5 Defensive Coordinator candidates to replace Raheem Morris for 2024

Option II: Asst Head Coach Jimmy Lake

From the moment that the LA Rams announced hiring former University of Washington HC Jimmy Lake as the newly created Assistant Head Coach role, I thought that the Rams were simply stocking Jimmy Lake away for the day when Raheem Morris would be hired away as head coach to another NFL team. Then, the Rams could simply slide Jimmy Lake into the Defensive Coordinator role, while retaining his Assistant HC title.

Jimmy Lake is a Raheem Morris guy. That is, the two worked together on the same coaching staff as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They worked together in 2007, when Morris was the Bucs DB coach. They reunited in 2011-12 when Morris was the Buccaneers head coach, and Lake was his DB coach. And much like Morris, Jimmy Lake brings substantial experience and depth of knowledge about defenses to any role he fills on a coaching staff.

Lake was the secondary coach for the University of Washington, which produced outstanding defensive backs who flourished in the NFL. He was promoted to Defensive Coordinator for Washington, and eventually to Head Coach.

Lake is a great communicator. He has proven that ability to get his message across to young football players throughout his NFL and NCAA coaching career. So what makes him a more suitable DC, because both Lake and Pleasant share that ability? Well, only Lake has leveraged that attribute to lead an entire defense and even an entire team. He is a guy who leaves nothing to chance. He digests as many details and data points as possible and then compiles an effective strategy based on all known information.

In my opinion, the LA Rams front office hired Jimmy Lake for the scenario that is playing out this year, namely the likelihood that Raheem Morris will be hired away seems fairly certain. But there is one more candidate who could be even more ideal to take over as the LA Rams Defensive coordinator. And he has ties with the LA Rams as well.