. Now, after investing a bit more generously into special teams, Chase Blackburn appears to have turned the corner.

Perhaps it has something to do with how much the team invested into the group after all?

Similarly, the team has not been kind to the new DC Chris Shula. Despite losing All-Pro DL Aaron Donald to retirement, the team traded away top tackler ILB Ernest Jones IV. And as if that was not back enough, the team is spending the least amount of any team on the defensive side of the football. In fact, the team is outspending on offense over defense by a rate of four to one.

Nearly 80 percent of the payroll is on offensive players.

So sure, let's fire DC Chris Shula. That'll fix everything. Or maybe it won't, after all.

Is there a disconnect between LA Rams GM Les Snead and HC Sean McVay? While they appear to be in lockstep throughout personnel decisions, the way this team uses players on game day seems to say the opposite. The team outspent on offense. And yet, the most expensive offense in the NFL is only generating points at the 27-ranked spot of all NFL offenses (adjusted for the defense's pick-six). Conversely, the cheapest defense in the NFL is ranked 29th-overall in terms of points allowed.

The Rams have faced some pretty potent offenses this season. But the defense's best performance this year was holding the San Francisco 49ers offense to just 24 points, three points lower than their 2024 average. And it was in that Week 3 contest that the team used two tight ends. It was the only game so far that the offense relied on its 12-personnel package.

The Rams are energetic enough. But the players struggle with missed tackling, stuffing the run, and overall consistency. The worst-case scenario for the unit is to spend exhaustive amounts of time on the football field in a heartbreaking loss. The best-case scenario is to spend a minimal amount of time on the football field in a convincing win. Two tight ends offers a more likely probability of the second scenario taking place.

As always, thank you for reading.

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