Rams: Turnover and turnaround?
July 23rd, 2007 | by Kevin Morris |
By
Jim Haslett heard the skeptics’ chortle after the Rams added prominent weapons
to an offense that already was one of the NFL’s most potent units:
It’s a good thing, because with that defense, they’re going to have to score 40
points a game to win.
Haslett, the Rams’ second-year defensive coordinator, responded with a smile
and a shrug. “I hope we do score 40 points a game,” he said. “It makes my job a
lot easier.”
Haslett’s job was daunting from the outset. He arrived after the team’s 6-10
nosedive in 2005. The Rams wound up 30th in total defense — 28th vs. the run
and 23rd vs. the pass — and gave up more points than all but two of the NFL’s
32 squads.
Haslett’s group made incremental improvement last year, when the Rams finished
8-8. They moved up to 23rd in total offense, were eighth against the pass and
were No. 2 in turnover ratio (plus 14).
Two glaring deficiencies surfaced: an irksome habit of giving up big plays and
a general inability to stop the run. The Rams yielded 2,327 yards on the
ground, the third-highest total in franchise history and second most in the
league. Granted, the Rams played 10 games against teams with 1,000-yard
ballcarriers, including four matchups against the league’s top three rushers:
San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson, Kansas City’s Larry Johnson and San
Francisco’s Frank Gore (twice).
Still, Haslett isn’t planning on letting the Rams’ potentially explosive
attack, bolstered by the noteworthy offseason acquisitions of tight end Randy
McMichael and wide receiver Drew Bennett, steal all the hype as the team
prepares to kick off training camp later this week.
Haslett, ever cautious after spending six years as head coach of the New
Orleans Saints, isn’t making any bold predictions. But he does believe that his
unit can climb at least to the middle of the pack in the league. He bases that
assertion on three key factors:
— A significant shift in personnel.
— Expected improvement in several young players.
— Increased familiarity and understanding between players and coaches.
big turnover
The number of defensive players who have left after spending at least part of
last season with the Rams has reached double figures. Included are five former
starters: cornerbacks Jerametrius Butler and Travis Fisher, tackle Jimmy
Kennedy, end Anthony Hargrove and linebacker Dexter Coakley.
Kennedy and Hargrove were traded, Fisher and Coakley weren’t re-signed, and
Butler was released. The club used trades, free agency and the draft to replace
them.
End James Hall, acquired from Detroit for a fifth-round draft pick, and rookie
tackle Adam Carriker, a first-round draft choice, are projected starters.
Hall, 6 feet 2 and 280 pounds, averaged about half a sack per game in seven
seasons with the Lions. His presence on the right side should free up Leonard
Little on the left. Little amassed 13 of the Rams’ 34 sacks last year; the
other ends combined for only two.
“James isn’t a Leonard Little speed rusher,” Haslett explained. “(Hall) has a
great bull rush, an inside move, and he can turn the corner when he has to. As
a whole, I think he’s a different type guy than Leonard but can be just as
effective.”
Carriker, 6-6 and 312, played end at Nebraska, but Haslett said that after the
spring workouts and minicamps, “we’ve seen enough of him inside to say that he
can be effective. Can he play nose tackle? I don’t know; that’s something we’ll
see when we put the pads on. But I think he can.”
Linebacker Chris Draft, safety Todd Johnson and cornerbacks Mike Rumph and
Lenny Walls, all free-agent signees, will provide much-needed depth.
In addition to Carriker, the Rams drafted cornerback Jonathan Wade (third
round) and tackles Clifton Ryan (fifth) and Keith Jackson (seventh). They also
are looking at seven defenders brought in as undrafted rookies.
That adds up to 16 new faces under Haslett’s charge. “We picked up some vital
parts,” he said. “We’re going to be a better team for having all those parts.”
On the rise
Two rookies, cornerback Tye Hill and end Victor Adeyanju, started nine games
each in 2006. Another rookie, tackle Claude Wroten, dressed for 15 games and
earned increased playing time later in the season.
Second-year free safety Oshiomogho “O.J.” Atogwe and third-year linebacker
Brandon Chillar became full-time starters for the first time. Second-year
defensive backs Ron Bartell and Jerome Carter saw extensive action in the
nickel and dime packages.
It’s reasonable to presume that experience will pay off in improved
performances this year. “We’re counting on those guys,” Haslett said.
Bartell is expected to open camp as the starter at right corner in place of
Fakhir Brown, who was suspended for the first four games for violating the
NFL’s substance-abuse policy. Brown appealed the ban, but the league has not
made a ruling.
“Ron has a good knack for blitzing, and he’s a tall guy (6-1) who can run,”
Haslett said. “It’s hard to throw over him.”
Bartell picked off three passes last year, sharing the team lead with Atogwe,
Hill and Brown. Atogwe and Little tied for the team high in forced fumbles,
with six.
Atogwe is “kind of a ball magnet,” Haslett said. “O.J. kind of felt his way
through the first six or seven games of the year and gave up a couple of big
plays that hurt us. But at the end of the year, he didn’t give up those plays.
… I think he’s going to be a pretty good free safety.”
Haslett is planning to rotate Wroten and veteran La’Roi Glover. The staff
believes that if the 33-year-old Glover’s time on the field is reduced, his
effectiveness will increase.
Second time around
In July 2006, first-year head coach Scott Linehan and his freshly assembled
coaching staff were hurriedly installing different systems and trying to match
faces with names and numbers.
A year later, newness and uncertainty have developed into camaraderie and
comprehension, Haslett stressed. That’s especially true on defense, where
Haslett dusted off a coordinator’s cap he hadn’t worn since 1999.
“You’ve got a whole bunch of guys that will be familiar with the whole
defense,” he said. “That includes myself and how I call a game, and those guys
understanding what we’re doing.”
Last season, Haslett worked at fitting various schemes with personnel; later,
he evaluated which components to retain and which to junk. Among those sent to
the scrap heap were attempts to blend 3-4 elements with the base 4-3 alignment.
“We’re going to focus on the stuff that we thought were effective,” Haslett
said, “and go from there.”
