Washington Commanders are 1st in line to interview this Rams coach for HC job

He emphasized the middle of the Rams defense

Before arriving at the LA Rams, the Rams' defense emphasized the shell concept. Simply stated, the Rams invested in cornerbacks and pass rushers, and hoped that the defense could make do by investing less into defensive linemen and safeties, and next to nothing in interior linebackers. That all changed with Morris, who immediately persuaded the Rams to invest a third-round pick into ILB Ernest Jones.

That may have seemed like a very small step at the time, but it was a giant leap for the Rams progress. For 2023, ILB Ernest Jones played just 15 games, and yet had 145 tackles (a new Rams recorded), 4.5 quarterback sacks, six quarterback hits, 14 tackles for a loss, 13 pressures, six pass deflections, and only allowed 70.8 percent of the passes thrown to his receiver to find their mark. That is a huge upgrade over the past performers at ILB.

He knows how to take the defense up a notch

While the Rams defense has had to 'make do,' more often than fans realize, But when the defense needed to take it up a notch, this defense was able to do so. The Rams won in Week 18 by a score of 21-20, but held the 49ers offense to zero points in the second half. But that was not the first time the Rams defense shut out their opponent for an entire half of football.

The LA Rams opened the 2023 NFL season by shutting out the Seattle Seahawks in the second half of Week 1 to win by a score of 30-13. The Rams shut out the Indianapolis Colts in the first half of Week 4. The Rams shut out the Arizona Cardinals in the second half of Week 6. And finally, The Rams shut out the Washington Commanders in the first half of Week 15. When the Rams needed a victory, the defense stepped up.