Rob Ryan NOT Ram's DC

[smram]

If not being able to coach a 3-4 here kept him from getting the job that's pretty stupid on his behalf. lol The team tied leading the fucking league in sacks last year and is young as shit.

I think it had to be something more finite than that. That would have been a hurdle from day one, this went on for weeks.

 

[CGI_Ram]

Name a better job, open job, for a DC than St. Louis!

Ryan blew it.

I guess I'm glad Fisher recognized it early.

Wow! I'm shocked. Perplexed. And... this was flat out weird!

 

[jrry32]

Yeah, that's all well and good, but it doesn't give me any clear indication that the defense, as a whole, didn't work last year. The scheming in games was put in place by Fisher/Williams with Williams making the calls while Fisher had a veto option. So Fisher signed off on most of that defense last year.

Playing off coverage was addressed by Fisher during the year. When you have two rookie corners who don't have a single memory of any receiver in the league, or any idea what their tendencies are, you want to keep the plays in front. Particularly if you have safeties who are basically a liability in coverage. Fisher's whole MO is to make opposing offenses be methodical in their drives and stall them on third downs. That's what they did with the exception of one game (NE).

To be clear, I'm not arguing against you here. It frustrated me as well to see those huge cushions being given up - even on third downs. But do either of us have the experience to say that what Fisher and his defense was doing ... was dumb? Do we really know what their limitations were with two rookie corners, a rookie DT, a new DT switching from 3-4 DE to 4-3 DT, and two new OLB's? I certainly wouldn't be that presumptuous. All things considered, I think they did a fine job against some pretty decent teams. It can get better, and will, but I wasn't expecting the world with all that new personnel in a new system. They actually (by far) exceeded my expectations.

Well, yes. I call it as I see it. I thought it was a bad strategy. Rather see them go down swinging than go down looking. Feel the same way about Sam's rookie year.

 

[-X-]

Yeah, that's all well and good, but it doesn't give me any clear indication that the defense, as a whole, didn't work last year. The scheming in games was put in place by Fisher/Williams with Williams making the calls while Fisher had a veto option. So Fisher signed off on most of that defense last year.

Playing off coverage was addressed by Fisher during the year. When you have two rookie corners who don't have a single memory of any receiver in the league, or any idea what their tendencies are, you want to keep the plays in front. Particularly if you have safeties who are basically a liability in coverage. Fisher's whole MO is to make opposing offenses be methodical in their drives and stall them on third downs. That's what they did with the exception of one game (NE).

To be clear, I'm not arguing against you here. It frustrated me as well to see those huge cushions being given up - even on third downs. But do either of us have the experience to say that what Fisher and his defense was doing ... was dumb? Do we really know what their limitations were with two rookie corners, a rookie DT, a new DT switching from 3-4 DE to 4-3 DT, and two new OLB's? I certainly wouldn't be that presumptuous. All things considered, I think they did a fine job against some pretty decent teams. It can get better, and will, but I wasn't expecting the world with all that new personnel in a new system. They actually (by far) exceeded my expectations.

Well, yes. I call it as I see it. I thought it was a bad strategy. Rather see them go down swinging than go down looking. Feel the same way about Sam's rookie year.

That's fine. We all have our preferences. If, however, they 'went down swinging' last year, then we're having the same conversation, only we're swapping places and *I'm* the one complaining about the strategy and wondering why they're playing tight coverage while continually getting beaten deep. Which, as it turns out, happened a few times. Also, those pick-6's were the result of playing off coverage (while peering into the backfield). If you have the corners jam at the line, and then turn & run, then their eyes are on the corner the whole time and those ints never happen. It's also the way you play zone, which they did quite a bit too.

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap2000000100453/Janoris-Jenkins-pick-six" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-high ... s-pick-six</a>
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap2000000056820/Can-t-Miss-Play-St-Louis-Rams-cornerback-Janoris-Jenkins-pick-six" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-high ... s-pick-six</a>