Troy Reeder leads the Rams donut defense again, and it's uglier than ever

Rams remedy won't be easy

Whether they simply fail to recognize running plays, fail to understand where the offense is going with the football, or too shy to meet the running back in the hole is irrelevant. The effect is the same. The linebackers play off the line of scrimmage five yards (pretty standard), but after the football is handed off, they sit back on their heels, let the ball carrier to run to them with a full head of steam, and then get carried as many as one to five more yards downfield.

The are ineffective in this defense due to their passive style. And the fact that both players employ the same passive strategy only compounds the problem.

These linebackers are still acting at though three or more offensive linemen are blocking Aaron Donald. They no longer need to. And that mistake is costing the defense huge chunks of yardage and the outcomes of games.

The Rams are painted into a corner. Either the team has to get bigger up front, and task defensive linemen with gobbling blockers at the line of scrimmage to protect the linebackers. Or the team must find and play linebackers who can shed blockers and plug the holes.

The problem now is how this team can fix a donut hole defense in midseason. The team could try the unthinkable, promoting rookie Omar Speights or Elias Neal to a starting role. While that would not be an immediate fix, it would prove wise to give promising players experience now that that team has fallen to a record of 1-3.

Nobody is talking about tanking here. But the defense cannot continue to allow opposing offenses to impose their wills on the defense without putting up some sort of fight. The Rams need linebackers who are far more active and aggressive at stopping the run.

Otherwise, the team can expect more of the same.

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