2023 Defense through 12 Games vs 2022 first 12 games

[JimY53]

And have seen comments online like this: "Many people ... have given Morris plenty of credit this year. He is coaching like a different coach this year."
and there are more. I think Morris critics feel similarly, saying "It's about results and Morris is getting great results" that is now apart from many insults I have see like Morris is scared and Morris is stupid. That excludes names he was called.
Donald hurt in Week 11 ---defense DID fall apart last 6

So, Aaron or so games. It is a separate debate as to what happened after that and if it was Morris's fault.

Rams have played 12 games this year.
Here are 2 questions
(1) Where do they rank vs last year?
And
(2) is there enough of a difference that people wanted Morris fired? Not fair criticism but FIRED

Points per game ---2022 = 22.3 2023 = 21.1 (not counting TDs by defenses and ST) 1 PPG different
Yards per game ---2022 = 2022 = 16th, 2023 = 16th -- the same
Yards per play ---2022 = 19th, 2023 = 14th -- 5 lower in 2022, both middle of the pack
Rushing yards ---2022 = 16th, 2023 = 16th -----the same
Rushing yards per play ---2022 = 7th; 2023 = 15th---better in 2022
Passing yards per play ---2022 = 15th, 2023 = 1th --- the same
passing yards per play---2022 = 10th ; 2023 = 14th ----better in 2022
Sack percentage----2022 = 17th 2023 = 25th----better in 2022
INT percentage-----2022 = 28th 2023 = 28th ----same
1st downs/game---2022 = 19th 2023 = 19th ----same
3rd Down % ---2022 = 21st 2023 = 19th (t) ----same both 40%
4th Down % --- 2022 = 27th 2023 = 25th (t) ----both 61% essentially same
PFR does not have red zone or goalline --- but if memory serves last year Rams were decent in both

Now I know what people say--who was on D, but also remember how bad offense was
so no comparison is perfect--but the key is why the hate last year and some respect this year?

Answer--how off cov. looks, IMO

 

[Merlin]

Now I know what people say--who was on D, but also remember how bad offense was
so no comparison is perfect--but the key is why the hate last year and some respect this year?

This defensive roster is clearly performing well given the pieces they have this year. Last year that was not the case.

 

[Tano]

This defensive roster is clearly performing well given the pieces they have this year. Last year that was not the case.

I think the main reason that the defense is performing so much better are the assistant coaches. Last year's assistant secondary coaches sucked and Morris had to be extremely conservative due to their performance. Made me dislike Morris as a DC but I should have been blaming the assistant secondary coaches the entire time.

 

[JimY53]

This defensive roster is clearly performing well given the pieces they have this year. Last year that was not the case.

Last year the offense was one of worst in NFL. This year they can at least score points. Puka stepped in for gimpy Kupp, Stafford
mostly healthy. Offensive line is pretty good, RB is pretty good.

Defense was not perfect last year. It had bad games and cost wins but had good games. Offense affects the defense and there are times when the offense needed a first down to seal a win but would go 3 and out. Defense carries heavy burden last year.

The questions I posed were what are the results?
And are the differences do great that one year a few people wanted Morris fired and this year they
don't.

Mitigating factors such as a young group and a bad offensive aside. The Morris hate has been and always
was over the top and unreasonable and with a few people it was personal.

edited to correct a couple of typos

 

[Jacobarch]

Defense also looks better with a functional offense. Which the 22 rams did not have

 

[Merlin]

I think the main reason that the defense is performing so much better are the assistant coaches. Last year's assistant secondary coaches sucked and Morris had to be extremely conservative due to their performance. Made me dislike Morris as a DC but I should have been blaming the assistant secondary coaches the entire time.

I agree with this. McVay had tried to move some of his favored guys around last season and two of the moves bit him. McVay probably thought he could put a LB coach under Morris to learn from him but overestimated Morris' ability to field a top secondary with that condition. Either way you can see the difference in quality with Pleasant added to that room. Our young secondary plays with good discipline and resilience even though they do get BBQd time to time.

 

[Merlin]

Last year the offense was one of worst in NFL. This year they can at least score points. Puke stepped in for gimp Kupp, Stafford
mostly healthy. Offensive line is pretty good, RB is pretty good.

Defense was not perfect last year. It had bad games and cost wins but had good games. Offense affects the defense and there are times when the offense needed a first down to seal a win but would go 3 and out. Defense carries heavy burden last year.

The questions I posed were what are the results?
And are the differences do great that one year a few people wanted Morris fired and this year they
don't.

Mitigating factors such as a young group and a bad offensive aside. The Morris hate has been and always
was over the top and unreasonable and with a few people it was personal.

Sounds like you want to turn this into a Morris vs the offense debate. There are a couple posters here who will enjoy doing that with you, I'm not one of them however.

 

[JimY53]

Sounds like you want to turn this into a Morris vs the offense debate. There are a couple posters here who will enjoy doing that with you, I'm not one of them however.

Then don't respond.

This thread's topic is to show this year's D-stats vs. last year's D-stats after the same number of games (apples to apples). I then asked questions based on that very topic.

You commented. By doing that you must have expected a response. You got one.

.

If you want do not engage, then don't do it. Perfectly fine.

 

[Turducken]

Last year we had 3 elite (future HOFers) on defense with 4 tier 2 vets and a couple tier 3's.

This year we have one elite defender and maybe a couple tier 2 vets mixed with tier 3 vets and rookies.

The defenses have comparable stats even though last years defense was better (until AD went down). The big difference is the offense sustaining drives this year.

Morris is a good DC and everyone in the building knows it. Given that most of the HC hires go to young OC's, i expect we will have him for as long as we have McVay.

 

[Tumak61]

Every game thread has multiple posts about how soft the Defense is, can't tackle etc. By the middle of the week everyone is saying how the Defense is actually pretty good. Come game time everyone will be saying it's bad again, can't tackle. By the middle of next week everyone will be saying it's actually a pretty good Defense, and on we go.

 

[VegasRam]

Puke stepped in for gimp Kupp, Stafford

Not a spelling mistake one wants to make.

 

[dieterbrock]

'22 had Wagner and Ramsey, and despite their departure the defense is better, even if only marginally, and that isnt a feather in the cap of Morris?

 

[WestCoastRam]

Vibes per game ---2022 = 32nd, 2023 = 12th -- we have rizz!

 

[majrleaged]

I see why we got rid of Wagner and Ramsey. We can get a middle of the road D without them.

 

[JimY53]

'22 had Wagner and Ramsey, and despite their departure the defense is better, even if only marginally, and that isnt a feather in the cap of Morris?

It should be but it's used as a negative by some.

Seems like there are different groups on Raheem
1. Supports. Few but can see the flaws, never claimed the defense was '85 Bears or '00 Ravens
2. Reasonable people, critical of him -- but also give credit where credit is due. Sometimes like him, sometimes not
3. Unreasonable people who wanted him fired after the '21 Cardinals game in SoFi but don't get personal. Not haters.
4. Haters. Cannot be reasoned with. Say he's scared or stupid or both. Say he lacks "smarts and balls"

Groups 1, 2, and 3 are honorable people. Willing to listen, willing to learn.
4? not so much.

 

[OldSchool]

It should be but it's used as a negative by some.

Seems like there are different groups on Raheem
1. Supports. Few but can see the flaws, never claimed the defense was '85 Bears or '00 Ravens
2. Reasonable people, critical of him -- but also give credit where credit is due. Sometimes like him, sometimes not
3. Unreasonable people who wanted him fired after the '21 Cardinals game in SoFi but don't get personal. Not haters.
4. Haters. Cannot be reasoned with. Say he's scared or stupid or both. Say he lacks "smarts and balls"

Groups 1, 2, and 3 are honorable people. Willing to listen, willing to learn.
4? not so much.

My favorite is the haters that cannot give Morris any credit. Any improvements are only done because of the assistants not because of anything Morris has done

 

[Kupped]

I’m enjoying this thread.

 

[Tano]

My favorite is the haters that cannot give Morris any credit. Any improvements are only done because of the assistants not because of anything Morris has done

I just want to be clear that even though I stated that the assistants are better this year and accordingly the defense is better, it is not just because of the assistants. Morris last year was handicapped by poor assistants and could only do so much on his own. This year he is helped out with much better assistants so he can actually go back to being a DC and not a cover the other idiots mistakes DC.

 

[Ellard80]

Gotta give props to morris for sure.

making a functional defense out of scrap parts.

 

[snackdaddy]

Ramsey, Wagner, Floyd, Robinson, Gaines, Scott. Those guys are all gone. Replaced by low cost first and second year players. Or cheap free agents. Most of them day 3 picks. If Raheem had them playing at the same level as the guys in 2022, yup, he should get credit for a job well done.

In my opinion we're sitting pretty good with him. If he gets a head coaching job we get a 3rd round comp pick. If he stays we have a coordinator who's proven he can devise a good game plan in the post season.