In the modern NFL, head coaches are getting young, smarter and offensive-minded. The Rams need no warning on this issue as their hire of Sean McVay in 2017 ended up being the catalyst in this recent run of head coaching hires.
Not only that but the team has had many of their assistants poached. Mike’s older brother Matt LaFleur, Zac Taylor and Kevin O’Connell were all Rams assistants who landed head coaching jobs. All three coaches are offensive minded and they each have a division title. Even on the defensive side, the Rams have had coaches poached.
Raheem Morris made a recent move to Atlanta and Brandon Staley was hired by the Chargers, making the playoffs in 2022.
Long story short, the NFL loves Rams assistants. At one point, Mike LaFleur seemed like a joke during his time in New York but a new situation with a new roster and LaFleur has essentially healed his reputation.
Now in eight seasons, three offensive-minded coaches were plucked for head coaching jobs. That’s an insane rate and it all comes down to the numbers.
Matthew Stafford had a bounce-back year in 2023 while Kyren Williams established himself as one of the best running backs in the NFL. Puka Nacua had one of the best rookie season a receiver has ever had and the team made the playoffs.
Offensive numbers are one thing but coaches get hired off of wins. LaFleur, Taylor and O’Connell all were hired during seasons in which the Rams won the NFC West.
A big reason why they won the division during those years was the defense. During those years, the Rams were among the league leaders in sacks. The team averaged around 45 sacks per season.
Aaron Donald played a huge factor in those numbers but the 2024 Rams’ defensive line might be the best in the McVay era. While Donald may be gone, Kobie Turner led rookies in sacks last year. Byron Young came in second. They had 17 sacks between them.
Now the Rams have two young studs with Jared Verse and Braden Fiske. That’s a defensive line that can average double digit sacks each.
Mike LaFleur is a run game specialist. He and Taylor both left the Rams after 2018. Todd Gurley was the Rams’ leading rusher that year with 1,251 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns.
Kevin O’Connell’s number one rusher was Cam Akers who had 786 rushing yards and nine touchdowns in 2021.
Kyren Williams has 1,144 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns in 2023. He played in only 12 games. LeFleur was given a bulldozer in Jonah Jackson and by re-signing Kevin Dotson, LaFleur has one of the best interior offensive lines in all of football.
LaFleur also got a perfect fit for a 1-2 punch rushing attack with Blake Corum.
As the old adage goes, defensive wins championships and teams that can run the ball in the playoffs win. The Rams have both and Mike LaFleur, plus his bank account, may be the beneficiaries of such a luxury.
from Rams Wire https://ift.tt/yElnaSr
0 comments:
Post a Comment