Just for kicks, let's laud some praises on this seldom-mentioned Rams star

When it comes to rolling out the red carpet for incoming new coordinators, the LA Rams organization is not exactly known for going with the lavish spending on new players to make a guy feel welcome. Well, that has been the pattern for newly hired Special Teams Coordinator Chase Blackburn in 2023, and it's continued for newly hired Defensive Coordinator Chris Shula in 2024.

In recent years, the offense gets top dollar. The rest of the team does not.

That fact is often missing on game day, and the critique of both Blackburn and Shula as new coordinators by fans is overwhelmingly triggered by unmet lofty expectations. This year, the urgings by fans on social media have overwhelmingly called for the team to move on from Shula. That is something we remain opposed to. With the latest bit of informational evidence, it seems that we are on the right track.

Special teams aiding team to victory

The team did not exactly invest heavily into special teams for Chase Blackburn in his first season with the team. Quite the opposite, to be accurate. And it may be that fact of giving Blackburn just one drafted rookie for his first season with the team that ensured that the team did not part ways after one season.

After hand selecting punter Ethan Evans in the 2023 NFL Draft, the team drafted Stanford kicker Joshua Karty in the 2024 NFL Draft. Now the thing is, special team specialists need a full year in the NFL before you and truly determine the trajectory of their future NFL career. Right now, impatient fans are already clamoring for Karty's release. But a year ago, fans were just as impatient with rookie punter Ethan Evans.

But look at him go now:

Right now, Ethan Evans is the 26th-ranked NFL punter in terms of gross yards (he was the 10th-ranked punter in 2023). He is the 20th-ranked NFL punter in terms of net yards (he was the 35th-ranked punter in 2024). He has not had a punt blocked in 2024 (one punt was blocked in 2023). But where he now excels is punting inside the 20-yard line. He has 12 punts inside the 20 in just seven games (14th ranked) while he punted the football inside the 20-yard line just 20 times in 2023 (23rd-ranked).

While a bunch of numbers is not everyone's cup of tea, the trend is extremely positive for Evans right now. Layer the positive trending on top of the fact that hs is in his second NFL season, and the future looks as bright as ever.

Be patient with rookies who make a living on the accuracy and power of their feet. While fans have lofty expectations for Pro Bowl seasons from anyone who plays for the team, expertise needed to accomplish Top-10 performances in this league simply takes time.

The best things in life are worth waiting for. That is also true for the LA Rams special teams players. And as always, thank you for reading.

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