DegenR(g)ambler said:
Im in desperate need of some reassurance.
Is our defense as good as it was last year or even better?
Lets look at the facts dealing with the roster from 2012 to now 2013.
This time last yr Rams DT starters were Cudjo & Langford with only one healthy reserve Heard who was just cut from another team. DT rookies Conrath & Brockers were injured & out.
Today starters Langford & Brockers are @ 100%. Conrath is a 100% healthy & Cudjo has just returned to play. Based off that bit looks much better to me. Then throw in that our starterss have played together of most of last season & all of TC & Pre season this yr. Conrath has been very impressive. Cudjo well we know what he can do healthy. So it looks much better in this area.
DE's starters last yr was Long & Quinn with Sims as the top reserve. Hayes had not been played much & was still rounding into form from a serious shoulder issue for two yrs in Tenn. Now starters are the same Quinn is only 23 but Long is not healthy. Hayes & Sims are 100% and looking very well then add UDFA Gerald Rivers .....I would say you would be very hard pressed to find a better 5 cadre of DE's in the entire NFL!
LB'ers have been an issue forever with this Ram team...not the case any longer. In 2012 Rams had JL,Dunbar & McIntosh as starters with Haggan-Hull & Justin Cole in reserve. Rams do not have Haggan, Hull or Cole or Brown here but have added veteran Witherspoon & four Rookies. One is a #1 draft choice Alec Ogletree & another is a sensational find called Ray Ray Armstrong. This is the area where we have made major improvements and where the as the season moves on it will get even better.
CB's in 2012 Rams played three rookies (Jenkins,Johnson & pointer) one started Jenkins. Past Starter Bradley Fletcher was the 3rd corner. Big plays came from this new secondary & soon Fletcher gave way to Trumaine Johnson in the Nickle. Presently the Rams let Fletcher who had been slowed by two major knee surgeries depart & added Brandon McGee in the 5th round. One should expect that last yrs 3 rookies will be much better in their second years.
Safety....in 2012 was NOT good. Mikell & Dahl were the starters with rookies Matt Daniels & McLeod the reserves. Stewart like this yr was injured all the time. The Rams defense was killed by the lack of good play by these two safeties. Thus Fisher let both starters depart. Now 2013 Rams have replaced them with 3rd rd rookie TJ McDonald & Giordano but we have some injury concerns presently. Our new starters are McDonald & McLeod with bit hit Matt Daniels as the main reserve. Both Stewart & Giordano are injured & out. I still could argue that the safety play has improved nicely with these two younger faster players.
In conclusion; I do not see any degrading from last season I see very good improvement in all the areas that should get even better as each games passes. Does this help my new fellow ROD'mer?