Here's why ILB Christian Rozeboom had a career best game in Week 10

The LA Rams roster is a unique blend of drafted and undrafted players. But what makes this team truly unique is that undrafted players are not only given opportunities to perform but are held to the same standard of competence as their drafted teammates. However, standing firm on the standards is futile if the coaching staff cannot coach players to achieve that standard consistently.

A perfect example is veteran ILB Christian Rozeboom.

Let's be brutally honest. Rozeboom has had some bad games and some not-so-bad games. But his Week 10 performance was excellent. He was a monster on the football field. While only making three tackles, his true forte lies in his pass defense. he broke up three of four passes thrown his way. He had one interception, and by all rights should have hauled in two picks in the game.

The question is: How is it that a guy who struggled in coverage prior to Week 10 played so much better? Here are some observations:

Why did Rozeboom excel?

The opportunity for Rozeboom to flourish was neither coincidence or accident. It was the result of the Rams defense aligning with the strength of the players on the football field. Confused? Let me explain.

The Rams' insistence to place both ILBs Troy Reeder and Christian Rozeboom on the football field simultaneously seemed to spring from a preference for putting two veterans on the field together. Unfortunately, the decision doubled down on two players with almost identical skill sets. The thing is, both linebackers sit back and play prevent defense. That allowed offenses to run right at them, with neither player particularly effective at stuffing the run.

But when Troy Reeder was sent to IR due to injury, undrafted ILB Omar Speights stepped in. Unlike Reeder, Speights is a snarler, a tough-minded rookie who loves to meet the ball carrier in the hole. He is a throwback to the classic inside linebacker.

Speights takes a lot of responsibility off the plate from Rozeboom. With Speights stopping everything in front of him, Rozeboom has been able to pivot to pass coverage. And that focus paid off with a jackpot in Week 10.

Don't forget Bobby Brown III

Another reason why Rozeboom played so effectively is that the Rams' defensive front was doing its job. Although he only recorded three tackles, NT/DT Bobby Brown III had two tackles for a loss. Those tackles were brutally effective at stopping the Dolphins running game. Without a need to lean into the line of scrimmage, Rozeboom was able to optimize his range in pass coverage.

Christian Rozeboom is not particularly effective at stuffing the run, shedding blockers, tackling for a loss, or even making tackles. He has missed eight tackles this season, a rate of over 10 percent. But if given the space to roam, he can be very effective at pass coverage, as he proved in Week 10.

Let's broaden our scope a bit. The performance of an individual player can benefit from the right type of players around him. Omar Speights is ideally suited to pair up with Christian Rozeboom, because they complement one another on the football field.

As always, thank you for reading.

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