Everything you need to know about new Rams DL coach Giff Smith

The LA Rams have tapped a young and limited-experience positional coach to lead the defensive in the reports of hiring LB Coach/Pass Rush Specialist Chris Shula as the team's new defensive coordinator. That not only creates a void at the former LB Coach's role, but it also leaves a wake in the category of one more experienced coach on the defensive side of the football.

The first positional coaching hire is over. Filling the huge shoes of former DL Coach/Run Game Coordinator Eric Henderson is bound to fall short of lofty expectations. Coach Henny was a unicorn, a leader on the football field, a high football IQ in the office, and a motivator and a quality gentleman off the football field.

No matter how accomplished and qualified new DL Coach/Run Game Coordinator Giff Smith may be, he will need a great deal of time to effectively check all of the boxes for Rams fans who want an effective replacement for Coach Henny. Almost immediately, the qualities of Giff Smith are fundamentally different than those of Eric Henderson. There is no trademark infectious smile. There is a bit less passion and urgency in his voice. Those will be stark differences.

But at the same time, there is undeniable expertise and thoughtfulness in his words, his diction, and his presence. If stoicism in a DL Coach is an admirable trait, and I think that it is, Giff Smith could be the poster child of that quality.

Giff Smith weighs his words. He says what he means and means what he says. That is vital to a defensive line group that is counted on to grind for weeks in OTAs and training camp, only to be met with double and triple teams when they finally get onto the playing field. The DL Coach needs to be brutally honest with his players, because the world of NFL defensive linemen is brutal.

I think this is a great hire, as solid as the Rams hiring of RB Coach Ron Gould in 2023. Now, let me share what I've dug up on the guy so far:

Everything you could possibly want to know about LA Rams new DL Coach Giff Smith

1. Seasoned DL Coach
2. Knows multiple defensive strategies
3. He has a chip on his shoulder
4. Leadership is critical quality for him
5. He was the Chargers DL Coach for Asst DL Coach Henderson
6. He believes that a defensive lineman faces a 'tough, physical game'
7. He loves his players, and the feeling is mutual

Seasoned DL Coach

Coach Giff Smith is about to enter his 20th football season as a coach, a phenomenally long period for any positional coach. Over the years, he has been involved with four different football organizations. To ease understanding and communicating his coaching history, let's display his career in a simple data table.

As you can see, he has enjoyed a long and storied career in coaching football with a variety of teams. But his career is not plagued with short stints. Even though the teams' records have shown varying levels of success, Coach Smith remained aboard. Clearly he was doing something right.

Under HC Sean McVay, the LA Rams have valued experienced on the defensive side of the football. They enjoyed the sage wisdom of Wade Phillips as the teams defensive coordinator from 2017-2019. Likewise, the Rams benefited by the many years of experience of LB Coach Joe Barry from 2017-2020. Coach Giff Smith will now take over that seat of vast NFL experience for the Rams coaching staff as the team readies for 2024.

There is something to be said for having plenty of experience in professional sports, like football. Longevity is not just sticking around, but the multitude of chapters of strategies, experiences, and relatable tales of elite players who came before is always at the ready. It's those tales of those who came before that adds to the experiences of young players who are eager to carve out their own NFL careers.

Knows multiple defensive strategies

Coach Smith may have been the Rock of Gibraltar over the course of his career, but he has proven to be remarkably adept at learning and deploying an array of defensive strategies through the defensive lines and eventually outside linebackers that he has coached.

in 2012, the Buffalo Bills converted from an odd-man front (3-4) to an even-man front (4-3), and Coach Smith was the focal point of that conversion. While this is not an attempt to cry wolf over the likelihood of the Rams' defense's imminent conversion to a 4-3 base defense, it does illustrate that Giff Smith understands and can execute the basic tenets of both.

To emphasize that point, in 2014, the Tennessee Titans converted their defense from an even-man front to an odd-man front. Coach Giff Smith was the focal point of that conversion, as he was the Titans DL Coach that year as well. As you can see, Smith has been the positional coach who was tasked with converting between 3-4 or 4-3 defenses going in either direction.

Perhaps you are not overly impressed with that robust knowledge of both 3-4 and 4-3 base defenses. But I can assure you that when it comes to whiteboarding the defensive strategy for the next opponent, that knowledge will prove to be quite useful. It's a simple matter to flex a defensive front to launch four pass rushers on any given play, and that strategy needs a defensive mind who understands the gap assignments for that type of response.

While not a know-it-all by any means, he does come with the expertise that is highly respected in football circles. It's true that many teams wanted to add Giff Smith's expertise to their own coaching staff. But it was LA Rams HC Sean McVay who was able to convince him to remain in Los Angeles, California, and simply agree to join the LA Rams coaching staff.

He has a chip on his shoulder

Some may not be sold on hiring a positional coach from the Los Angeles Chargers, and are not particularly enamored with hiring a coach from the staff of an NFL teams that just struggled to win games. But you can twist that perspective around, and focus on the coaches who are most qualified to have refined problem-solving skills, and those who are especially motivated to ensure success.

Necessity is truly the mother of invention. Coaches who have endured embarrassing losses are the same coaches who are most likely to do whatever it takes not to experience that humilation again. In another cliche' saying, once burned twice shy.

The path through the LA Rams has worked miracles in restoring the NFL careers of veteran WR Odell Beckham Jr., veteran QB Baker Mayfield, and even most recently that of CB Ahkello Witherspoon, WR Demarcus Robinson, and QB Carson Wentz. So why wouldn't a veteran NFL positional coach who recently ran aground of some bad luck agree to join the LA Rams coaching staff in hopes of a similar restoration of his own career.

If you want to gauge the mentality of Coach Giff Smith, this statement as quoted by The Chargers.com site gives a shining example:

"I think the mentality of our group is dominating every play. I don't want what we call -ride the rollercoaster.- Cannot be up and down right there, we want to steadily gain right there.

When we are put in run or pass with a 1-on-1 block, we should dominate. That is non-negotiable."

Coach Giff Smith

The LA Rams opened their door to Coach Raheem Morris in 2021, and agreed to hire him as the team's vacant defensive coordinator role. Morris proved to be up to the challenge, as he helped to lead the team to their first Super Bowl win for the city of Los Angeles, California. Now, Coach Giff Smith is about to take his chances at restoring the luster to his NFL coaching reputation.

Leadership is critical quality for him

Leadership is a commonly cited term that many use but few truly understand. To lead in one definition is to take by the hand and guide someone in a forward direction. In another form of the phrase, it can mean to take the initiative. In still another form, it means to be in charge, to direct the actions or activities of others, or to simply hold an advantageous margin or superiority over others.

But I like to define the term as someone who sets a high expectation of others to align their actions to a single unified goal or goals, who is willing to adhere to acting in a way to achieve those goals as an example to others, and is openly communicative and responsible to aid others in accomplishing those goals if they struggle to do so.

Coach Smith has coached plenty of talented players over the course of his career. He has coached Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, and Melvin Ingram while with the Los Angeles Chargers. He coached Kyle Williams and Mario Williams while with the Buffalo Bills. And he even helped Tennessee Titans DL Jurrell Casey earn an NFL Pro Bowl nod.

Perhaps best of all, he is highly respected as a coach that players and an NFL organization can count on when the going gets tough.

The quality of a leader is not measured in a period of success, but rather in the face of adversity. Nobody enjoys playing for or following someone who despairs at the first setback, who points a finger and plays the blame game, or who worries about himself when the going gets tough. Coach Giff Smith harnessed the challenges of the final three games of the Chargers 2023 season, and earned the respect of his players and of his opponents in the process.

He was the Chargers DL Coach for Asst DL Coach Henderson

The LA Rams lost one of the best, if not the best, DL Coaches in the NFL when Coach Eric Henderson accepted a job with nearby USC to coach defensive linemen for the USC Trojans. So how can the Rams find someone to take over for Coach Henny? Well, one strategy is to hire the guy who brought Couch Henderson along.

That just happens to be Coach Giff Smith

The LA Rams, urged on by All-Pro DL Aaron Donald, urged the Rams to hire the Los Angeles Chargers Assistant DL Coach Eric Henderson in 2019. Coach Henny was the assistant DL Coach for the Chargers from 2017-2018. the DL Coach at that time? Coach Giff Smith.

It's no surprise that the same toughness and gritty philosophy that made Coach Henny so effective and popular with the Rams players and fans seems to be part of the genetic makeup of Coach Smith as well. It's not an optical illusion, nor is it your mind playing tricks on you, Coach Henny learned the tricks of the trade by working with Coach Smith for two years before taking on the mantle of DL Coach for the Rams.

What better way to replicate the effectiveness of Eric Henderson to hire his mentor? Not only do the Rams add a coach with the same mental toughness, but the strategy can also prove to be incredibly effective in developing younger coaches as well.

He believes that a defensive lineman faces a 'tough, physical game'

Perhaps one of the best ways to understand the new DL Coach is to hear him talk about himself, his defensive philosophy, and his coaching style. Thankfully, I was able to find a video clip of his first press meeting after he was announced as the interim Los Angeles Chargers Head Coach. It was not a happy time for Coach Smith or the Chargers, but he clearly handled the tough media session with poise.

You can catch the interview by clicking on THiS LINK HERE. The video lasts 10:47, but it gives plenty of solid evidence as to Coach Smith's mindset and style. In this press conference, Coach Giff Smith was introduced as the new interim head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. He owned his share of not ensuring the success of former HC Brandon Staley,

Giff Smith highlighted the importance of leadership in times of adversity, and that was more than a self-reflection admission. Even from the get go at his first official action as interim head coach, he was sending a message to his players to unleash their inner passion, and consider the Chargers final three games as a mini-season. Even though the Chargers would lose their final games, the message was the right one.

At the 5:00 minute mark, Coach Smith was asked there would be any changes to the Chargers defense with his new role as interim head coach, and he hinted that there would be some subtle changes, but he would play the best guys onto the field, and place them in the best position to succeed.

What I truly appreciated was his straight talk when asked about the demands on defensive players. At the 9:07 mark, he truly weighs in on what he believes is paramount to success in the NFL:

"I believe in, from my playing days to all the coaches I've been involved with, It is (football) still a tough man's game. It is still a physical game, and you've got to have your brother's back when you go out there. So if that makes me old school, then I am definitely old school."

Coach Giff Smith

I like that realistic assessment. And it is one more clue that the Rams continue to emphasize toughness and physicality as a trademark to what this team wants to establish in 2024.

He loves his players, and the feeling is mutual

One of the key characteristics that I was able to identify about Coach Giff Smith is the love and support that he feels and displays for his players, and how they reciprocate those feelings.

If you return to the previous slide and rewatch Coach Giff Smith's initial press conference, he cites the reason for his acceptance of the interim head coaching role. When asked: 'Personally, what does this opportunity mean to you?', Coach Smith gathered his thoughts, fought back a smile, and replied:

"You know, to be here for the guys, to be here for this organization, to be a part of the NFL, I just go put in this position to lead, and that's how I am going to advance moving forward."

Giff Smith

In that interview, he professed an earnest desire to do right by his players, which seemed a unique reply for a coach who was taking over for a team whose players failed to compete and live up to expectations. And he was not shy about admitting how he was relying upon his players and the entire team's coaching staff to help navigate the final three games of the 2023 NFL season.

Out of respect for Coach Giff Smith, and perhaps to placate the strong interest of players that he be considered as a permanent solution to the Chargers vacated head coaching position, the team did interview him for the job:

But what truly impressed me is the fact that nine players were willing to be interviewed and give their appreciation for Coach Giff Smith after he was tapped to be the interim head coach. That is a pretty significant number and attests to the fact that so many players truly appreciated their interactions with the guy.

No, I'm not saying that the guy is flawless. Nor am I trying to claim that he walks on water. I'm simply sharing a rather lengthy full day's work of investigating how the Rams new defensive line coach might fit and impact the team going forward.

What are your thoughts? Is there anything about Coach Smith that I missed that you would like to know more about? Let me know in the comments section of our Facebook page. And as always, thank you for reading a rather lengthy article. I hope you found it beneficial and informative.